I'm going to go against the popular consensus and give this a solid 9/10. The absolute first thing you have to realize is that this is a $2.99 game, and if you pull back from the App Store 99c pricing trend you will see that the game packs a LOT of content for that 2.99. But, this is what's going to divide people, a grand majority of that content is flavor or style, not just in the voice acting and dialogue but also in the item descriptions, case descriptions and other text items. There is a lot of stuff to read and enjoy if you're willing to stop and smell the flowers. I agree, the gameplay is simplistic and could use more mechanics, but it worked for me. Somehow it scratched a boardgaming itch, with the dice rolling, counters and abilities. I am halfway through the game and have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it so far, with the exception of the one thing that really attracted people to the game in the first place, the cheesy dialogue. I get that the devs are trying to emulate 80s cheesiness, and that comes across very well in the intro, but that raw cheesiness only goes so far before becoming boring and repetitive. The writing for the voiced dialogue could have used some more tightening up and maybe used references to 80s shows. Most of the voice acting itself is still very good though, just not the content. I can also see this first release as a starting point for the game, with additional iAP episodes being released later which add new mechanics and cases. I'm not sure how viable this product will turn out for the devs, but it would be sad to not see any growth for this great initial release. All in all, an excellent game for me, definitely more style/flavor than substance, but there is a lot of substance still for $2.99.
Just to throw my rating in before TA gives this a 5 star presumably, I think Devil's Attorney is worthy of a 4/5 rating. Loses one star for a somewhat shallow gameplay that gets repetitive later on. But the polish is immaculate - the best on a mobile game so far. So yeah - a 4/5 and a game that everyone has to try if they've got the change to spare.
it must be hard to pull off a game like this. regardless of how great the game is or isnt, you gotta applaud the devs for trying something original and different. there is so much crap on the app store every week, and there is more coming, endless runners and zombie games. yet some people still find a way to think this game is "repetitive" and "lacks content".
Just because a game is original doesn't mean it can't get repetitive. Content wise, I think for $2.99 this game is OK...just be sure to play on hard mode after you get the hang of things otherwise it'll be a breeze.
I'm torn on this one. On one hand, you have what is possibly the greatest intro to any game in recent memory, iOS or otherwise, and one that is pretty much worth the price of admission on its own. There is a ridiculously high level of polish in the artwork, music and voice acting (although the writing itself is uneven), and a lot of care has obviously gone into the UI and game engine itself. Theeeennnn, you have the gameplay. I really wanted this one to be the game of the week, and it started off that way, but there are just too many flaws in the game itself, so much so it is heartbreaking, given everything else. I played through the first ten or so cases on normal, and had that feeling, you know the one, where you're in the middle stages of a standard JRPG and are steamrolling pointlessly weak random battles, using the same skills in the same order over and over again. It really felt like the actual game mechanics weren't designed with anywhere near the skill or care that the presentation was given; on a hunch, I decided to start again on hard mode instead. On hard, the game feels more solid in terms of challenge, but then it breaks down in a different area. Taking the cases as puzzles to be solved by thinking multiple steps ahead and using skills in a particular order to reduce damage taken and maximise damage dealt within a given time limit (a la Neuroshima Hex Puzzle) made everything seem to fit and just "pop", but the random range of damage that skills do screws that up as a design concept, because it's possible to do the same thing two times, succeed once and get unavoidably flattened by random rolls that just feel flat-out unfair the next. It doesn't really feel like the game's balance was worked on enough. I'd suggest the developers perhaps look at the tightly-designed Neuroshima Hex Puzzle and think about pursuing that design concept for the game instead, where the player is tasked to evaluate every skill they have (with damage "ranges" removed), every witness, every piece of evidence, and plan ahead over the length of the trial, taking all of these interactions into account to ascertain how best to make it through. Right now the entire game revolves around a random, basic and "mushy" old-school RPG combat system instead, and it deserves better. On my personal wishlist (and not at all expected or demanded to be implemented), I'd really like to see the "TV show" theme expanded upon, with Phoenix Wright-style character interactions and story outside of the courtroom. It doesn't have to be voiced (save that for the actual trials to keep space and development costs down), but I'd love to see the "world" of Max McMann turned into a game that could easily be a real contemporary Adult Swim/Comedy Central television show. Think about the independent standalone cases (battles) we have now, and think about how much more awesome the game would be if there were overarching stories across multiple episodes, with characters and the whole "faux 80s show" vibe to go along with these and get us invested in the characters and Devil's Attorney series. That said, the game already offers a lot, and the price is absolutely appropriate for the amount of time and effort that obviously went into it; the people claiming it should have been $1 or $2 are being ridiculous, and clearly need to take some time away from the app store to get some perspective.
