Pocket Devil doesn’t beat around the (burning) bush. When the sole purpose of your game is to use different devices to torture and kill a virtual devil character, it’s obvious that this is a game targeted specifically to the type of person who loved to put ants under a magnifying glass and watch them fry.
Unfortunately, a lot like that old trick, there’s not much else that makes Pocket Devil an interesting purchase past the first hour or two.
Pocket Devil plays out similarly to how virtual pets worked years ago, except the purpose of the game is exactly the opposite. Instead of nurturing and feeding your pocket devil, you get to murder it using a guillotine, gasoline canister, chain, or your vengeful tapping hand.
Initially it’s a fun exercise, and the different animations of the pocket devils make the murder itself enjoyable enough, but the package is simply too thin. You only have one screen and the handful of weapons to work with, and there are no scoreboards for fastest or most interesting kills, no advancement possible, and thus no reason to play for very long.
If the app expands, I can see coming back to Pocket Devil to see what else the developers have cooked up for your fiery friend, but there’s simply too many other entertainment options available to make this a worthwhile purchase.
