The Devil Inside

Posted by Catalin Muresan.
First posted on 10 November 2009. Last updated on 10 November 2009.
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The Devil Inside
Only Hollywood can make a survival horror television show a reality!
The Devil Inside
The cameraman follows Jack as he explores the haunted manor.
The Devil Inside
Danger lurks everywhere, from the supernatural to the mundane.
The Devil Inside
It is always a good idea to use a mirror to look behind your back.
The Devil Inside
The cameraman readies a hero shot for Jack.

I have been interested in this game ever since I have first heard about its premise: you play as an ex-cop turned demon hunter (with a devilish alter ego to boot) who stars in a live television reality show in which the main attractions are zombies and demons, along with lots of blood and gore. Welcome to The Devil Inside!

Hosted by Jack T. Ripper, The Devil Inside airs on WWWL@, a cable channel dedicated to the paranormal and the occult. The star, Dave Cooper, finds himself in front of the entrance to the haunted Shadow Gate Manor, armed only with his trusty pistol, ready to do what he knows best—keep the ratings high! The Devil Inside appears to be a great idea for a spicy survival horror adventure. So, does it (the game, not the show) live up to the expectation?

Most of the time, the answer is yes—even if it is a little generic. Gameplay is divided in 2 parts: combat and puzzle solving. Combat is similar to that in Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark, though Dave cannot shoot and walk at the same time. He can strafe, however, which comes in handy more than once. The game uses a combination of keyboard and mouse controls. This is the most demanding part of the gameplay. It is not infrequent that hordes of zombies rise from beneath the ground at predetermined spots, surrounding you. Fortunately, you can target specific body parts to effect different damages. You can shoot the zombies in the legs to make them crawl, or you eliminate them instantly with a well aimed headshot. You can also shoot the arms off, but that does little damaging effect other than to make the undead charge at you with more vicious bite attacks.

What really adds a twist to the combat is Dave's ability to turn into Deva, the devil (literally) inside him. She talks with a Russian accent and uses spells or psychic powers to fight off the different inhabitants of the haunted manor, but Dave can only change his form by summoning Deva at pentacles located at certain spots in each level. Sometimes, it is necessary to change into Deva to progress further into the game.

The exploration element is well done, but the puzzles are a mixed bag. They are not complicated, so they do not get in the way of the action play, but some of them are not as obvious as you may think. This, in turn, adds to the frustration rather than the challenge of this game.

You may think that The Devil Inside is just another cookie cutter survival horror action adventure, but you will be surprised to find that this is anything but a generic copy. In fact, there is no other game in this subgenre quite like this. The game is written and directed by Hubert Chardot, who is also the writer of Alone in the Dark—the grandfather of all survival horror action adventure games. Building on a story premise of a reality television show, the game has all the eccentricity of what you may have expect from such a show: a wisecracking host (voiced by Christian Erickson, who also plays the voice of Lance Boyle in MegaRace, also developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment), a cheering crowd, an erratic rating meter, and all the likes of showbiz. The game makes you actually feel like the star of the show!

Wherever you go, you are always followed by a cameraman, who broadcasts all the actions live. The game is played largely from a third person perspective, but you can toggle the camera angle (by using the F1 key) between a flying camera, a spy camera, and a live camera (from the cameraman). The crowd always cheers and applauses whenever you make good progress in the game (such as shooting down a zombie, finding an object hidden in a bookshelf, or solving a puzzle). You can also hear the suspense in the studio. The host frequently makes up funny commentaries in reaction to Dave's moves. When you change form, you can even hear the audience yelling out cheers such as "Deva, I love you!" or "Go on, Dave!" or others.

While the game definitely does not lack any atmosphere, it still has a few faults. First, the plot is thin to nonexistent. Basically, there is the hero, the villain (a deranged serial killer named Harry Grimes who has escaped from hell), and the quest—most of the back story comes from the back of the package box that comes with the game and not from within the game itself. The plot does little to advance itself. Second, the save system is a horrific remnant of a console takeoff. You cannot save wherever and whenever you like. In order to save, you need to find checkpoints (in the form of broken television sets) that are scattered around the haunted manor, which does not seem very natural. Since this game is developed firsthand for the PC and there is no console version, this design choice is rather unusual.

The graphics are certainly pretty for a game of its era. I especially like the mirror and the shadowing effects. The sound is good, but there is no music outside of the system menu and the inventory screen. This is realistic, however, since it is a live and not a pre-taped show. The voices are great, and they fit well the personality of the characters. Although the game sounds very dark and violent (a parental lock is available as an option), it is actually done in a lighthearted way with plenty of humor and satire. Still, with a name like The Devil Inside, do not expect to get this game as a present for your birthday!

Without a doubt, The Devil Inside plays like a cross between the cult television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the action movie flick The Running Man. Though not without its flaws, there is just nothing quite like it. If you have ever wanted to be the star of a paranormal live television show, this is as close as you will ever get.

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