Well, the latest Devolver Direct occurred last night, having taken the form of a 15th birthday party for their ever-popular mascot, Volvy (and by extension, the 15th anniversary ofDevolver Digitalitself). And indeed, it was a rather exciting party, one that basically left this writer blacked out (though that may have been exhaustion from a whole weekend of announcements, or from craftinga whole list of the publisher’s best games), and with it came a whole slew of announcements for all of your favorite Devolver games, plus some new ones as well.You can watch the whole presentation at the link here,but if you want something quicker, let’s recap just exactly what we saw at Devolver’s big birthday bonanza. Actually, first, let’s back up a bit to Devolver’s first announcement earlier that day…
As if to act as the grand opening number for the birthday bash, the main Summer Game Fest showcase played host to the first gameplay trailer for Neva, Nomada Studios' much-anticipated follow-up toGris.Upon first glancewhen it made its debut,one would immediately assume that Neva is referring to our main heroine. As it turns out, the name of our protagonist is Alba, and Neva is actually their wolf companion. with the game being a lifelong journey between the two. And that isn’t even hyperbole, as the trailer shows Neva visibly aging and growing as the game progresses. At the start, Neva is a cub who requires Alba’s help to make even a standard platforming jump. By the end, Neva is notably bigger than Alba herself, and able to swiftly and almost effortlessly take down enemies.
Said enemies take the form of jet-black, Spirited Away-style dark forces in a decaying world, though you might not necessarily know that last part from seeing the game in action. Once again, Nomada’s expert skills when it comes to visuals and animation are on full display here, showcasing amazing landscapes and a fluid beauty as Alba and Neva go on the offensive. It looks like an absolute blast, though the end of the trailer suggests a massive tug at the ol' heartstrings as well. Neva comes out later this year for all major platforms, and it looks like it’ll stand an incredibly huge chance at being one of the year’s biggest standouts.
The Plucky Squire Receives New Gameplay Trailer
Now we get to the Devolver Direct proper, though the intro did confirm that no, a release date for the much-anticipated gameThe Plucky Squirewouldn’t be in the showcase, but yes, it is still on track to be released this year, and more info will come later. They also mentioned that there wouldn’t be any news about aHollow Knight: Silksongrelease date, because Devolver isn’t publishing it. Then the birthday party started, and…ah, yes. Notably, they never said who was hosting the party, and it turns out to all be hosted by one obsessive fan of Devolver and Volvy. One who happens to have strange noises coming from their attic that attract the police’s attention, and who has inner monologues that conveniently sound like pitches for Devolver games. Games such as…
Cult of the Lamb: Unholy Alliance
…Yes, as was hinted at during their Steam sale,a new Cult of the Lamb update is on its way, called Unholy Alliance. And as many have expected, it’s a co-op update. And as this writer incorrectly guessed, it isn’t a new lamb that’s coming, but rather The Goat, a new partner “summoned in blood and born of corruption.” Really cute, though. The duo benefit from a list of enhanced skills if they fight together, such as critical hits if in sync, extra damage when fighting back-to-back, weapon swaps, and more. Solo players, aren’t left out, though, as the update will add new tarot cards, relics, buildings, fleeces, secrets, and more. The new update will drop on August 12, and will presumably be followed by a boatload of Goat cosplayers afterwards.
The Crush House
Next up was something previously confirmed for the event, more info on Nerial’s upcoming “thirst-person shooter” The Crush House. As the trailer shows, the game centers around players taking on the role of a producer for the hottest reality TV show of 1999. You’ll have to choose the cast of misfits, capture the drama, conflict, and/or horniness that ensues, all while making sure that you give the audience what they want, lest the show get cancelled. And while you can certainly find ways to set up these events that grab ratings, you have to ensure that you don’t directly interact with the contestant, lest you risk your job.
