Devotion was a promising survival-horror game from Red Candle Games, the Taiwanese game developer. It attracted a pretty decent following back in February of last year.
It was available on Steam, but then made a swift exit after it mentioned Xi Jinping — China’s president — in a negative light. Censorship has been heavily present in this country for a long time now, so the game’s departure isn’t that surprising.
Still, it’s a shame because there were a lot of great aspects to love about Devotion. Luckily, it seems like it’s coming back — at least for those that live in Taiwan. Gamers in this area can go ahead and submit their pre-order until June 15 to get a physical copy.
So where does that leave the rest of Western gamers? The studio hasn’t commented on a Western release just yet, but in a lot of ways, it makes sense. The move would give many more gamers the chance to experience all of the hard work and unique elements that Red Candle Games put into this horror project.
At the time of its release, Devotion scored well in terms of its atmosphere, score, and story. The game follows Du Feng Yu, a disturbed screenwriter that’s struggling to pay the bills. Even more pressing is his daughter has developed a mysterious illness.
Right from the very beginning, you feel Feng Yu’s daily struggles as a father and husband. Most of the game takes place in a Taipei apartment complex. The Taiwanese culture and folk religion are on full display. They give the game a unique backdrop that adds to the suspense and mystery.
The various rooms in the Du family’s apartment represent times during the family’s life. It’s a very interesting way of telling a story and setting up some pretty shocking revelations.
The more you progress in the story, the more supernatural the apartment’s elements become. You begin questioning your very reality as Feng Yu and that’s where this game really takes off.
It’s a shame that it was taken down from Steam, but fortunately, it seems to have legs again. Hopefully the developer can work things out and right their wrongs as to give Western gamers another chance to check it out.
It’s one of the more unique survival-horror games to come out in recent memory, featuring psychological elements that will keep you up at night. All Western gamers can do now is hope for the best.
