Doodle Devil: 3volution is described as a puzzle world game by JoyBits, the development studio, but I think it might be better described as a lesson in confusion. With no goal, direction, or reason why, I don’t think I have ever been more confused by gameplay.
Explaining what Doodle Devil: 3volution is not an easy task because nothing makes sense. The first part of the game has the player randomly clicking on icons using the most bizarre play control configuration; each analog stick is used to select a symbol from each half of the screen. On a rare occasion, tapping two icons will create a third icon which gets added to the interface and the cycle can continue. There is no penalty for clicking wrong icons and the only reward is a new icon. Why does the player need to mix and match symbols? I have no clue. The game also never tells the player how to do anything or what the new symbols mean.
The second part of gameplay involves battle scenes not unlike an 8 or 16-bit Final Fantasy title. However, like the mixing and match icon aspect of gameplay, I have no clue why I am fighting or what to do. You just tap an occasional button and hope to damage your opponent for reasons, I guess..? Making matters worse, I couldn’t get passed the second battle as the player is stacked against multiple opponents with no chance to win. This bouts are also automatic so there is no point in even playing them because the player influence is minimal.
The third and final part of gameplay is nothing more than a slot machine. You just press a button, the reels spin, and sometimes you win a few extra coins. With each pull of the slot, the devil narrator says the same phrases repeatedly to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore and had to turn off the game in annoying rage.
Even if the game explained why you need to do these mindless tasks it still wouldn’t be any fun. What bothers me the most is this is the third game in the series. With two games already under their belt, you would assume gameplay would improve and be highly polished by the third edition. This is very much not the case and Doodle Devil: 3volution is easily one of the biggest WTF titles I have ever played.
Not As Good As: pretty much anything else
I Wish I Knew: what is happening
Wait For It: anything but a 4th game
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz