A few weeks ago, some of our team attended PAX East 2026 and highlighted their favorite demos. Fellow editor David Silbert tried of the Devil, a stylish murder mystery with clear Ace Attorney inspirations. In our site’s Discord, David tagged me, knowing I’d get hyped as hell (pun not originally intended) to try it since I’m a huge fan of the detective genre.
I was pleased to see that a sort of extended prologue from of the Devil, Episode 0, was free on Steam. I downloaded it right away, but forgot about it until this past Friday night, when I was scrolling through my gaming backlog looking for something new to play.
At first, I liked but wasn’t blown away by what I was seeing. The protagonist, Evangeline Morgan, is a sexy, moody, emo public defender in a cyberpunk setting. Cool. The larger-than-life anime vibe kind of reminded me of what I’ve seen of Persona 5. There were even a few subtle Ace Attorney references that only hardcore fans of the series will get. Poke around rooms, question suspects, push back with evidence, read/play the visual novel. Grumpy cops, a dogged District Attorney, hot ladies fighting crime. All good stuff, but still a bit familiar.
Steadily, the game layered new approaches on the format, including a poker theme that involves finding evidence cards during police investigations, playing them during courtroom trials, and betting with your instincts like you would with chips. There’s also interesting tech to play with and world-building to savor, as the game is set in a big, unnamed city in 2086. As the stakes rise, so does the visual style, with bright colors, bold shapes, and electronic music.
Unlike many of its inspirations, of the Devil has a Mature rating and certainly earns it. Investigations are darker. Jokes are fresher. You can feel that the developers, a core team of four people called nth Circle Studios, are having fun with what they’re making. They know the rules, and they’re enjoying pushing the boundaries.
Throughout the three to four hours of Episode 0, I became more and more impressed by what nth Circle Studios were doing.
And, just like a great poker hand, of the Devil held its best cards until the very end of Episode 0.
I don’t want to spoil anything but I’ll tell you that, upon finishing Episode 0, I immediately bought Episodes 1 and 2 (sold each for $9.99 a piece or as a discounted bundle). In fact, I looked for a season pass option to help fund whatever the rest of this game looks like — and I never do stuff like that. But that’s how confident I was that I wanted to see how this all plays out.
Over the rest of the weekend, I binged the first two full episodes; my total playtime has clocked in at just under 18 hours with almost 100% achievement completion. (There was one password hack I struggled with, leave me alone.) So far, the developers have showcased an impressive, steady uptick of features and lore drops per episode, making each one meatier than the last.
I could easily see Episode 3 (release date TBD) being the last installment or simply the next in an impressive dozen. (From our PAX coverage, it looks like the devs plan to release at least three more.)
I have my thoughts on where the game’s story might end up, but my takes are so ridiculously spoiler-heavy that it would be unfair to discuss with someone unless I’m absolutely sure they’re caught up. And, even then, I have so many thoughts that I can’t limit myself to online forums. I need a dialogue.
If you’re remotely interested in of the Devil, I encourage you to read as little about it as possible (which is why I’m staying tight-lipped here). Just go and download Episode 0 and try it. It starts a little slow, but by the end, you’ll be in roller-coaster mode and quick to want the next episodes.
Please try it. Somebody. I need to talk about this game or at least drop several long voice notes about it. Seriously, if you’re reading this, please play all of of the Devil that’s available so we can talk about it. Also, nth Circle Studios, please keep working hard because I need more of this game as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I’ll go try other new mystery games from PAX, but damn if I won’t be comparing them to of the Devil.
of the Devil is developed and published by nth Circle Studios, and it is currently available on PC and Mac. It is being released episodically. Episode 0 and Episode 1 released on February 6, 2025; Episode 2 released on December 23, 2025; and Episode 3 is upcoming with a TBD 2026 release date. Episode 0 is free, and each subsequent episode is $9.99.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, solve mysteries, punch bad guys, play as a cool lady, and/or have a good cry. She started writing with The Punished Backlog in 2020 and became an Editor in 2022. Amanda also does a lot of the site's graphic designs and podcast editing. Amanda's work has been published in Mothership, Unwinnable Monthly, Poets.org, Salt Hill Journal, and more. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about her writing, visual art, graphic design, and marketing work at www.amandatien.com.
