We Know the Devil

We Know the Devil is a visual novel developed and published by Date Nighto. It was released on September 12, 2015 for Microsoft Windows and MacOS. It received a release on Steam on February 15, 2016.

We Know the Devil
Developer(s)Date Nighto
Publisher(s)Date Nighto
Director(s)Mia Schwartz
Producer(s)Jo Fu
Programmer(s)Conrad Kreyling
Artist(s)Mia Schwartz
Writer(s)Aevee Bee
Composer(s)Alec Lambert
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, MacOS
Release
  • WW: September 12, 2015
Genre(s)Visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

The game was positively received by critics, who cited its distinctive art style and themes.

Gameplay

The game allows for little player interaction beyond making choices to decide how the game's story will progress. The choices generally involve deciding which pair of characters will perform a certain action, while the other stays behind.[1]

Plot

The game's plot is magic realist, with anime influences, and takes place at a Christian summer camp where misbehaving teenagers are sent to do combat with the Devil.[2] The three main characters are named Neptune, Jupiter, and Venus.[3]

They are sent to a cabin in the woods overnight to confront the Devil, who, along with God, can be spoken to over the radio. The ending can change depending on who has a relationship with whom.[1] In three of the endings, the character who was most excluded becomes the Devil and is transformed into a monstrous form.[4] If an equal amount of time is spent with each character, the fourth ending is unlocked, in which all three choose to become the Devil.[5] Additionally, the narration switches from male to female pronouns for Venus, as she comes to terms with her identity as a transgender girl.[4][5]

Development

The game's writer, Aevee Bee, stated that the game was created with three main characters in order to explore how, in the process of creating friendships, other bonds must also be weakened to do so.[6] In the game itself, while two characters can form a close relationship, one character must always be left out.[6] This was intended to be a difficult choice in order to parallel real life, where everyone is equally deserving of attention and natural closeness is what draws people together.[6]

The game's main characters were influenced by the Sailor Scouts of Sailor Moon.[7] The "strong female role models and explicit gay relationships" of the series made it a "rallying point" for "young queer women of the 90's", making it a foil for the stifling rural, religious setting that forces the characters to hide their sexuality.[7]

The game was made available on Date Nighto for $6.66. The developers attempted to set the same price for it on Steam, but were unable to due to Steam's price brackets.[8]

A demo was released on March 19, 2017 through itch.io.[9]

Reception

Dylan Jones of DarkStation scored the game 100/100, saying that "its greatest strengths stem from its eerie atmosphere" and "terrifically deep lead characters", and comparing its setting to that of Twin Peaks.[1]

References
  1. "We Know the Devil". DarkStation. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  2. "We Know The Devil is a horror game about being the odd friend out". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  3. "We Know the Devil - Date Nighto - Visual Novels in Your Browser". datenighto.com. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  4. Smit, Alexander (October 9, 2015). "We Know The Devil: Adolescence Apocalypse". The Mary Sue.
  5. Unkle, Jennifer (February 27, 2017). "'We Know the Devil' Taught Me to Be Proud". Waypoint. Vice Media.
  6. Couture, Joel. "The Fragility and Pain of Friendship in We Know the Devil". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  7. "It's Sailor Moon vs. the Devil in this horror story about pre-internet queerdom - Kill Screen". Kill Screen. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  8. Grayson, Nathan (2016-02-16). "Why A Game About The Devil Couldn't Sell For $6.66 On Steam". Kotaku.
  9. "We Know the Devil by pillowfight". itch.io.
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