The Devil's Plan (2023– ) User Reviews

Advanced Level Games, High Emotions

[Mabkid · 8/10 · 10 October 2023]

The Devil's Plan is a reality game show featuring highly intelligent individuals and advanced level games.

It's normal in Asia to have famous people (actors, YouTubers, etc) participating in game shows rather than the average Joe.

First off, the games are no joke. They are complex, designed to challenge high IQ individuals. You might need to rewatch the game explanations several times to understand the strategies employed by the participants, tho you will probably catch on naturally by watching the games unfold.

There are some high level elements that's just a touch of genius that I can't get into without spoiling it. The level of detail in the hints, and the fact that some of the participants catch on, is amazing. I'll just leave it at: The Safe. You'll know what I mean when you get to it.

Finally, the twists, lies and betrayals are fun to watch.

Very good show. Not just a reality show based on personality clashes, but one of smart people trying to outsmart each other while seeming amicable and polite, very East Asian! I truly enjoyed this show.

Very Enjoyable, Despite Complex Games

[FinleyKolapo · 8/10 · 4 October 2023]

This show is surprisingly good and enjoyable. I thought it's gonna be just another reality show I have on as a background noise, but this show delivered so much more. The drama and rivalry among contestants kept things interesting. The dynamics between the players keeps me invested and waiting for the next episode.

Now, some of the games can be a bit tricky and quite complicated to follow. At times, I've skipped the long explanations part and just watch the game played out. Surprisingly, watching things unfold often makes more sense than wading through the exam style rules. Overall, The combination of drama, strategy, and heartfelt moments makes this show a must-watch for me.

BONKERS AND FUN!

[loganps · 8/10 · 27 September 2023]

This show is bonkers! And I'm hooked!

It felt authentic and unlike other competition reality shows. This series focuses on mental strength rather than physical ability, so it's chalk full of brainy players. The contestants all seem to have different plans and strategies to reach the end.

The first game the contestants play made me laugh pretty hard. Not the actual game, but the explanation on how to play. The announcer begins to explain the rules and it starts out simple. But the explanation continues with more rules and more rules and then even more rules. About 7 minutes into the explanation for playing the game, it felt like satire! If you watch this for no other reason, it's worth it to see how complicated and elaborate the rules for the game become...it's genuinely one of the most insane things I've ever seen on a competition reality show.

With that said, even without understanding the rules to the game, it was a lot of fun to watch.

This show is nuts in the best way. I'm fully onboard to watch it until the end!

Finally some high iQ reality show

[michael_guyard · 10/10 · 14 October 2023]

I was done with those reality shows where the temp in the room is higher than the avg is. It is a breath of fresh air to see both intellectual with good emotional intellect, playing the games without constantly betraying each other or being mean and all over the place. Such a wholesome group of people with genuine interaction, strategies.

I particularly loved the games designs, their ingenuity and how it all comes together. There was no smart exploit that ruins it for one player, it was either you're good in a field needed or you aren't. No tricks. They pushed all the participants to their limits making them all likeable as they displayed weaknesses to each other.

It blew my mind

[swati-shanon · 9/10 · 27 September 2023]

Watching episode 1 made me jump out of my seat. The concept is so different, people are so intelligent, smart and unpredictable, it's like I'm watching a thriller movie. It's interesting to see how outcome changes with everyone's actions. An amazing show and you guys must watch it if you're into solving puzzles and collecting **pieces**.

You'll get to see different kind of people, acting differently in various scenario, how alliances are made and how betrayal happen.

Day 1 which makes two episode of it was completed package, the jealousy, competitiveness, teamwork, trust, distrust - I just can't wait for more episodes....

Why am I tearing up over Maths Poker?

[sixxgod · 10/10 · 12 October 2023]

The title of my review sums up this excellent show. If you had told me that I would be emotionally invested in a game of maths equation poker, I would have laughed at you.

South Korea seems to produce some excellent quality shows. In the last year I have watched Physical 100, Siren Survive the Island and now this. Each one is better than the last.

Devils Plan treats the viewer with respect and trusts itself enough to know that while the games are complicated, the viewer will either pick it up or be entertained anyway. I really love the relationships built in the show, I loved the secret in the Prison and the discovery of the word in the pieces. The games were so excellently designed, most of them I would love to play myself.

By the end I was punching the air and rooting for the person I wanted to win to win (they did) and I got emotional through many parts, but the poker game got to me, IYKYK.

I can't wait for a season 2.

Love this new take on a reality tv show

[adele_c-16 · 9/10 · 4 October 2023]

I am hooked! I've been hooked since the first few minutes, the only reason I did 9/10 is because sometimes they can talk too much but the talking can be interesting to watch when it is strategic. The strategic minds of some of these players is great, especially episode 9. The way one of the players played so cutthroat to make sure him and another player made it to the jail to get in that safe was amazing! The way he was able to set it up worked brilliantly and of course I now need to wait another week to find out what is in the safe!!!!

