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Though its presentation is humble, it makes effective use of sound and slow-burn tension to deliver some thrills
On a general level, horror games on the Switch have been a bit of a hot mess. Between walking simulators that are simply lacking in much more than an occasional jump scare, and what feel like buggy shovelware titles out to make a quick buck it can be discouraging. Devil Inside Us, though being quite humble visually, thankfully manages to break that pattern, delivering a mix of atmospheric dread, some jump scares, and mostly sensible play.Playing the part of an aged priest, the game opens by revisiting an exorcism that he managed to survive, but didn’t quite get resolved. Now, after being haunted by that day for the last 30 years he is determined to return to that same house to finish what he started.For the most part gameplay consists of exploring the areas you have to work with, looking for whatever you can find that will help you. In particular items that will restore your health are obviously important, but since using your crucifix to exorcize items and demonic entities drains your faith it is vital to find the means to help restore it as well. More often than not the horror is environmental in some way, whether through the sights you’ll encounter or the sounds you’ll hear, but there are absolutely moments that will startle you with their suddenness. I found the more restrained use of jumpscares to be effective, with their general scarcity making the ones it does use all the more effective.As long as your expectations for length and polish in presentation remain realistic, this is a pretty solid horror experience for the price. Yes, there are arguably some elements that could have been handled better, whether in terms of aesthetics or in clarity on what you’re supposed to be doing at times, but overall the positives outweigh the negatives. If you’re looking to lock horns with evil, and wouldn’t mind some scares along the way, this has some reasonable value.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.8]