Devil Makes Everyone Miserable is one of the unique challenge levels found in the puzzle video game Storyteller, a narrativebuilding game that invites players to drag and drop scenes and characters into panels to create coherent or surprising stories. This particular story isn’t part of the main narrative but becomes available once players unlock the Devil levels bonus modes that introduce a mischievous character known simply as the Devil. In these bonus levels, traditional tellings are given unexpected twists, and Devil Makes Everyone Miserable stands out because it turns a simple love story into a tragic sequence of misunderstanding and emotional pain. For many players, this level represents how powerful narrative mechanics can be used not only to build a happy ending but to explore darker themes of perception, loss, and heartbreak, all while maintaining the playful puzzle mechanics that make Storyteller engaging.
What is Storyteller?
Storyteller is an awardwinning puzzle game developed by Daniel Benmergui and published by Annapurna Interactive, where players craft visual stories by arranging scenes and characters in panels. Each chapter of the game presents a different thematic puzzle, such as life and death, heartbreak, or family, and the player’s task is to place elements in a way that satisfies the narrative goal. The game mixes fairytale imagery with logical sequencing challenges, making it both a creative and intellectual experience. Once the primary puzzles are completed, additional variations known as Devil Levels unlock. One of the first of these is Devil Makes Everyone Miserable, which retells one of the game’s early stories with a new twist introduced by the Devil character.
Understanding the Devil Character
The Devil in Storyteller is a unique NPC added to the game after completing the main chapters. He doesn’t function like the other storybook characters who fall in love, marry, die, or resolve conflicts. Instead, the Devil’s role is to interfere and manipulate scenes to create outcomes that are emotionally darker or more tragic than the original narrative. Rather than inspiring fear or a traditional villain arc, this character subtly alters perceptions and interactions, such as altering gravestones to trick characters into believing their loved ones are dead. The Devil’s presence transforms the storytelling dynamic and forces players to think creatively about how narrative outcomes change when emotional manipulation and pessimism are part of the equation.
How the Devil Works in Levels
Unlike regular characters who follow predictable story logic, the Devil affects scenes in unconventional ways. For example, when placed near a Death scene, he can vandalize a gravestone with a face that tricks another character into believing that their partner has died, even though that isn’t the case. This deceptive mechanic plays directly into the theme of Devil Makes Everyone Miserable, where misunderstanding and grief replace what would have been simpler emotional journeys. Overall, the Devil in Storyteller serves as a force of narrative disruption, turning peaceful or romantic scenes into something more somber and complex.
The Story of Devil Makes Everyone Miserable
Devil Makes Everyone Miserable is a devilish variant of an early Storyteller narrative known as Eve Dies Heartbroken. In the original version of that story, players guide the narrative of Adam and Eve through scenes that illustrate love and eventual heartbreak. In the Devil variant, however, the presence of the Devil dramatically changes character motivation and emotional context. The objective in this level is to cause Adam and Eve to believe that the other has died, even though neither actually has. This leads both characters to experience intense sadness, resulting in a collective state of misery hence the title of the puzzle.
StepbyStep Breakdown
- Panel OnePlace a Love scene with Adam and Eve together to establish their relationship.
- Panel TwoIntroduce a Death scene with the Devil placed beside the gravestone and Adam next to it. The Devil vandalizes the tombstone with Eve’s face, tricking Adam into thinking Eve has died.
- Panel ThreeRepeat the Death scene, this time placing Eve next to the Devil at the gravestone. The Devil paints Adam’s face, making Eve believe Adam is dead.
This configuration leads both Adam and Eve to believe that the other has perished, fulfilling the objective to make everyone miserable. Players must think beyond straightforward sequencing and leverage the Devil’s unique mechanics to reach this burnout of emotions.
Thematic Exploration in This Level
At first glance, Devil Makes Everyone Miserable may seem like a simple puzzle about manipulating characters to achieve a tragic outcome. However, the level also touches on deeper themes about perception and narrative expectation. Players are forced to confront how easily a story can be reshaped by altering emotional context and character motivation. By using the Devil to mislead both protagonists, the game highlights how sadness and misunderstanding can arise from incomplete or false information, a theme that resonates beyond the game world and reflects real narrative complexities in relationships and storytelling itself.
Layered Narrative Messages
Though the level’s mechanics are simple, the storytelling message is multifaceted. It shows that love and connection can be deeply affected by misunderstanding, and that grief often stems not only from loss itself, but from how individuals perceive that loss. By manipulating just a couple of scenes, the Devil turns what should be straightforward love and grief into layered misery for both characters. This encourages players to think about the emotional consequences of narrative choices and how different interpretations of events can deeply affect character outcomes.
Relevance to Overall Game Design
The inclusion of Devil Levels like Devil Makes Everyone Miserable reinforces Storyteller’s commitment to creative freedom and narrative experimentation. Rather than telling a singular story, the game encourages players to explore a wide range of emotional outcomes and plot twists. This expands the scope of gameplay and elevates Storyteller from being just a series of puzzles to a platform for narrative exploration. Players not only solve logical challenges but also engage with storytelling mechanics in a way that reflects on how stories are shaped by choices and emotional context.
Comparison with Main Story Puzzles
In the main Storyteller puzzles, objectives tend to revolve around satisfying canonical narrative arcs like love found and love lost. The Devil Levels, by contrast, encourage players to subvert expectations and embrace narrative disruption for its own sake. While the original Heartbreak puzzle might end with a single character’s loss, the Devil variant ensures both protagonists suffer emotional turmoil. This shift highlights how interactive narrative games can explore not only linear storytelling but also alternative or subversive interpretations of familiar themes.
Player Reception and Strategy Tips
Players often enjoy the challenge and emotional complexity of the Devil Levels. The initial encounter with Devil Makes Everyone Miserable may surprise players who expect traditional puzzle outcomes, but many appreciate the ingenuity required to solve it. Recommended strategies include understanding how specific characters and scenes interact with the Devil’s disruptive mechanics and experimenting with different panel configurations. The level demonstrates that success in Storyteller is not just about following straightforward narrative logic, but also about creative manipulation of narrative elements to achieve emotional and thematic goals.
Narrative and Gameplay United
Devil Makes Everyone Miserable exemplifies how Storyteller combines narrative depth with puzzle design. By introducing the Devil as a character who alters perceptions and emotional outcomes, the game challenges players to think beyond conventional storytelling. This level highlights themes of misunderstanding, emotional manipulation, and narrative consequence, all while pushing players to explore creative solutions. Whether viewed as a puzzle or as a commentary on how stories can be reframed, Devil Makes Everyone Miserable stands as a memorable moment in Storyteller, showcasing the power of interactive narrative design in shaping emotional and intellectual engagement.