Devil of the Plague Review – Dark Co-op Horror That Keeps You Coming Back
A hands-on look at SoulByte Games' co-op horror: tense rituals, plague doctors, and a brilliant balance of jump scares and teamwork. Great for fans of Devour and Outlast Trials.
I jumped into Devil of the Plague expecting another competent indie horror — what I found was a surprisingly polished co-op experience that nails atmosphere and keeps the heart rate high. SoulByte Games leans into medieval dread, plague-doctor aesthetics, and task-based objectives that force communication and split-second decisions. It’s easy to draw parallels to Devour and Outlast Trials, but Devil of the Plague stands on its own thanks to distinct map mechanics and an attention to environmental detail. If you like jump scares flavored with strategy and frantic teamwork, this one will probably eat your nights and your patience in the best way.
Rituals, Tasks and Tension
At its core Devil of the Plague is a cooperative task-based horror game where you and a handful of friends (or randoms) are responsible for completing rituals, fetching items and surviving an escalating supernatural threat. Most rounds feel like a checklist of tense chores: locate keys, light braziers, perform rituals — all while a relentless entity stalks the map. The pacing is delightfully uneven; quiet, careful exploration can suddenly explode into manic chases. I often found myself whispering to teammates and assigning roles — one person distracts, one person secures items, another performs the ritual — which makes communication feel meaningful rather than tacked on.
When the Plague Becomes a Character
What sets this apart from similar titles is how the maps themselves act like characters. Each of the three maps changes over the course of a run: rooms shift, statues animate, and new mechanics layer on top, so later stages feel genuinely different. The enemy design and the plague-doctor motif are consistently unsettling — there’s a craftsmanship to the world-building that feeds both dread and curiosity. The game also rewards small discoveries: a hidden painting that hints at lore, or a statue interaction that suddenly flips a routine into chaos. Add to that a surprisingly robust difficulty curve — from approachable Normal to brutal Nightmare — and you have a game that caters to both casual scares and hardcore runs.
A Soundstage of Fear and Practical Performance
Visually Devil of the Plague leans into moody, realistic lighting and detailed textures that lift it above a lot of early access peers. The sound design is the real MVP: ambience, distant whispers, the metallic clink of ritual tools, and sudden, well-timed stings that made me jump more than once. Performance is stable on my rig and reports from players show solid optimization, though a few voices mentioned minor bugs early on (typical for early access). Accessibility options are there but could be expanded; currently audio cues and clear visual affordances help, but an aim for more explicit control remapping and subtitles would widen the audience. The VR mod community already shows the game translates surprisingly well into VR, albeit unofficially, which speaks to the strength of the core presentation.
Devil of the Plague is a confident indie horror that gets the basics right and then some: atmosphere, co-op tension and evolving maps make for a compelling package. It’s best experienced with friends, but solo players who like a challenge will find plenty to chew on. For early access it’s impressively polished — buy it if you crave cooperative scares and memorable ritual moments, but expect the occasional bug and a steeper learning curve alone.
Pros
- Tense, atmospheric horror with strong world-building
- Excellent sound design and effective jump scares
- Co-op mechanics encourage real teamplay and replayability
- Three unique maps with evolving mechanics
Cons
- Small early access bugs and occasional clarity issues solo
- Could use more accessibility and control remapping options
- Some players may find Nightmare difficulty punishing
Player Opinion
Players repeatedly praise the atmosphere, jump scares and the co-op loop — many comparisons to Devour and Outlast Trials show up, but with notes that Devil of the Plague feels more polished graphically. Multiple reviewers highlight the three maps as a big strength, mentioning distinct mechanics per map that keep runs feeling fresh. Folks love the ritual progression and the tension ramps that make the final minutes frantic and memorable. Criticisms cluster around the solo onboarding experience — some say it’s harder to parse alone — and a handful of early access bugs, though most players say those are minor. An interesting recurring note: the community has already created a free VR mod that lets people play in VR, and those users report the experience gets legitimately scarier. If you enjoy cooperative horror like Devour, Pacify or Outlast Trials, reviewers consistently say this is a must-try.