Have you ever thought about what it’s like being on the evil side? Surely even bad guys need a place to rest after another day of evildoing? All questions that developer Petit Depotto must have thought about when developing Unholy Heights.
In this Nintendo 3DS release, players are given the role of the Devil who is gathering a group of monsters strong enough to help take over the world. This is done by renting out rooms to monsters in a building owned by the Devil. Just this very idea is enough to set it apart from other similar titles.
Different types of monsters will visit the building and rent one of the rooms if there is space available and it wants to do so. Each of these monsters is unique in that it has an individual name, job title and even hobbies. It’s fascinating to notice how some of these monsters don’t even have jobs and tend to obtain them whilst staying at the building. It was a proud moment when Waterfred finally managed to get a job as a clown after not paying rent on two occasions.
You see, it’s possible to evict tenants at any chance which raises some questions about the rights that these monsters have. There is also the fact that some monsters are less likely to pay rent. But sometimes it pays off to take in an unemployed tenant for different reasons, such as the fact that it might be really strong or bring a new and potentially vital ability to the group.
It’s necessary to cater for the needs of the tenants so that they will have a better chance of defeating well meaning adventurers and other not so prestigious individuals. Like getting them nicer furniture with money earned from quests and rent. The happier these monsters are, the more likely that they won’t mind any rent increases as well.
It’s vital to have happy tenants since they are the ones who will step up to fend off the mobs of enemies who wish to attain glory and make a quick profit. Although enemies will occasionally visit, it’s also possible to take on quests. Completing the quests will result in earning money, new items to purchase and even building expansions. Furnishing rooms with certain items will also boost the abilities of the monsters living in them.
Monsters are free to do as they like during their daily lives, but players can control them during the fighting phase. The touch screen or the d-pad/analog stick and buttons on the handheld can be used to choose who fights and to also retreat if a monster’s health is low. Whilst using the traditional controls on handheld is fine, the same cannot be said of the touch screen controls. These are not precise enough to not accidentally send a monster away during a battle. Not even when making use of the zoom feature to get closer to the action.
It’s quite sad when a tenant dies during a battle since each one feels like an individual. Fortunately, there is always the possibility of purchasing a potion for a room and then send the tenant back to the room during a fight to make use of it. Tenants also slowly automatically regain health outside of the fight phase.
The amount of money earned feels somewhat limited even after taking into account rent payments and what is earned from completed quests/defeated enemies. This is down to the amount spent on buying items to furnish the rooms to keep tenants happy and alive. Despite this, the title also lets players sell any unwanted items with the catch being that only half of the money originally spent is given back.
Whilst losing isn’t a particularly desirable outcome, it is refreshing to not get the traditional game over scenario when failing a quest. The main penalty is that it’s very likely that every monster has been killed and the money in the Devil’s room has been taken. However, it’s still possible to move on by getting new tenants and earning back money stolen by completing quests. It’s a better design decision that makes this the sort of experience that is suited for playing on the go, since there’s always the chance to rebuild and attempt to complete the failed quest again. More so given that the title lets players save at any point.
Despite the end goal being to gather an army worthy of using to take over the world, it’s living in the present that often makes for an enjoyable experience. It’s surprisingly easy to get into the title given that it doesn’t seem to offer much on the surface.
It’s the dysfunctional group of potential tenants and their often bizarre hobbies that turn this apartment management title into a fascinating experience. It’s very unlikely to ever come across another title where two skeletons become “pillow talk” buddies and even potentially conceive a powerful offspring. A title where a tenant is reading erotic fan-fiction whilst another one is sleeping naked. To think that this is all happening on a Nintendo system. Even the odd minor spelling mistake is forgiven considering the kind of content that the developers managed to include in a Nintendo 3DS release.
The theme of the title is surprisingly cheerful given the context, from the cute creature designs to the colourful backgrounds. Even the soundtrack consists of mostly upbeat music tracks. Given the concept, it’s nice to see a decent quantity of different monsters that can rent a room under the right conditions and a healthy selection of enemies to defeat.
Unholy Heights is a pleasant surprise and ironically one with soul considering that the player is the demon in charge of this quirky community of outcasts.