I have cried in a few of these eps & also laughed! So many new and different challenges for different people to excel at, I'd love if they made another season and also done this in other countries!

Wow I haven't seen a show like this in YEARS

[zdd-94112 · 10 October 2023]

Let me start by saying that I loved the show from start to finish. The intro theme to each episode is extremely catchy and fun. Totally sets the tone for the show and what you are supposed to expect.

The cast was excellent they all had their own strengths and personalities. Each of them felt unique and personable in their own right.

The games were challenging but not difficult to understand. If you are looking for shows with mysteries/puzzles you should at least expect them to offer novel puzzles that can keep both the audience and the players on their toes. I appreciate that the creator, director, producers felt confident enough to hold the audience to a standard. If you are looking to watch something that microwaves your brain into mush, like most other shows on netflix, this is not the show for you.

The game itself, overall, never leaned too hard on either side of cooperation or direct competition. This is perhaps the biggest reason the game felt so balanced. The challenges ranged from highly cooperative to much more individualistic.

The Devil's Plan is leagues above other game-shows like Big Brother, The Amazing Race...

I enjoyed the whole show, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. I highly recommend it and hope that it gets 10 more seasons with hopefully more novel games, intricate puzzles, and with just as interesting and personable of a cast.

Are the players competing with each other or with the game?

[vasiln · 9/10 · 6 October 2023]

We've become accustomed to how reality games like this work. Deceit, betrayal-- it's all fair. We might tut-tut, but part of the fun of these shows is that opportunity for self-righteousness: how could they do that? I would never! And we believe that, behind the scenes, the producers are doing whatever they can to promote that drama. It makes for engaging viewing. Of course, the producers like to keep mum about it; they'd rather we judge the contestants for any moral failings, not the show for incentivizing them.

Devil's Plan is a little different. It explicitly invites deceit from the beginning. The plan is to turn the contestants themselves into devils. But is it possible that DP is not playing completely above the table here? Is it possible that DP's goal is instead to demonstrate how clever one must be to be a saint?

The heart of DP are two games played daily. The first, ostensibly competitive, pits players against each other in cleverly designed games that include challenges both mental and social. If they win, they gain or lose "pieces" which allow them to remain in the game-- when they lose their last piece, contestants are eliminated. The second game of the day, explicitly cooperative, raises the prize pool.

But there are hidden games as well. Unbidden, contestants discover new puzzles in their environment. What is the prize for solving these challenges? On this, our show's hosts are, so far, silent.

DP is a game about puzzles, and if you like good puzzles, I think you'll like to play along-- DP certainly invites you to, never revealing secret information until the game is already won or lost. The cooperative puzzles are somewhat interesting, but purely mental in nature. But where the game shines is in its "competitive" puzzles. Why the quote marks? Because these puzzles typically contain carefully designed (and carefully shrouded) Prisoner's Dillemmas. If you like to solve puzzles the wrong way, if you've ever heard, "Yeah, okay, but I don't think you're supposed to play the game that way," then you'll love these puzzles, because I'm pretty sure DP's designers really, really want us to solve them the wrong way. (We home viewers can think about the rules at leisure, finding the creative solutions, but unfortunately, DP's contestants are not yet finding all the strategies. Their schedule is strict.)

For people who are not into puzzles-- particularly, not into political puzzles-- there is probably not much here, just another reality show. But for me, there's a lot, and I'm greatly looking forward to the rest of the season.

WHAT A WILD RIDE!

[kellyrada · 10/10 · 13 October 2023]

Anybody going into this looking for the typical American, Big Brother type show is going to be disappointed. This is not a bunch of brainless people who say "like" every other word, or competitions where people stand against a wall and get rained on. THIS show is intelligence based. The games are crazily complex. Yes, the instructons are very long-winded and complicated, but once the gameplay starts, you can pick up on the concepts fairly quickly. Every contestant on the show is extremely intelligent, and I found something to like about each and every person. I even found myself getting quite emotional every time someone had to leave. I was hooked from beginning to end! Very hopeful for a second season!

Good concept

[siavash-adibi · 7/10 · 23 October 2023]

I did watch the show until the end and it was worth it overall. However, many of the games were way too complicated. It's not fun to watch rules being explained for 10 minutes each game. Also in some of the games you need to be able to read Korean which is not fun if you can't read Korean. The poker game was so bad. There was no bluffing and the way they limited the pot size to the lowest stack was terrible. I suppose they didn't want to worry about side-pots which is odd for a show that enjoys adding more complexity. Generally speaking it would be more fun to give players more opportunities to betray and make tough decisions rather than designing the most complex games possible.

