Devil Daggers

***Devil Daggers*** is a fast-pace first-person shooter game developed and published by Sorath. The game is available on Steam and GOG for $4.99 USD.

Sorath submitted *Devil Daggers* to Steam Greenlight, a community selection system, so that the game could be released on digital distribution platform Steam. The game was successfully greenlit and released for Windows on February 18, 2016. On July 6, 2016, Sorath released an OS X version of *Devil Daggers*. Alongside this release, two new enemy types were added to the game and the *Devil Daggers* soundtrack was added to the game's directory. Support for vertical sync, increased field of view, and virtual surround sound via HRTF-processing were also added. On September 19, 2016, a Linux version of *Devil Daggers* was released along with the ability to view replays from a top-down perspective. The update also added more statistics such as tracking a player's total survival time across all runs.

## Summary

Inspired by 1990s FPS and arcade games, Devil Daggers is a fast-paced shooter that places you in an abyssal arena to face endless legions of demons. Armed with versatile magic daggers and a fluid movement system, fight to survive as long as you can. Compete for precious seconds with Steam Friends or on global leaderboards. Your spirit and skill will be tested.

## Gameplay Features

* Face 13 horrifying enemies.
* Harvest demonic crystals to increase the power of your magic daggers.
* Learn from the world's best or watch friends with the leaderboard replay system.
* Versatile magic daggers, can be used as a shot attack or rapid fire.
* Survive long enough to earn powerful magical homing daggers.
* Fluid movement allows for circle strafing, bunny hopping and dagger jumps.
* Advanced movement techniques allow for speed boosts and double jumps.

## Engine Features

* Custom built engine, hand crafted art and sound.
* 1990s software-style rendering with unfiltered textures and polygon jitter.
* HDR 3d positional audio. Optional HRTF binaural audio.
* 3d particle physics system with procedural decal effects.
* Supports hundreds of flocking enemies that all avoid each other.

## Reception

*Devil Daggers* received "generally favourable" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Critics compared the gameplay and graphics favourably to first-person shooters of the 1990s such as *Doom* and *Quake*. Reviewers were pleased with how *Devil Daggers* offered a stripped-down experience of these games, and provided a fast and pure gameplay experience.

The game's fluid movement system was compared to arena shooters *Quake III Arena* and *Unreal Tournament 2004* by *Edge* magazine. They welcomed the inclusion of advanced movement techniques, saying they felt "fresh" when implemented in a survival context. They also thought that *Devil Daggers* refined on so much of the borrowed elements, that it would be inaccurate to simply call the game a "nostalgic throwback". *Devil Daggers* was considered to be a perfect distillation of old school arena shooters by Zack Furniss, writing for *Destructoid*. *Kill Screen* writer Davis Cox praised the "frenetic, bullet hell" nature of *Devil Daggers*, but felt that there was opportunity to incorporate more interesting levels and spaces into the game.

Tom Senior of *PC Gamer* enjoyed the "oppressive" and "hellish" atmosphere created by the deliberate use of old rendering techniques and effects. Both GameSpot and IGN critics agreed that although the retro visual style was fitting, it could also become a hindrance when the excessive clutter of pixelated enemies made it difficult to interpret what was happening on screen. Furniss of *Destructoid* stated that the visuals might not appeal to everyone, but he loved the horror aspect and sense of nostalgia that it evoked.

The game's sound design was lauded by critics. Reviewers especially liked the practical use of unique and continuous enemy noises. Being able to pinpoint an enemy's location when they were obscured from view was seen as an interesting aspect of the game's audio. The cacophony created by enemies was described as "chilling" by IGN reviewer Chloi Rad. She also felt that the audio combined well with the fluid movement to provide the player with the information and means for dealing with enemies.

Many reviewers discussed the high level of difficulty presented by *Devil Daggers*, calling the experience "intense" and "brutal", but also "gleeful" and "exhilarating". *Edge* called the game an "expertly designed test of skill". GameSpot reviewer Mike Mahardy believed that surpassing the 60 second mark in a run was a feat. Eurogamer writer Johnny Chiodini thought the game excelled at being a short experience and highlighted that becoming proficient in *Devil Daggers* was a process of repetition and refinement. Writing for *Hardcore Gamer*, Mark Steighner called the game addictive and thought that it was ideal for people obsessed with chasing high scores in games. Critics also liked the replay feature and pointed out that it was a great way to learn from other players and heighten the competitive aspect among the community.

*Rock, Paper, Shotgun* named *Devil Daggers* as the best game of 2016. Writers of the website complimented its gameplay, aesthetic, and sound design. In January 2017, they placed *Devil Daggers* fifth on their list of the fifty best first-person shooters on PC. Chris Thursten of *PC Gamer* named *Devil Daggers* as his personal game of the year, calling it "flawlessly designed".

## Trailers

Devil Daggers - Trailer - Available now on Steam