Dark Devotion developer diaries introduce the world and combat

The Arcade Crew has released two developer diaries for upcoming indie sidescroller RPG Dark Devotion. The first video goes over the game's world and art, and the second describes combat and mechanical details.

Find the videos and descriptions below. You can find more information in the announcement post. Dark Devotion is set to release on PC in Early 2019, with a release on consoles (TBA) to follow.

Dev Diary #1

The new video weaves together the artists, locations and inspirations that would ultimately become the rich narrative tapestry for Dark Devotion. Artist Alexandre Magnat, programmer Louis Denizet and writer Arthur Dos Santos describe how they drew from Romantic era artists like Delacroix and 14th century French Gothic architecture from southeastern France to create the overall macabre tone and artistic design of the game. The trio also detail how H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories and concepts around ‘the anti-hero’ helped them fine tune Dark Devotion’s story arch and character development. 

Dark Devotion’s shadowy passageways twist through a mystical temple teeming with merciless spirits, but braving these uncharted routes often reveals stashed secrets and is the only way to deepen the all-important faith. Desecration be damned; looting the temple’s supplies and gear is a crucial necessity in surviving this macabre gauntlet of horrors. 

Every encounter demands infallible reflexes and intuition, as enemies are cunning enough to leave prey limping away with illness, if they’re able to continue on at all. But only by enduring immense trials and unrivaled suffering can one hope to properly praise the God looming over Dark Devotion’s grim world. 

Dev Diary #2

The clip shares insight direct from Hibernian Workshop on the engrossing sense of discovery rippling through Dark Devotion’s ominous temple, and the developer’s focus on balancing an omnipresent impression of danger with a vital allure of the unknown. The game is designed to inspire a relentless feeling of uncertainty which still encourages risk taking in the hopes of finding new gear or resources which may better odds for survival.

The video also offers glimpses at the brutal boss encounters players will face while searching Dark Devotion’s grim chambers. These battles serve as pivotal tests for whether players have aptly mastered cautionary, agile movement by dodging traps lining the game’s environments as well as the reflex-testing combat they’ll engage in with more modest horrors.

Dark Devotion’s macabre pixelated world is teeming with subjects eager to prove themselves to an unquestioned God, where no magnitude of suffering is too great a sacrifice. Enveloped in a foreboding atmosphere informed by H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, the game dares players to endure a sense of dread and looming death to find the gear and tenacity required to prove their faith’s strength has no equal.