Incredibly addictive

[sanyamerdzhanova · 10/10 · 13 October 2023]

This is one of the best reality shows I've ever seen. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time, the cast was very likeable and by the end of the show I felt I had watched all of them for months. Every individual player had enough screen-time, so by the end I knew them so well and felt heartbroken when some of my favorites left. High steaks, high emotions, super interesting games that I would love to try playing. Season 2 would probably even be more interesting, because the contestants will know what to expect and will probably be a bit more cutthroat. I'm convinced anyone who doesn't like this just doesn't have the mental capacity to follow the rules of the games and the strategies implemented by the players... there is simply no other explanation 😂

Great concept, terrible execution

[lone_samurai678 · 6/10 · 7 October 2023]

The concept of strangers competing for a prize by solving puzzles and mind games is pretty interesting and I have always loved reading related mangas. For me The Devil's Plan pales in comparison to other popular works and here is why

1. Game organisation - Some puzzles have a series of rules, which can get a little complex to make sense of how the game is actually working. It would have been 100 times better if they could have shown a simple demo of how every game will play out. Many times even the players were confused as to how the game is working. Even after the competition ends, they don't say what could have been the right strategy (although i don't feel that most of the games had much strategy involved)

2. Puzzle quality - Tbh puzzles were not that complicated and neither had a 'eureka' moment when someone figured something out. They were simple and quite boring (the only complex part was that the rules were not very clear on playing different games)

3. Competitors - I think the wrong group was selected for this competition. Someone is a youtuber, someone is a blogger etc.. Like in one of the episodes there was an extremely simple maths problem to solve (high school maths) but most of them couldn't figure out the right way to do it. I know this kind of variety works well in anime/manga but it's tough to replicate that irl.

In my opinion people who are attracted to drama and can ignore the intellectual-competition aspect to some degree will enjoy this show.

40 minutes explaining the rules

[[e-mail] · 1/10 · 9 October 2023]

The idea of this game show is good but they really messed up the execution., the games are way too complicated and are explained at length followed by a second simpler explanation.

Then the players all repeat the rules as they play, so eventually by the time it's over you have had the rules read over and over and over. The games are really not that interesting And the.people playing them are all quite similar so not much personality injected by them.

It's clear that they was trying to go for a squid game or Alice in borderland type vibe but it didn't come anywhere near which is a shame given the effort and budget that went into it.

BINGE-WORTHY!

[lloydtolentino · 10/10 · 10 October 2023]

#TheDevilsPlan is a 10/10 🌟 This... is the reality show we want! I am just browsing for new tv-shows to watch and got bumped into this. Games are wild! Yet they started with alliances that makes the cast separated within entire season 1 but that how really things work in real world, we people surround ourselves with the people who we want us to be. That's why I love it how it turns.

Emotions are pure, i know watchers felt it too deeply and get emotionally attached to cast. They really play their roles so awesome! The cast are fantastic, and for the people who add music to it YALL DID WELL! It really fires up the show! Binge-worthy 💯

I loved this so much!

[thekarmicnomad · 10/10 · 15 October 2023]

Some brainy people are invited to stay in a big house and compete in mental games for a chance to win a sack of money.

The games are complex (which I love) and each game has about five minutes of rules explenation - my wife would switch off for these bits - but it doesn't matter as a voice-over provides tips on what is going on.

The characters are great and it really is moving when one is eliminated.

The format has some interesting kinks in it: like the "pieces" the players can obtain.

This isn't a straight forward "you lose you go home" affair - you can come last and be fine and come second and be eliminated.

I was at the very edge of my seat on several occasion.

Please, please, please renew this!

Addictive

[metalisarkar · 9/10 · 4 October 2023]

I am so hooked... love the format of the show.. love to see a Android game like this on Play Store. I can watch this every day.

I deducted 1 star because of players like orbit who piggyback weak players eliminating the best ones in the process. The best two players leaving the show in the very beginning was heartbreaking for me.

Stupid players are moving ahead in the game just because they are dependent on him.

Ha Seok-jin or Lee Seewon should win Orbit is so stupid.. now everyone who he was helping have turned against him... Ha Seok-jin in episode 9 blew my mind... in love with his intelligence

Rest waiting for 10th... and the next season.

True emotions showed in camera!!

[wackybot · 10/10 · 11 October 2023]

The most commendable aspect of this show is its ability to showcase the genuine emotions and intellect of the candidates. Unlike many reality shows, Devil Plans avoids the theatrics and instead focuses on the raw, unfiltered talent of its participants. It's refreshing to witness the contestants' dedication and their inventive thinking processes.

Devil Plans Reality Show is a must-watch for anyone who loves mathematics, craves intellectual challenges, and appreciates genuine emotions. It's a thought-provoking and engaging series that keeps you on the edge of your seat while celebrating the brilliance of its contestants.

Alice in Borderlands + The Mole = Devil's Plan

[inhalekittens · 10/10 · 18 October 2023]

At first I thought this was just a squid game ripoff, but I was intrigued when I found out that it was a reality show.

