Devil’s Attorney (Android, iOS) Review

Outside of the Angry Birds/Bad Piggies bandwagon, it can be quite hard to find a nice, simple, well constructed and brilliantly executed smartphone game to while away time in the waiting room or on the bus. Devil’s Attorney however just about manages to pull it off thanks to incredibly charming delivery and simple yet entertaining gameplay.

Fully steeped in all the style and trappings of the greatest decade that there ever was, the 80s, you play Max McMann. An absolute grade A arsehole lawyer whose shark like attitude to life and the law sees him keeping hoards of clearly guilty offenders out of jail. This takes the form of a very simple turn based combat system, where you utilise techniques to try and damage the credibility of witnesses, evidence or the prosecuting lawyer themselves.

In return, the defence, witnesses and evidence will attempt to ruin the credibility of your defence. A fair bit of thought is required in order to win each case. You’ll have to weigh up whether it’s better to take down the prosecuting lawyer who is boosting the witnesses attacks, or try and take the evidence out of the equation which will then remove the expert witnesses as well. As well as attacks, you can go on the defensive by minimising the damage an opponent can do in the next round, or block them from performing an action.

So a bit of strategic thinking is involved if you want to make your way through each case, although the game has a reasonable learning curve before you need to seriously start evaluating whether to attack an opponent or try and minimise the amount of damage that they can do to your case.

Outside of court you’ll spend your case winnings on a variety of stylish additions to both your wardrobe and your home. Acquiring these items allows you to boost Max’s profile in one of three abilities: Materialism, Decadence and Vanity. As you progress through each one, you’ll unlock new methods that you can employ in the courtroom such as intimidating your opponent or incapacitating them for one turn using an objection.

So the gameplay is fun and entertaining if not a little repetitive, but what really carries you through this game is the style and presentation. The people that Max must defend in court are a veritable rogues gallery of mischief makers, from a fisherman who prefers to use dynamite instead of a rod, through to a jet fighter pilot who flew too low to the ground because he “felt the need” (and there are plenty of great references to classic films from the period).

Accompanying each case is a small back and forth banter between Max and his prosecuting counterparts which I find the most entertaining thing about this game. Max’s smarmy attitude wins you over as he comically foils his opponents and leaves them floundering at his logic and sly arguing skills. Another high point for the game are the graphics, which feature the bold and bright colours that attributed popular 80s culture. Slick animation and a great art style give the whole thing a cartoon show feel that both adults and kids can enjoy. The opening video sequence in particular pays homage to the opening of so many 80s cartoon shows that I still give it the occasional watch when I’m loading up the game up.

In reality the only fault I can level at Devil’s Attorney is the repetitive gameplay which is thankfully broken by the dialogue sequences before each court case. As a £3 smartphone game, it’s one of the few out there where I’ve fired it up in preference of a spin on the 360 and haven’t just left it in reserved for when I’m waiting at the Dentists. It packs in great visuals, slick and responsive controls and enjoyable humour that makes you wish they’d turn this into a cartoon that you could sit and watch with your kids on a Saturday morning.