Devotion

Devotion is a first-person psychological horror game developed by Red Candle Games. Set in a Taiwanese apartment during the 1980s, the story unfolds through exploration, symbolism, and environmental storytelling, focusing on the tragic downfall of a family under the pressures of cultural expectations, superstition, and mental illness.

The game centers around the Du family: Du Feng Yu, a once-successful screenwriter; his wife Gong Li Fang, a retired singer; and their young daughter Mei Shin, an aspiring child actress. The player primarily experiences the narrative from Du Feng Yu's perspective, navigating their family apartment across different years — 1980, 1985, and 1986 — to uncover how their lives unraveled.

In 1980, the Du family appears happy and full of promise. Du Feng Yu is writing scripts, Li Fang is lovingly caring for their daughter, and Mei Shin is training to become a performer, much to her father's pride. However, the cracks begin to show as Feng Yu's career falters, leading to financial strain and emotional tension within the family. Li Fang, once a famous singer, tries to support the family but is discouraged from returning to the stage by Feng Yu, who becomes increasingly controlling and obsessed with Mei Shin's success.

By 1985, Mei Shin develops a mysterious illness that causes seizures and erratic behavior, which doctors are unable to cure. Instead of seeking continued medical help, Feng Yu turns to religion and superstition. He falls under the influence of a cult known as the "Mentor," a figure representing blind faith and manipulation. Feng Yu becomes convinced that Mei Shin's condition is a spiritual affliction, and that a ritualistic offering to the deity Cigu Guanyin can heal her.

This misguided belief pushes Feng Yu into delusion. He isolates Mei Shin, refusing proper treatment, and begins a dangerous ritual that requires extreme devotion and personal sacrifice. Meanwhile, Li Fang, unable to tolerate the abuse and the deteriorating situation, leaves the household. Mei Shin is left alone with her unstable father.

In 1986, the tragedy culminates. Feng Yu completes the ritual, believing it will save his daughter — but instead, Mei Shin dies, likely due to neglect or starvation. Upon realizing the truth, Feng Yu suffers a mental breakdown. Wracked with guilt and madness, he is left alone in the apartment, haunted by visions of his daughter and his past actions.

As the player explores the changing apartment, they witness surreal and terrifying manifestations of the Du family's memories. The apartment shifts between years, reflecting the emotional state of the characters — warm and colorful during joyful times, decaying and bloodstained as the family falls apart. The storytelling is non-linear, requiring the player to piece together the narrative through notes, audio recordings, newspaper clippings, and hallucinations.

Devotion ends with Feng Yu, now broken and consumed by remorse, reliving his memories in a symbolic purgatory. The final scenes suggest that he finally acknowledges the harm his blind devotion and actions caused. The game closes on a somber note, with a vision of Mei Shin performing a song — a bittersweet echo of the life that could have been.

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