Ravenous Devils Review – Disturbing, Dark, And Different

You soon notice a throng of hungry customers as the aroma of well-seasoned meat fills their stomachs. They dig their teeth into succulent entrees, wondering why they’ve never tasted anything like this before. Word of your establishment’s exotic tastes spread quickly, and you soon have to expand your operations with more tables for guests and better meat-chopping capabilities. Strangely, this thriving eatery has a little tailor shop attached that also doubles up as your meat supplier. Everyone who goes in for a fitting is served a steak or meat pie.

Ravenous Devils follows the adventures of a serial killer tailor, his lover and chef wife. They want to be rich regardless of the price. This game is as disturbing and gory as it sounds – you see the brutal killings, the chopping of the bodies, and witness story moments that are downright chilling. Part Sweeney Todd and part cooking simulator, Ravenous Devils won me over with a tale that dangles the question of “will they get caught?” and intense timer-based gameplay that continually rewards you with new interactions and possibilities. Developer Bad Vices Games has created a dark and breezy experience that nails progression, so repeated gameplay interactions don’t feel like they overstay their welcome.

It flows well, almost like a point-and-click adventure where you just tell characters what to do and where they should go. It works because Hildred can grab a piece of meat and mix it up with some other ingredients before placing it in the oven. Percival the tailor can make clothes, kill people using his scissors and take care of a garden. By pressing a button you can easily switch between these two twisted beings.

The goal is to keep the clothing shop and restaurant’s shelves stocked with items. A timer is displayed over the head of each customer when they enter. It ticks down as they wait for their item to arrive. The faster you supply them, the more money they give you in turn – an exchange that lights a fire in all of your movements, making you bounce quickly between the two jobs to make sure both Percival and Hildred are hard at work. If you fail to reach them on time and they are disgruntled you will take a knock to your reputation.

Each day lasts no longer than 10 minutes. This brief burst is just the right amount of hustle and bustling, given the fast pace. All of these tasks, which are performed by the two deadly duos, do not require much manual handling and all depend on timing. There are no seconds that should be lost in the day. It is important to make the most of your time, and to figure out how you can bounce from task to guest. This is a chaotic and fun dance of sewing and cooking.

At the end of the workday, you lock the shop’s doors and it’s time to spend your hard-earned money on handy upgrades. To increase your ability to produce more meat and to add mannequins for clothing sales, you can also upgrade the meat grinder or plant more vegetables in the greenhouse. It’s possible to spend a lot on things, such as alcohol that soothes anxious shoppers or a waitress to take orders. You could also hire someone to assist you with serving tables and adopt a cat for catching mice. This can be a great treat to give to your guests.

Most of the upgrades lead to more money coming in per sale and up the overall difficulty – a nice design touch that increases the tension simultaneously as the rewards. You can make a dish more costly by adding more ingredients. It will also take longer to cook. Adding tables for people to sit at makes a backlog of orders you have to scramble to serve – a fun process that makes time fly.

Although it is simple to drag a cursor around, there are times when you have trouble with its timing and accuracy. It would happen that I clicked on the piece of meat I was going to serve and the place to set it up. Hildred would grab the plate and go to work instead of grabbing the meat. Although it is only a fifteen-second error, it can cause chaos.

As all the cooking and sewing madness unfolds, you periodically receive letters from a mysterious someone named “J.” He knows what you are up to and is a massive fan of yours. With each new document, his interest grows deeper in your life. While the ending is disappointing, I found the narrative process that led to it to be enjoyable. The twisted content was easy to digest, and the plotting and execution of it impressed me.

While the gore is sometimes too severe and nauseating, I was able to persevere through the final cut thanks to the good animations, beautiful restaurants and compelling story. Ravenous Devils is unlike anything out there, and it won’t be for everyone, but there’s no denying that it’s a nicely made and oddly enjoyable experience.