The premise of Devil's Attorney is fairly straightforward; you're an unscrupulous defense attorney with a positive attitude and a winning smile, who'll do anything to win a case. Using tactics such as discrediting witnesses and prosecutors, tampering with evidence, even hypnosis, you'll barrel your way through the game's 58 cases. With the money you earn defending the scum of the earth, you purchase power-ups in the form of snazzing up your apartment or outfit. The courtroom tactics you can use are dictated by whether your tastes lean towards materialism, decadence, or vanity.
What appears to be a Lawyer RPG on the surface is actually a charming and casual math strategy puzzler. For each case, you start with a base number of 'case strength' which the opposing prosecutor will try to bring to 0, by way of witnesses, evidence, and exports with numeric values for 'credibility' - essentially the health points you must reduce to 0 in order to dismiss their testimony and save your case from the damage they would inflict upon it. The game is turn-based, and your actions take place before the opponent - you must get rid of all their evidence and witnesses before they destroy your case through attacks to their credibility. You receive bonuses and acquire achievements based on the speed and efficiency of your victories. Cases are relatively easy, but escalate quickly into fiendish brainteasers that will tempt you to find a pen and paper to work out your next turn.
This game is beautifully executed. Though the gameplay is a little simpler than you may expect from a lawyer sim, it is fun and engaging. You can play this game on the fly, for 5 minutes or an hour - a demonstration of understanding of the mobile platform by the developers. The graphics, music, and voice-acting are top notch and incredibly smooth. The music captures the 80's vibe of the game perfectly, and witty banter takes place between you (Max McMann) and the opposing lawyer before every case. All the colors and designs are vibrant and really pop. As of this article I'm only 18 cases deep in my playthrough on normal difficulty, but reading Play Store comments indicates that the only issue people seem to have with the game (installation and odd device problems aside) is that it is too short - a great problem to have if you're Senri AB, as it indicates demand for more of your work.
This game will cost you $3.00 in the Play Store, which is a fair price in my estimation. There are no bothersome ads, no in-app purchases, and I have not been bothered by the app to rate it. Unfortunately Senri AB has not released a 'lite' or 'trial' version of the game, and at 358MB it is a fairly large download to tackle if you want to see if you like it before your window for a refund is closed. My guess is that if you like games with polish, panache, and addictively satisfying puzzles that you'll find it as worthwhile as I have.
Devil' Attorney is available for $3 at the Google Play Store
