Nth Circle’s of the Devil is the next stop on my little Steam Next Fest adventure. As a longtime Ace Attorney (and one-time Danganronpa) appreciator, I was naturally drawn to what looked like a straightforward-but-grungier successor. I thought I had seen everything, but it didn’t take long for of the Devil to not only surprise me, but totally yank the cloth right off the table in the middle of what seemed like a solved hand. Feeling genuine surprise is rare these days, and this game would’ve had me falling out of my chair if I wasn’t lounging on my couch.
Morgan is a defense attorney in a post-ambiguity, cyberpunk world. There’s so much surveillance, private security, and corporately sanded-down technology running the world that crime has plummeted. And when it does happen, there’s usually so little room for mystery that homicide offices are dusty, run-down ruins of expired societal needs. So when there’s a call for a public defender in the early hours of the morning, accepting the task is a no-brainer. The case seems perfectly set up for failure; the cameras were on scheduled downtime, the suspect’s prints are all over the scene, and it just so happens to look like the grand finale for a rare serial killer who has taken the media by storm… and made the State look bad in the process.
Turns out Morgan is a hell of a gambler though, and this is the kind of environment she thrives in. Thus, of the Devil’s first major gimmick comes into play. As you investigate and gather information, you gain “Credit” that looks conspicuously like poker chips. And sure enough, when the time comes to do the lawyer thing and make arguments to defend your client, the puzzle structure somewhat resembles a round of Texas hold ‘em. The cop you’re contending with lays out the cards, then you have to fill in the remaining space with the right answer to win the hand. You can ante up your bid to win extra Credits, which will be nice to have in case you mess up later.
Gambling lingo can also come up in other parts of a discussion; your “opponent” will make a claim, and you can choose to “Stay,” or “Raise,” depending on if you think you can challenge the statement. As the game explains, it can be beneficial to Stay and take a small hit if there’s not much to say, rather than risking a bigger hit if you don’t have enough to legitimately challenge. It’s a fascinating system, and makes the usual visual novel pass/fail knowledge checks feel a little more complex. Plus, if you have Credits left over at the end of a chapter you can spend them on goodies!
The other trick of the Devil had up its sleeve is one I can’t mention without, well, spoiling a massive plot twist. But it’s the kind of plot twist that is not only shocking in and of itself, but it reframes the entire premise. Up to that point, which is practically the entire first chapter, you think you’re playing a typical Ace Attorney-style story with a defense lawyer going up against the odds. But let’s just say those odds are only the beginning. Needless to say, after this point I found myself not just on board to check out another one of these kinds of games, I was chomping at the bit to see how this additional complication plays out in its entirety. Whatever’s next can’t come soon enough.
Of the Devil doesn’t currently have a release date, but the Episode 0 demo is available on Steam. We played that demo for this preview.
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replyLucas White posted a new article, of the Devil ups the ante in a way Phoenix Wright would never
