Dark Devotion

Dark Devotion is an unconventional souls game that’s somewhat hamstrung by some questionable rogue-like mechanics. But it’s definitely well made and interesting enough to appeal to a certain style of souls player.
Some reviewers claim that this is a roguelike which is a genre a lot of people are sick of in the indie space. But this is not really true in that the levels are not procedurally generated. The game does have a roguelike structure in that you need to do more runs in order to unlock better abilities and better weapons.
The game starts out extremely punishing with your character being very weak as well. So you have to be patient to progress further to get more powerful.
The dreary atmosphere and the focus on traditional dungeoneering with traps and shadows is excellent.
Also if your like me and wants souls games to go back to more deliberate and strategic combat, this game will be for you bc it really is about patience and using the right windows to attack decisively.

The truth is that game is not for everyone. It takes a lot from souls-like games, builds over it with faith system. The RPG system does not involve leveling, just couple perks that can be bought with 'souls' and gear. Combat is more forgiving than in souls titles (mainly because of instant dodge-roll and animation cancel, no damage block). Nontherless it is quite more difficult than ds3, with brutal and unforgiving enemies, bosses and levels.
It is also rewarding because of it's difficulty. Game can be really steep in the begining, but it gets better with every beaten boss (maybe with exception to Jezebel). It is also not very linear, can easily get lost in labyrinth of rooms.
I really suggest this game for every souls-like fan, that can invest a bit of a patience in starting levels.

I will give you all the only review you will ever need of this game. Now, read carefully.
It plays like a 2D souls game, yes. It feels clunky movement wise as opposed to majority of games that fits this genre, yes.
Why should you play it? Why should you ever decide to experience this over other games in this genre? Well, the answer is surprisingly simple yet inherently complex.
Devotion.
Yes, Devotion. That energy, that vigor, stamina, willpower that makes us decide to move rather than to rot in bed. This game aims to touch this genre in a way no other game has done so in the past. It portrays you as a human, in fact a Templar woman, which has no apparent reason to have her quest towards the Temple besides the fact that her whole education and given purpose since her birth is to journey towards the temple. To find something there, or do something, or create something unbeknownst to her. Now, why do I know this if her character never utters a single word throughout the game?
Devotion.
This game has no mercy. You are in a dungeon/temple, yes, like almost all other 99% games in the genre, but there is something different, unsettling here. You are no one. Your being is nothing, you are fed the idea of your disposability as soon as you start interacting with other Templars. Your whole purpose of being born is to be there for some reason, yet your existence seems almost as a joke to life itself. You fall slightly too high, broken legs. You sit too long in a dark puddle which has apparent no means to harm you, lung infection. You block an attack with your shield you thought you could perfectly block, broken arm, blinded, sick, disease, bleeding, poisoned. Hell, you haven't prayed in a while? Your God does not like that! Get diseased heretic!
You are well educated from every interaction and text you find throughout the journey on the Temple, the place in which your adventure resides, that the Temple It's alive. I'ts watching you, your every move step. Not in an exciting or encouraging manner, no, absolutely not. Everything desires to kill you, to get rid of you. You are seen as a parasite. Every boss seems able to get rid of you absurdly easy if you do not get what you are supposed to be doing. But then again, what are you supposed to be doing?
You are supposed to have devotion. Faith. Faith towards your God.
Your God is nowhere to be seen, and well It is kinda even harder to find if an archer just shot out your eyesight. Yet he is absolutely in every step of your journey. Your most valuable resource in this game, such as in life, is your faith. With faith you open doors (Literally, you open some hidden goddamn doors by spending your faith), you open chests, you get rid of disease, you heal yourself, you get relics and such. Every time you put effort and instead of rushing the dungeon, rushing the enemies, getting hit by a trap you definitely already knew that was there yet you kept getting hit by it 3 or 4 times, your God sees it. When you walk the path as God gives you the inner strength to do so, you get rewarded.
Didn't get hit a single time in a couple of dungeons in a consecutive manner? You now get a divine shield that makes you immune to the next hit. You killed already a bunch of undead dudes with the same sword? God saw it, now you strike harder with that sword. You died again, yet in that life you did an immense effort and accomplished a lot on the map? God saw it, he rewards you on your next attempt with improved vigor and strength. The mechanics could be improved? Make them more cool or neat? Yeah, absolutely, but isn't that the same situation as in life? Most people do not find the meaning behind works of art and the intention behind their artists, and what I find here is simple.
Devotion. Reward for Devotion. Whether it be that your Devotion is inclined to beating the game, to killing any single thing that breaths on your path, to maintain your physical form alive, to get the shiny stuff and unlock even more shiny stuff (Yeah there is a lot of shiny cool stuff as the game goes on), or to do what you were hinted to do from the get go, reach your God, the source of your strength. I am not someone who enjoys spoiling details but, here is my advise.
Pay attention to where you go. Pay attention to the noises, to the doors, to the interactions between the people you find, to the notes you find with messages and in between the lines hidden messages. There are many secret areas, secret doors which gives you insanely powerful stuff yet no one would thought at first glance to crouch there, to enter there, or to wait a couple more seconds there.
In conclusion, this game has more to it than it seems. It touches many religious aspects of life, of evolving your perspective of what life is, what human society has done as history has evolved, which surprise surprise it's mostly evil. Yet, there is always hope. Hope to find something, something there, something no one told you directly that was your goal yet it has been your goal since the moment you were born. To find him. Even if your live is the price to pay for it.
So, go on Templar. Have fun, pray, slay, get murdered, repeat until your Devotion towards your goal pays off. But, just remember.
Noli umquam oblivisci quis sis neque unde veneris.

