''We Know the Devil'' is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

developed and published by Date Nighto. It was released on September 12, 2015 for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and

MacOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

, before receiving a

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

release on February 15, 2016. On July 4, 2016, a separate art book titled, ''"The Art of We Know the Devil,"'' was published on

itch.io Itch.io (stylized as itch.io) is a website for users to host, sell and download indie games. Launched in March 2013 by Leaf Corcoran, the service hosts over 500,000 games and items (assets, ebooks, music) . Itch.io also allows users to host ...

by game artist Max Schwartz, followed by a March 19, 2017, itch.io release of the game, this time with a free supplementary

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

serving the purpose of a prequel. The game was positively received by critics, who cited its distinctive art style and themes.

Gameplay

As a visual novel, the gameplay consists of clicking through text to cause the story to move on, until a choice is presented. Choices are presented as groupings of characters, with the characters chosen being involved in the scene that follows. This is generally a pairing, to the exclusion of a third.

Plot

The game's plot is magic realist, and takes place at a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

summer camp where misbehaving teenagers are sent to confront the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

. The three main characters are named

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

, and

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

. 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 Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

. The ending can change depending on who has a relationship with whom. In three of the endings, the character who was most excluded becomes the Devil and goes through a monstrous transformation. If an equal amount of time is spent with each character, there is a fourth ending, in which all three choose to become the Devil. Additionally, the narration switches from male to female pronouns for Venus, as she comes to terms with her identity as a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

girl.

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. In the game itself, while two characters can form a close relationship, one character must generally be left out. This was intended to be a difficult choice in order to parallel real relationships, where everyone is equally deserving of attention but a natural closeness draws certain people together. The game's main characters were influenced by the Sailor Scouts of ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

''. 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. 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.

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 ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

''. Raini Goncalves wrote favorably on the game's critique of

queer coding Queer coding is the Subtext, subtextual Code (semiotics), coding of a character in media as queer. Though such a character's sexual identity may not be explicitly confirmed within their respective work or they may in fact be straight despite their ...

as social deviance in ''Daimōnd 1: 109.8 FM'', with comparisons being made to both '' Watchmen'' and '' Dark Knight Returns.'' The work directly influenced ''Daughter of God'', a fansong by artist PhemieC released on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

, and was listed as a thematic and stylistic influence for the visual novel ''God is in the Radio.''

References

External links

* {{official, https://datenighto.com/game/we-know-the-devil 2015 video games Windows games MacOS games Browser games Single-player video games Nintendo Switch games Indie games LGBT-related video games Transgender-related video games Video games featuring female protagonists Fiction about the Devil Teen fiction Steam Greenlight games Video games about God Video games developed in the United States Visual novels