In a devil infested world, there are devil hunters. Sora Shigure is one such individual, attending an academy which clandestinly gathers and instructs those gifted – some say cursed – with supernatural power. In the daylight an ordinary campus student; in the moonlight an assassin of nightmarish monstrosities. Locked in two radically different worlds, Sora seeks to find not only stability and tranquility, but a purpose other than death and destruction. It is a path he currently walks alone, subconsciously frightened and forgotten, but soon discovers is best traveled with another to accompany in the journey. Yet before he can reach the final destination, many an obstacle must be vanquished, ironically ushering more death and destruction along the everlasting route.

 
Devils Devel Concept is a supernatural thriller eroge published by Akatsuki Works in 2009. It has no sequel, side story, or noteworthy doujinshi.

 

 
When Akatsuki Works first announced the impending release of Devils Devel Concept on their developer’s blog, the eroge was largely ignored on my priority list. Naturally any gothic themed title holds my attention, but having been mildly disappointed by the studio’s previous foray into supernatural storytelling, I assumed their newest attempt would be average at best. Thus my initial plan was to pickup the title at a secondhand specialty store later in the year. Yet as more details and teaser materials were leaked on the official site, I quickly surmised my preliminary assessment was massively erroneous. The first indicator was revelation of the scenario writer, Ozu Keiichirou, a major ingredient to the success of Quilt, an overwhelmingly saccharine eroge that uncharacteristically impressed me. I nevertheless maintained reservations, as the venture would be a solo activity, unlike previous productions where he assisted or merely contributed to other talented and famous authors. I convinced myself it would seriously be worth looking into, but not so much to justify immediate preorder or rushing to the store on release day. Weeks later I absentmindedly caught rumblings surrounding the game on several forums I frequently visited. Having sheepishly lost total track of everything at this point, I quickly ventured back to the official site. It was then I discovered the two exclusive source of praise for Boku ga Sadame Kimi niwa Tsubasa wo, the illustrator refeia and sound team Barbarian On The Groove, agreed to lend a hand. Less than fifteen minutes of clicking, viewing and listening, Devils Devel Concept immediately flew to the top of my acquisition priorities – and not just for the twincest.

 

 
So did everything live up to the hype? In many ways it did. In many ways it did not. For what may seem like a blessing to some and an annoyance to others, Devils Devel Concept emulates a large variety of concepts from the productions of Type-Moon. None is more obvious than the lead protagonist, Sora Shigure, who could almost be regarded as an alternate world version of Shiki Tohno. Both share split personalities, possess incredibly destructive supernatural abilities at the cost of fatal anemia, wear spiritual seals in the guise of enchanted glasses, and are surrounded by a host of beautiful yet deadly women with unworldly abilities (not to mention heavy libido). However if one is willing to look past these inspirational similarities, original aspects of the title will breakthrough. While Sora initially strikes as a Shiki clone, he is indeed his own man… or own men as it were. The bookish and reserved persona is well aware of his ass kicking split personality, using the dissociative identity disorder to his advantage during combative confrontations; which happens quite frequently due to their after school activities as high ranking devil hunters. The dark natured Sora also enjoys greater mental stability compared to Shiki Nanaya, existing as a complete individual instead of a fractured sub consciousness: indeed it could be said the kindhearted personality is ultimately a false identity. Equally important is Sora’s greater self confidence from the formal training received in supernatural extermination, influencing his lifestyle’s outlook and mannerisms: most especially when it comes to friendship and romance.

 

 
In a proverbial nutshell, Devils Devel Concept chronicles a pivotal moment in the life of Sora Shigure, relating the consequences of his crucial decisions during the crisis. In this particular case, the momentous world shattering juncture is choosing a girl to romance and furthering their relationship. Humorous as that may sound: the women who enter Sora’s life are far from normal, each of them leading secret lives as sorcery empowered hunters who track and destroy hell spawned supernatural creatures. Disguising their violent moonlighting activities from the public, the girls are largely oblivious to the adventures of other hunters, though aware of their existence: the protagonist’s being no exception. Interestingly enough, the private academy which the hero and heroines mutually attend, secretly hosts the region’s central demon hunting operations; with many instructors, students and citizenry in the surround neighborhood serving key positions in the clandestine organization. To this end, one of the overlaying mysteries to unravel is whether or not the high concentration of demonic activity is responsible for the strong presence of supernatural exterminators, or if the overpowering show of hell murdering humans is drawing nightmarish creatures out of stubborn resolve. In choosing a girl to pursue, the protagonist follows the challenging trails and hardships which threaten her future, ultimately solving these problems through the formation of an invincible teamwork couple… and the murdering of an incarnate evil or two.

