Devastators Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]

Channel:

AL82 Retrogaming Longplays

Subscribers:

108,000

Published on April 18, 2025 8:00:42 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ArU8067uw

Game:

Devastators (1988)

Duration: 0:00

4,899 views

175

Game Info
---------------------------------------------------
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year of Release: 1988

Game Review & Impressions
---------------------------------------------------
If you ever wondered what Capcom's 'Commando' might look like played from a third-person perspective, Devastators has you covered. Konami decided to employ its sprite scaling expertise to create a game which, despite the shift in perspective, feels an awful lot like the run-and-gun classic. The player assumes control of Rambo-esque warrior (or warriors in two-player mode), who must blitz through the enemy frontline in a hail of bombs and bullets, taking out troops, tanks, gun emplacements and other military hardware in an apparent coup against a generic despotic dictator.

I'll confess I didn't have high hopes for Devastators. In spite of Konami's technical prowess, the game's attract sequence showcases the game's primary failing within the first few seconds, namely the ridiculously short range of our hero's primary weapon. The bullets are propelled out of the gun with about as force a loogie-covered spit-ball, travelling barely a couple of feet down range before vanishing. I understand this was probably done in the name of game balance, but it looks so completely ridiculous as to break any kind of immersion the game might have had.

The only reason you have this peashooter is to dispatch the ground troops dressed in brown military garb, who drop boxes of grenades and bazooka rounds when defeated. The grenades, much like Commando, are designed to thin the herd of guerrillas storming in your direction, while rockets are used to take out guard towers and armoured vehicles. The issue with grenades is that judging where one will land is next to impossible, so they're only ever truly effective when spammed en masse, whereas rockets can only be used against foes the game lets you lock on to. In either case, the game locks you in position while you lob a 'nade or fire a rocket, which makes you a sitting duck for the duration of the firing animation.

If the bombs and bullets don't get you, though, the time limit definitely will. You need to keep pressing forward at all times if you hope to have even the faintest chance of reaching the end boss before the timer reaches zero, and it's 'game over' if you fail. I made the error in the opening levels trying to take my time and pick off enemies from behind cover, but this strategy is impossible from the third stage onward because the timer simply doesn't allow for it.

I was pretty disappointed with Devastators overall. The game is just isn't any fun, and the sprite scaling and pseudo-3D stuff isn't particularly special, and Konami would come out with later iterations of the tech for games far better than this. Their 1992 game based on the G.I. Joe action figure toy and cartoon series is effectively identical to Devastators, just a far better version. It's not the worst game I've ever played, but questionable design decisions let the game down, resulting in a forgettable experience.

Related Longplays & Videos
---------------------------------------------------
G.I. Joe Longplay (Arcade):    • G.I. Joe Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]  

Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Attract mode
00:55 Stage 1
03:18 Stage 2
06:09 Stage 3
08:59 Stage 4
11:31 Stage 5
14:05 Stage 6
16:23 Stage 7
18:45 Ending