Level Devil, the viral web browser platformer, has come to Steam. It remains an absolute blast with even more content and a two-player mode, making it the perfect way to spend an evening with a game you'll love to hate.
Indie games purposely designed to mess with the player for the sake of it are not a new concept. The iconic I Wanna Be the Guy is perhaps the blueprint many devs follow. Level Devil has a unique charm to it.
The game developed by Unept is a very bite-sized experience that avoids the frustration of unfairly dying, thanks to the hilarity involved in many of the set pieces and the shortness of each level. In the Steam version of the game, which features 200 levels, you'll find different sets of them, all themed around a familiar concept for platformer enthusiasts.
One of my favorite sections thrives on a player's desire for that sweet dopamine rush that collectibles give you in other 2D platformers. We love hearing those Sonic rings or Super Mario coins' iconic sound cues, so naturally, I will try to collect the orbs Unept put in front of me. It's such a funny subversion of expectations that even when you're picking up on the devious ways the developer could have in store to mess with you, you'd willingly try to fall into the trap to see if you were correct.
Another great point that makes Level Devil so accessible is that it's not needlessly hard. You'll die for sure, maybe two or three times per level as you keep trial and erroring your way through them, but once you figure out the pattern, the game controls so smoothly that jumping through the hoops and loops thrown your way will feel like a breeze.
If that wasn't enough, the two-player mode unique to the Steam version feels like the cherry on top. While it initially looks like both players will get to run around the same stages to see who completes it first, you'll quickly realize that there's actually more than that.
click to enlargeThese are unique levels designed for players to mess with each other. A quick example of one of my favorite stages includes one that allows both players to press switches that change the positioning of trampolins spread across the floor, turning it into a deadly mobile trap that will make you bump into spikes at the top of the stage if you're not quick on your feet.
Overall, I wasn't expecting to enjoy Level Devil as much as I did. It's fantastic, easy to pick up and play, and despite already having a ton of content and hundreds of smartly designed levels, it'll leave you craving more. Luckily, developer Unept has confirmed more updates are on the way, giving us more reasons to lovingly hate Level Devil.
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