 

 
In comparison to other dramatic supernatural themed eroge (such as Draculius or Fate/stay night), the duration of Devils Devel Concept is astonishingly brief, with each story route lasting several hours at the most. Regardless of this, the scenarios enjoy richly detailed background material to such an extent, a glossary is provided to clarify the information. In lieu of this the cast is large and diverse, somewhat mitigating the abbreviated offerings. Most competing gothic titles will start with a common introduction for all routes, branch for several hours with character development that’s specifically unique to the girl being romanced, then conclude with a series of challenges that universally result in the same conclusion: albeit with a different girl at the end. However in this case the offered routes never recombine, ultimately keeping the nature of the final battle distinct and providing an exclusive ultimate antagonist to confront. The most obvious result of the alteration is replay value without text skipping, as you’re more than unlocking an ending with another girl, but actually experiencing another tale. An additional level of complexity is presented when one considers the multiple personalities of the protagonist, since each woman may prefer, dislike or remain entirely unaware of the other Sora. Therefore to completely understand your own character’s role and history requires exploration of every heroine.

 

 
Devils Devel Concept is an action oriented storyline, moving plots forward at a significant pace. Despite the misinterpretation one might conclude from various screenshots, though violent at several key points, the eroge is neither guro or an orgy of rape. The protagonist is kindhearted to strangers and friends, taking care to avoid harming the innocent or acquiring ultimate power at the expense of his humanity. Certainly not an angelic saint, the winnable ladies are substantially more bloodthirsty and morally ambiguous than he, yet even they maintain traits of adorable innocence. Neither are villains masterminds portrayed as nonsensical monsters seeking little more than destruction and human flesh: from their twisted point of view, each has a goal or vengeance rightfully deserved against a world holding cruelty and contempt for them. In light of this Sora does not present himself as a hero saving the world, but the immutable threshold individuals will challenge if they seek to endanger freewill or drastically alter the status quo of existence. Ironically enough, despite his inward and passive prospective towards life, Sora is the center of attention of several beautiful women and deftly commands immeasurable sorceries that could bend the world to his desires. The twist is that Sora’s presence and nature, not just phenomenal comic powers, can transform others to seek a righteous path or doubt their villainous intentions (albeit wielding terrifying might provides major advantages when it doesn’t).

 

 
With a total of thirty sex scenes, Devils Devel Concept is not exactly what someone would define as erotic centric. Indeed the distribution of them is uneven: twelve allotted to Katana, five for Misora, seven among the twincest, and five for Mutsuki… leaving Mei with the meager leftover (strong emphasis on singular). Yet because the story scenarios are fast paced and comparatively short, the occurrence of sex is above average, with each scene generally consisting of four to five illustrations apiece (although several exceed that). The artwork from an overall standpoint is marvelous, employing vivid color palettes which do not clash or seem out of place. Large paper dolls benefit from a variety of shifting body positions, different facial expressions and alternative attire – all the while maintaining smooth transition with background layers. The library of CG’s are similarly blessed, as the contributing artist demonstrates his mastery at drawing moment of everyday life, with the same remarkable skill as portraying supernatural action. Rounding out this triple threat are jaw dropping music and solid voice acting. All characters except the male lead are voiced: each character suited with an actor or actress who brings out the best in that role. Exceeding this impressive presentation is the soundtrack itself, which I can say without exaggeration, is among the best I’ve heard for a game in months – ero or otherwise. As hearing is believing, samples of the musical perfection can be found on the official site, yet even these fail to deliver true justice, for they do not reveal the ingenious incorporation of these melodies with the relevant events being portrayed.

 

 
For all the praise I can lavish upon it, Devils Devel Concept suffers from a number of glaring and disappointing negatives. First and foremost are the individual stories for each girl: they were not created equal, as Katana Amatsu is by far the longest and most diverse. Furthermore after witnessing the presumably canon route of Mei Aono, the player is left with an unsatisfying sense the alternative heroines were created as “filling material” in providing greater emotional significance to that scenario. Azumi Mukou is strangely unwinnable, yet so prominent and likable that it leaves a nagging sensation she should have been. For all the excellent artwork, the dialog textbox is awfully mundane and poorly designed. The “expression head profile” that shows on the left-hand side is especially an eyesore, giving off the impression this feature was slapped on at the last minute or redundant. Rubbing salt in these wounds, the engine itself cannot display on resolutions higher than 1024 x 768 without experiencing severe clipping or distortion: a strong disappointment for those owning high performance monitors. Veterans spoiled by supernatural themed titles such as Draculius, MinDeaD BlooD, and Princess Waltz should also be aware this eroge lacks the bling-bling graphical presentation of sword slashes, magic spells, and general combat – perhaps due to another limitation of the engine. These failings go a significant distance in knocking down Devil Devels Concept from achieving the status of a top tier title. Nonetheless it successfully accomplishes (or exceeds) what makes a good title, more so than the majority of similar themed offerings in the ongoing 2009 market.

