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"A new twist on a classic gaming concept"

Breakout, pinball, and high fantasy meet in this unusual game. It combines classic block-busting action in the tradition of Breakout with high energy pinball excitement in a high fantasy setting. And it manages to do all of this with plenty of style and charm.

Like most games from the early 90s era, the story here isn't all that important. Some evil demon wants to rule the world, and it's up to us, the players, to stop him. In this game, we control two paddles (like Breakout paddles). The lower one can only move left and right across the bottom of the screen. The upper one can move in any direction. We can change the configuration of the paddles, and we can also change the speed at which they move. We can split the lower paddle into two separate ones, so as to cover the corners, and we can change the upper paddle so that it's facing left or right.

The goal in each scrolling level is simple. Guide a magical blue sphere through a variety of obstacles and into the goal before time runs out. The field starts out simple, scrolling upward; but things soon grow more complicated as we're scrolling left and right. Some of the levels scroll up for a bit, then they scroll left or right, then upward again. The rules here are simple. Keep the blue sphere from falling off the bottom of the screen, and you're fine. Along the way, there are walls of breakable blocks that stand in the way, enemy characters moving about, and an occasional boss character.

Level scenarios include a graveyard, volcano, prairie, ice world, an area with waterfalls, and various castle dungeons. There are numerous kinds of breakable blocks here. Normal blocks, which take a couple hits to break through. Exploding blocks that destroy all adjacent blocks when hit. Bonus blocks that are good for points. Blocks that shrink your paddles to a smaller size. Large blocks that take a good number of hits to break through. Each level is full of them, and we have to guide the blue sphere so that it breaks a path through them.

Enemy characters include zombies, skeletons, sorcerers, and other such characters who try to get in the way or deflect the sphere toward the bottom of the screen. Power-ups are contained inside treasure chests and are released when the sphere hits the treasure chest. The power-up will fall toward the bottom of the screen, and you have to catch it with a paddle. There's a good number of power-ups here. One of them causes a large number of the blocks on-screen to explode with high energy pinball effects. There's a power-up that turns the sphere into a red fireball that can effortlessly smash through blocks. A power-up that adds more time to the clock. And one that gives an extra life.

Obstacles include pinball-esque traps, monsters who will devour the sphere and then spit it out. There are snakelike tunnels that will devour the sphere and then spit it out at the other end. Some of the levels have multiple avenues, some of which are easy to navigate while others are filled with blocks and hazards. There are a good variety of obstacles that can impede your progress. Doorways that open and shut, flame spouts that get in the way. The indestructible walls that enclose the area can cause the sphere to bounce in unanticipated directions (the walls aren't always straight; sometimes they're angled). Waterfalls will change the sphere's direction when it passes through them. Some of the enemy characters will move rapidly across the screen, leaving blocks in their wake to create new walls.

Occasionally a boss character shows up. A large winged demon, a sorcerer, or a freaky looking monster. He'll toss out fireballs or use some other form of attack to try to deflect the sphere toward the bottom of the screen. The bosses are tough and take a good number of hits to defeat.

This game scores like pinball. Everything is worth points, even getting the sphere devoured by a monster. Bonus blocks are all over the place, all worth point values. Extra lives are awarded at regular point intervals, an incentive to rack up as high a score as possible.

But make no mistake about it. This is a difficult game. The pace is fast and furious from the get go. It takes a bit of practice just to get through the first level (of eight total). And from there, the going only gets tougher. Obstacles and boss characters will eat up time as they get in the way, making it a challenge to get the sphere into the goal before the ticking clock runs down. There are three difficulty levels. Playing on easy gives us quite a bit of time to make it into the goal. Playing on hard is almost suicidal.

Playing this game is a surreal experience. There are times when nothing goes right, the sphere won't bounce the way I need it to, I can't get through that tough layer of walls or beat the mean boss before time runs out... Then there are times when I'm completely in the zone, racking up the points and extra lives, hitting all the bonuses, making all the right moves, making deft saves to keep the sphere in action, and quickly beating down those bosses.

Visually, this game is just average. Everything looks good. Environments are well presented. The paddles, enemy characters, and sphere all move fluently without any slowdown. In the graveyard, the breakable blocks are tomb stones. In the castle dungeons, they're stone walls. In the ice world, they're icy blocks. Each of the eight levels has a different style to it. Graphical effects include explosions when the sphere breaks apart blocks or defeats an enemy character, a red fireball effect for when the sphere turns into a fireball, and flashy light shows when you get that power-up that causes multiple blocks to explode.

The sound department is where this game really shines. There are a good variety of sound effects here, and all of them convey a high energy pinball feel. Each type of block has a different effect for when it's hit or destroyed. When the boss monster tosses out fireballs, they sound appropriately menacing. And when you get that power-up that causes multiple blocks to break apart, the entire screen explodes in a flashy light show as high energy pinball effects spew out of the speaker. This game is a great example of what the Game Gear can do in the effects department.

The music here is just plain awesome. I think this is the best music I've ever heard on the Game Gear. Complicated arrangements with multiple instruments playing. The music for each level seamlessly fits the scene and sets the mood, from high energy adventure themes to more somber pieces. It's all expertly composed. There are complicated bass lines, chords, lead lines, a variety of drum effects, and all of it is a treat for the ears. The boss music here is intense and fits the boss battles perfectly, conveying that feeling of going up against a menacing opponent.

Devilish is a short game, but it's great while it lasts. My only complaint is that it isn't longer. More levels would have been a treat. However, the sheer variety of Breakout and pinball elements they packed into this game is impressive. The monsters are always throwing something new at us and pouring on the challenges. This is a great game with average graphics, excellent music and sound effects, and engaging game-play.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/24/05, Updated 08/19/11

Game Release: Devilish (US, 1991)