It was tough to start playing Dark Devotion, recall that after trying it for the first time, did not like combat at all and left game for a while. But after revisiting it, yeah, game is quite good.
Dark aesthetics with good portion of horror and disgusting stuff seems to become a staple of subgenre of roguevania. Though sometimes it's so dark you wish you'd have taken that stupid light consumable from last room, but there are only 4 consumable slots, and that thing is one of most useless ones, except such specific situations. Audio adds a bit to the general vibe, but wouldn't call it extraordinary, neither music not game sounds - they are just fitting. Pixel graphics are fine, less detailed than some other titles in some regards, a bit better in others - as with audio - they are fitting and not much more.
To be honest might not be up to the task to talk about plot, main idea of being templar and going through cathedral that was built upon old religions ruins is easy to understand, however lots of details and most importantly ending are evasive to me. Either both good and bad endings leave a lot to be desired in my understanding or as mentioned understanding is not enough.
Gameplay is fairly standard - side-scroller, mainly melee, low survivability that allows to weather less than 10 hits from weakest enemies even with best equipment, rolls and jumps to dodge dangers, lots of traps and environmental hazards, small chance to find better gear or weapons during run, mostly consumables, bunch of ways to get through to the end, map separated into thematic areas which consist of "rooms", some very rare encounters of friendly npcs, bunch of bosses that you have to go through no matter which route is chosen, secrets and permanent power ups to collect etc.

Really like the style, concept and just how the gameplay - it feels heavy, grim and knightly. Kind of a mix between Souls, Salt&Sanctuary, Blasphemous, etc. Very much of my type. Great job.

Great game, gotta learn your routes and save items you pick up. Takes a bit to get into it but once you've beaten a boss or two, it really opens up.

Overall experience:
Game is turn out great than I think. a lot of thing to do and to unlock, include secret here and there to be discover.
Fan of metroidvania game with a bit of roguelite element should not miss this gem.
Good Part:
control are tight enough (Play with M+KB).
didn't experience any bug yet (30+ hr playtime).
try to solve secret kinda fun tbh.
a lot variety of items that useful along the journey.
Downside:
a bit hard to go for 100 % achievements due to some RNG element.
can't backtracking at all you have to start a new run only.
can't jump... nothing more to say here. :(