 

 
— Central Characters —

 

	Sora Shigure   Height: 171 cm Weight: 61 kg   Not a single individual, but in fact two personalities. Due to the inherent danger of his inborn vicious and unforgiving persona, Sora wears an enchanted seal in the form of eyewear, filtering his dark emotions to allow a sociable guise in conscious control. As a student of Rising White Summit Academy, Sora leads the life of a devil hunter as the need arises, wielding an immense measure of arcane power that is rarely seen in several generations. It is during these times when Sora removes his glasses, allowing the presence of true violence to annihilate troublesome opponents.
	Katana Amatsu   Height: 167 cm Weight: 48 kg Measurements: 70 – 48 – 85   Desired by men. Envied by women. Katana’s exceptional beauty, exuberant wealth and peerless intellect are legendary among her peers. Unanimously elected Student Council President, her popularity and academic talents are second to none, everyone unquestioning of the glorious future that lies ahead. Yet beneath this idyllic persona lay seeds of melancholy and self-destruction: the foundations of darkness which literally fracture Katana’s soul and existence.
	Misora Mukou   Height: 178 cm Weight: 52 kg Measurements: 98 – 54 – 88   Insightful and intellectual, Misora walks a lonely path due to tragic loss. Because of the terrible ordeals she has suffered, the lovely teacher devotes herself towards the prevention of others experiencing the same misery. Sadly the duties of this journey requires secrecy and deception, even among brethren devil hunters, thus keeping the ironically sociable woman distant from the desires in her heart.
	Akane Nanagi   Height: 168 cm Weight: 50 kg Measurements: 89 – 50 – 86   The closest of Sora’s childhood companions, he and Akane share a bond of familiarity that goes beyond mere words. The duo were inseparable as children, and only in recent years have complications of maturation unwillingly drifted them apart. When not attending school or visiting Sora, Akane is religiously honing her kendo skills, mastering the deadly techniques of anti-demon swordsmanship passed through her bloodline.
	Akari Nanagi   Height: 168 cm Weight: 50 kg Measurements: 89 – 50 – 86   Eldest of the Nanagi twins, Akari holds a contradictorily place in Sora’s life: in so many ways she is intimately known to him, yet in so many others is an absolutely mystery. Identical to her sister physically and spiritually, the siblings share many of the same experiences and desires, with a will towards continually doing so if their lives allow such a blessing.
	Mutsuki Minami   Height: 150 cm Weight: 42 kg Measurements: 75 – 42 – 76   Mutsuki’s crass and careless personality often comes as a surprise to those who first encounter the angelic faced petite. An upperclassman and frequent “no strings attached” sex partner to Sora, the pair maintain a mutual habit of unhealthy cigarette smoking. Though a powerful devil hunter in her own right, Mutsuki refuses to pledge allegiance to any specific organization, thus operating as an independent agent beholden to no one – or so she claims.
	Mei Aono   Height: 160 cm Weight: 45 kg Measurements: 80 – 46 – 79   When Mei’s mysterious arrival to Rising White Summit Academy triggers a series of catastrophic events threatening the peace and prosperity forged by the regional devil hunters, everything Sora once believed and protected are turned upside down. Her connections and intentions held secret, Mei takes an incredible liking to Sora, projecting a pleasant sense of calm and serenity.
	Azumi Mukou   Height: 160 cm Weight: 45 kg Measurements: 75 – 49 – 82   Next door neighbor to Sora and sister-in-law to Misora, Azumi is a mischievous troublemaker who sometimes suffers from an inferiority complex due to the surrounding abundance of women prettier than her. Despite the intensity of their relationship, the chemistry between Sora and Azumi is completely devoid of romantic inclination: an understanding the two mutually treasure for friendly advice and criticism.
	Shinnosuke Seba   Height: 168 cm Weight: 62 kg   Shinnosuke is what many would consider a geek: socially bumbling, interested in subjects others ridicule, and preferring the digital comforts of the Internet over real life. He nonetheless is sincerely valued as a friend to those who know him, and possesses a gift of memorization that quickly humbles those foolish enough to challenge Shinnosuke on information he has studied or found interesting.