It's a fun game, veeery polished and classy. The only thing that bugs me, is the randomness and the lack of variation in the "battles". There is almost no tactical skill needed on "normal". I'm absolutely in love with the artwork and the voice acting of the game and I hope there will be an update to this game which brings a little more deepness into the battlesystem (and perhaps a little storytelling).
After further assessment. I have to say that I was wrong in saying this game wasn't to my liking. After playing for an hour and a half. I found the game ammusing and wanted to take on the next case. The graphics are great, along with the voice acting, pimping out the apartment and the cheesy 80's theme. I play shooting, zombie type games all the time and this really is a nice break from adrenaline pumping games and I find this game to be entertaining and relaxing. I have changed my opinion to not liking it to definately liking this game. I hope there are further updates.
i just started playing this but has anyone else obtained (bought, earned, found) an accessory? what are they, how do you get them, when do you get them? has anyone found a website where all of them are listed? thanks!
So glad to see some positive comments in this thread. Add this to them: This game is bloody awesome and a steal at $2.99. That is all. Seriously.
I believe you get accessories by winning cases. So far I have the pimp hat and another item ( not sure what it is) Go to profile to check out your the accessory page. This game is definately worth the 2.99 ! Loving the banter between the attorneys.
One unfortunate thing is if you are listening to something else, the attorney banter won't even happen and there will be no subtitles. I missed out on a few cases and just assumed they lost steam doing the VA. Also the game doesn't seem to respect the silent switch?
again, i've just started but i've already won 4-5 cases and my accessory page is blank. do you recall how many cases you won before the pimp hat? D) also, did you buy it or was it just presented to you?
I think it was around 8 cases and there was a pop up with a choice of three differen't items but I had to get me a Pimp hat , but you don't need to buy anything in this game. It's definately not an iAP necessary game ( thankfully)
Game Impressions Watch the video please,it show the pink hat too,and how I got it Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel
Finished the game on hard, the final battle was really challenging and made me think, although there is a way to make it much easier. I also loved the banter between Max and Susan, easily the best bit of the voice acting in the game.
The banter...or, er, love story? Yea, it was pretty good...added an extra 'special' touch to the game.
Bought this, played this, enjoying this. Too bad others are turned off about it not being something like Phoenix Wright. Again, the wrong expectations made the game look bad. In it's core, Devil's Attorney is a combat based RPG similar to Battleloot Adventures where each "mission" is a combat scene. This is easily one of the best purchases i have made this week.
I'd rate this game a 1/5 on a scale of whether or not it's Phoenix Wright. Consequently, every other game on that same scale that isn't Phoenix Wright also scores a 1/5.
thanks JeNeI for the video! but i still have more questions on the accessories. you got the pimp hat as a thank you from a client but you never went to the Accessories panel so we could "see" it. again, i'm wondering what triggers these gifts? if i recall there's something like 30+ slots for accessories and i think i read there are only 58 cases so we should be getting an accessory every 2 cases. also, i saw he was wearing the pimp hat D) but does he wear/use ALL the accessories or do you pick and chose which he uses on each case? anyone know?