All of the contestants are genuinely interesting, intelligent people and it's so much fun to watch them try and tackle the challenges thrown at them.

The games that they play are so complex that I admittedly had to rewind more than a few times to really get some of them. I love that they didn't shy away from designing games that were really and truly challenging and required a delicate balance of social game + out of the box thinking.

You can tell that there was a lot of effort put into this show, and I hope that it receives the attention it deserves so that we can get a second season!

Very consuming but interesting

[xurouxuanz · 9/10 · 22 October 2023]

When i knew about this show i didn't expect much of it, just to fill my free time haha but unexpectedly this show was very fun and consumed my time. The very first game really pulled my interest to continue to watch. A little bit like The Genius, also korean show about 10 years before i guess.

Honestly there was a couple of game that really hard to understand for me, was very complicated but i liked the thrill during it. I think it needed someone with high level of understanding to understand the way the game played or maybe the subtitle wasn't really accurate.

If you're a fan of survival games and you think you're smart, love to binge watch, i guess this show would really match for you and you could try to watch it.

I think i'd love to watch 2nd season if there is any.

This was like an anime

[mmurr-38045 · 10/10 · 14 October 2023]

This show was like an anime. The protagonist lost all his friends along the way, his closest friend sacrificed herself to give him an edge that gave him immense power. He faced the devil and bet his entire game for the advantage. He being the cool guy spent the night alone in prison and then used his advantage to take on his rival/antagonist in the season finale. He even had a workout montage before in prison. The hero never lost his cool and always played strategically when outmatched. My favorite line of his is favorite I'm witnessing the collapse of socialism. You will find yourself very satisfied with his quest.

Extremely complicated

[anamkhan-55543 · 1/10 · 1 October 2023]

They just keep talking and not an actual game. Super confusing and boring. Please don't waste your time to watch this show as there are lots of better ones on Netflix.

This show made my head hurt. You'll need to know and remember all names and characters. They could have made the show better if they don't keep the secrets till the end of the episode. Super boring. It's so complicated that you'll need to be a genius to understand what's going on. I just watched the first episode and the rules were super complicated, they 3xplained the rules for like 15 minutes still everything went over my head and made me sleep.

Great Interesting Concept for what is a Game Show

[PalmBeachG · 9/10 · 11 October 2023]

Best game show ever! Koreans always have the best concepts of competitive shows and this one doesn't fail. Instead of just competing in front of an boring audience or spinning a wheel like in the US with brainy contestants, this is uniquely presented where they have to form alliances, can use any methods they want to win - the only rules to win were no violence or stealing. Other than that they could win by deceiving, lying, buddying up with other contestants, figuring out strategies with alliances in advance, many different ways of winning the jackpot. In the end of course it is every man or woman for themselves as there is only one winner. The difference between the US mindset and Korean mindset is that Koreans have such empathy and concern for the other person. They feel truly bad for each other deep down and have true emotion when they leave. Some even decide to just play to help someone else win and sacrifice themselves. I am happy to say that the one I had picked to win from day one was the winner. I knew it when I first saw the person as I thought they looked like the smartest, calmest, most level-headed, most able person with a first impression. And they were easy on the eyes - someone you wouldn't mind having around for awhile. They won and they deserved to win as they used their wit throughout and played with their good character too. Great show. I only took 1 star off as the game rules were a little complicated if you are trying to read the sub-titles.

I am addicted!

[littlebry · 10/10 · 1 November 2023]

I have never been so engrossed in a game show! I was barely paying attention when the first episode started but by the end I was hooked and jumping straight into the next episode. There is so much going on with the alliances formed and broken, the friendships built up and then betrayals taking place, all on top of the intelligence on show during the games. It's been facinating to watch a game show where you really do need to be clever, have luck on your side and persevere like a "mad scientist" sometimes rather than just correctly answer some questions.

I have a few episodes left and I'm starting to get hesitant about finishing it as I don't want it to end! I hope there will be another season of this so I can get addicted all over again.

Unterrated and entertaining

[lightningdog · 10/10 · 2 November 2023]

For everyone who loves mind-bending games and unpredictable twists. The visuals and soundtrack are perfect aswell. The graphics explained the games and sometimes, small informations were representated visually which made it much more satisfying to watch. For the games, i enjoyed every single one ( except one which was a bit boring and confusing, but luckily it was the shortest game ). On top of that, the real stuff is not only in the game but outside of the games where more secrets and crazy stuff is hidden. Expected an simple korean game show but it got sooo deep and crazy! Alot of twists and awesome emotional moments. If you love complicated games, very unexpected moments and a bit of some "who can i trust" vibe, then thats an easy 10/10. It didnt even felt like an real show anymore it felt like an really thrilling tv series. Just wow.