	Kirihito Kamikura   Height: 169 cm Weight: 55 kg   Ever the popular overachiever; Kirihito is a star athlete, academic honor student and Vice President of the Student Council. While considered an important friend, Kirihito keeps his demon hunting activities a secret from Sora, who in turn does the same in return. It is a confidentiality that neither has pried or challenged.
	Kagami   Height: 160 cm Weight: 42 kg   An individual who only appears in Sora’s dreams to relay assignments, information or advice. Due to the lack of physical encounter, Sora often finds himself wondering Kagami’s exact gender during these visits.
	Tomoe Houjou   Height: 165 cm Weight: 49 kg Measurements: 90 – 52 – 87   Tomoe is the beautiful and seductive academy head physician. Despite her high position of authority, unsubstantiated rumors circulate the doctor is conducting illegal transactions among devils, with an equal number of accusations claiming double dealings for rival institutions.
	Misaki Houjou   Height: 172 cm Weight: 55 kg Measurements: 92 – 51 – 87   Recently transferred from another academy over the summer, Misaki is an uncharacteristically hostile yet unquestionably talented student. Feigning loyalty to her new academy, she secretly purses personal agendas and vendettas in contradiction to her assigned duties.
	Touma Kurokado   Height: 175 cm Weight: 70 kg   An unregistered sorcerer who asserts fealty to the hereto unknown Order of the Blazing Pisces, Touma’s questionable claims are grudgingly freed from immediate dismissal and discredit, due to enigmatic association with several attending students.
	Jeido   Height: 185 cm Weight: 120 kg   Slayer of countless devil hunters sent against him, Jeido has earned the titles of Gentleman Beast and Deviationist from his mannerism and activities. Vigilantly accompanied by two beautiful accomplices, his systematic approach to problems has brushed aside nearly all threats, granting the breathing space to initiate new operations.
	Rotte   Height: 163 cm Weight: 45 kg Measurements: 72 – 49 – 82   Rotte is an illegal artificial construct known as a Slaughter Doll: deadly melee marionettes that form an unbreakable fidelity to their creator. Quiet and detached, Rotte and her “older sister” Soreru are beholden to the Beast Gentleman, treasuring him more than their own existence.
	Soreru   Height: 163 cm Weight: 48 kg Measurements: 85 – 50 – 86   Soreru is an illegal artificial construct known as a Slaughter Doll: deadly melee marionettes that form an unbreakable fidelity to their creator. Hyper and playful, Soreru and her “younger sister” Rotte are beholden to the Beast Gentleman, treasuring him more than their own existence.
	Keiji Kazahara   Height: 175 cm Weight: 66 kg   Eternally smiling, as if aware of a universal joke only he understands, Keiji is one of many solitaire agents who serve the powerful Houjou family. Operating outside the authority and safety of his jurisdiction, he keeps a low profile, terminating targets who threaten the webs of intrigue spun by his superiors.
	Nanashi   Height: 150 cm Weight: 40 kg Measurements: 68 – 40 – 72   A mysterious child whose existence and presence only begets more questions than answers.
	Minaduki Isaribi   Height: 165 cm Weight: 47 kg Measurements: 88 – 50 – 86   Communicating exclusively though gestures or written text, Minaduki is a childhood friend of Mutsuki Minami. Soon after discovering she is the target of a strange yet dangerous supernatural opponent, Minaduki immediately enlists the independent devil hunter for protection.
	Sai Houjou   Height: 172 cm Weight: 50 kg Measurements: 96 – 55 – 87   Stripping away appearances and formalities to the contrary, Sai is the true head of the Houjou, an influential family commanding incredible authority in the mundane and supernatural. Deadly as she is exquisite, Sai maintains a detached and levelheaded approach towards decision making.
	Katsuki Minami   Height: 168 cm Weight: 62 kg   Katsuki is Mutsuki’s elder brother. Unlike his sisters, Katsuki has tried to led an entirely normal life, and currently works as a businessman while attending college.
	Yuunagi Minami   Height: 165 cm Weight: 51 kg Measurements: 85 – 50 – 82   Yuunagi is Mutsuki’s elder sister. Once a demon hunter specializing in clandestine operations, she retired upon finding true love. Yuunagi now devotes her talents and energies into becoming the perfect wife.
	Kai Midorisaki   Height: 179 cm Weight: 75 kg   Specializing in devil hunting himself, Kai now performs duties as head butler in service to the prestigious Amatsu bloodline, doling out most of his attention towards the well being of Katana.

