Devious Designs (Amiga) - A Playguide and Review - by LemonAmiga.com
51Devious Designs is a platform puzzle game, released in 1991 on the Image Works level. The task seems simple: just throw a few blocks in to place. But his is a bit more quirky than it seems.
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Production Notes:
Captured: 12th May 2021
Narrated: 22nd Dec 2023
Completed: 1st January 2024, V2
This was recorded for Series 6B, but it wasn't a good game for that series, so it was delayed until now. Lo and Behold, it got the fewest votes this series too. But here it is. The game is a bit different to the normal platformer, and combines James Bond with the mania of Pang, so maybe it was worth a try, and you certainly wont be seeming many other reviews of this game anytime soon.
Danscore:
Devious Designs tries to be a game of variety. If you want a platformer, here it is. If you want a construction puzzler, with all kinds of enemies getting in the way - you got it. If you want to use a gun to shoot your way through the levels? - well here you go. But there is something missing. Sure, there is some music and jingles, and sure there is some platforming action. But the player sticks to walls seemingly based on being close to certain things, and actually pulling off a crazy wall jump manoeuvre really screws up the controls big time. Some levels require perfect ordering of your platforms, or it becomes impossible to beat the level. The task is made even harder by the enemies getting stuck between platforms, and random blocks which 'fill in' the puzzle, but also make sure every puzzle piece now does not fit! So you have to waste time blowing them up by shooting them, while being bombarded by respawning enemies; all while the clock makes sure there is no wiggle room for trial and error. If this concept came from the very playable arcade machines of the early 1980s, somehow the playability got lost along the way. Veterans can make this game look easy, but casual players will soon get bored of this one-trick pony, and move on to something with a lot more dance power. This game is a novel idea, but unlike classics like Volfied and Pang, playability depends on if the player can put up with the annoyances enough to enjoy it. I'd give it 6 out of 10. It's got all the hall marks of fun, but looking in the mirror only gives a pale reflection of itself in return. Perhaps there are fans out there, and I'm sure there will be a few supporters in the comments?