 

 
— Scored Summary —

 
Scenario: 37 out of 50. Attention grabbing as Sora’s badass gene may become, one cannot ignore the six lovely ladies who seek to enter a romantic relationship with him: they contribute the greatest amount of enjoyment to the experience with their cute quirks. Although on the short side, each heroine is presented with her own unique scenario and character development. Even villains faced are exclusive, ultimately providing tremendous replay value with each new and distinctive run. Adding one more feather to the cap: depending on the answers provided, five of the six routes allow a slight plot deviation, although branches inevitable merge to result in the same ending – except in the case of Katana and the Nanagi twincest, who each have a potential bad ending.

 
Visual: 15 out of 20. Expressive character designs, abundant paper dolls, excellent backgrounds, and gorgeous color selection are forefront in this title. Unfortunately it lacks the dynamic graphical special effects other action based eroge enjoy, suffers from an ugly dialog box, and limited by an engine which does not support display resolutions higher than 1024 x 768 without ill side effects.

 
Audio: 18 out of 20. The only arena, in which this title fails to deliver acoustic perfection, is the complete lack of a voice actor for the player protagonist. As far everything else is concerned: kick ass to the extreme. The dead-on voice acting is an absolute joy to listen, with no cast member sounding annoying or incorrectly filled. Yet even that impressive performance pales before the magnificent soundtrack, encompassing a large variety of musical styles: from heavy metal, to classical orchestra, to saxophone jazz, and everything in between. Barbarian On The Groove has quickly found themselves among the top of my favorite eroge composers.

 
Erotica: 5 out of 10. Thirty scenes, each generally consisting of four or five images apiece, scattered haphazardly among the six winnable girls. From the prospective of story these events fit perfectly, yet the ero maniac inside me could have used more. Setting aside these shortcomings, the offerings themselves are satisfying, which include virgin deflowering, delicious flat chest, office lady MILF and identical twincest. One rape sequence involving Katana might upset people, although it doesn’t include the protagonist. The aforementioned awesome voice acting makes everything… well… awesome.

 
Mechanics: 0 point neutrality. The typical “choose your response” menu system that most eroge share.

 
Final Score: 75 out of 100. What we have here is an eroge designed like an epic length title, with the intricately detailed setting and subtlety interconnected story routes, yet designed not to be. While it’s tempting to consider the offering as potentially inferior, due to the ease of completing everything within a few days, the casual commitment can come as a blessing for anyone with busy time schedules. Devils Devel Concept‘s strongest asset is related to the amazing audio, but enjoys a wealth of lovable characters and delightful artwork. In addition the title is not targeted towards the extreme dark side, avoiding guro and violent sex as a whole, leaving it accessible to the curious mainstream eroger. Recommended for purchase. Perhaps not Akatsuki Works‘ best offering, but certainly a solid addition to anyone’s gothic collection.

1. Sharakael Says:
   May 8th, 2009 at 9:53 pm

   Thanks for reviewing; when I saw this title I passed it thinking it’s too much of a TYPE-MOON clone for my taste. Seems like I have to revise my opinion somewhat…

   Will you be reviewing Boku ga Sadame Kimi niwa Tsubasa wo? That one’s on my to-play list, but if it’s not good I might just skip it… no time to play lately.



2. Nargrakhan Says:
   May 11th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

   @Sharakael: I think it’s safe to say that Devils Devel Concept borrows a few too many ideas from TYPE-MOON. Not to say I have anything against them – far from it – but it makes pointing the copycat finger easier than it should be. However Devils Devel Concept introduces some new things to the table, so it’s not a total ripoff. I guess you could say they copied the recipe, but used different ingredients.
   .
   I wasn’t impressed with Boku ga Sadame Kimi niwa Tsubasa wo. That it looks and sounds great, is no question, but the story itself is hollow, and so leaves this lacking feeling when finished. I actually find it difficult to determine if Boku ga Sadame Kimi niwa Tsubasa wo was simply poorly handled, or if the central storyline had zero potential to begin with. I’d recommend staying away from it.



3. THE VOICE OF THE INTERNET Says:
   January 27th, 2010 at 10:16 am

   Update this site, please! All those posts are gems to the internet!

   But now, the site has died… no more updates… the awesome part of the internet loses yet another force…