It all looks sunny, cute, charming, and trashy…except as the clip shows, the house is definitely hiding more than its fair share of secrets. So during the day, your goal is to manage the show, and during the night, poke around when the show is off the air and see what you can uncover. So whether you love romance or horror, it looks like there’s a rather intriguing narrative here for everyone to check out. The Crush House arrives on August 9 for PC, when we’ll see just how well players fare at creating the next Real World.
Finally, it was time for the first new game announcement of the night, one that was also hinted at in the Steam sale, and was revealed with the unique description of being a “rogue-fu city-builder.” Coming from developers Deepnight Games/Dead Cells designer Sébastien Benard, the game centers around a renegade yakuza trying to save Secret Garden City from four crime syndicates and her former associates. A top-down action pixel art action game, Tenjutsu has you using a wide variety of weapons, skills, and martial arts techniques in order to take out your enemies.
The unique hook is that in between the action, you can invest resources that you’ve gained into the city itself, unlocking new additions that can help our protagonist on her quest. That said, the more time you spend investing, the stronger enemies become, so the challenge is in trying to prepare and work on a playstyle of your liking that works. But the important thing is that when you get down to it, this is a game where you build cities by beating the stuffing out of people, which alone is a concept worth getting excited over. Tenjustu is set to come to PC and consoles in “202X,” meaning it could be this year, next year, they beyond, who knows? But stay tuned for more info in the future.
All the Reveals From Devolver Direct 2023: The Return of Volvy
The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium
The first expansion for last year’s acclaimed puzzler, Road to Elysium adds a three-part coda toThe Talos Principle 2,consisting of three different chapters, each with different characters and locales, and even their own unique sets of puzzles with mechanics both new and old. As seen in the trailer, this all expands upon the game’s world even further, delivering new stories as you set out across…actually, you know what, any blurb we write here probably won’t do it justice, especially seeing as how we havea full-on preview for Road to Elysiumto check out as well. So why not take a moment to peek at that, and then we’ll continue this recap when you get back? Go ahead, we’ll wait…
…Yeah, sounds like a great expansion, doesn’t it? Well, you’ll get to experience The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium shortly when it comes out on June 14, so start preparing those puzzle-soliving skills again.
Anger Foot
Free Lives' upcoming first-person shooterAnger Footwas up next, or if you prefer, their first-person kicker. On your way to kick around and blow away as many gangsters as possible while loaded with dangerous amounts of caffeine, you'‘l be able to unlock and equip new sneakers that grant new abilities, as seen in the trailer. We have shoes that make you jump higher, give you fire resistance, allow for rapid fire kicks, and ones that even allows anything you kick to be left floating around. It’s an impressive set of footwear, showcased to the tune of a banging soundtrack.
The gameplay in Anger Foot is lightning-fast, though players can go at their own pace if they prefer emphasizing power over speed, or if they just want to look for secrets. Whatever your preferred playstyle, Anger Foot looks like a colorful blast with enough foot-based fury to be Al Bundy’s worst nightmare, and it’ll arrive soon, because a July 11 release date was announced, letting everyone know when the game will stomp into PCs everywhere.
Possessor(s)
Volvy’s birthday party concluded with a grand finale, none otherthan the one teased earlier this week.It was the reveal of Heart Machine’s latest game, Possessor(s). Once again, the legendary indie developer heads into a new world and a new genre, this time tackling 2D action-platformers, with the gameplay here borrowing inspiration from platform fighters. Set in a ravaged mega-city that under quarantine after an interdimensional catastrophe has left it flooded, among other issues, the game sees you playing as Luca, a woman, who, as suggested by the title, is possessed by Rehm, a being that is less than co-operative. The two will eventually have to learn to co-exist in order to survive, though the acrobatics and sweet combat help out with survival as well.
According to Art Director Danny Moll, the world in Possessor(s) is described as “sony-walkman retrofuturism” and draws inspiration from games such asSignalisandControl,TV shows like Severance, plus “weird fiction world-building” such as that seen in films like Annihilation. That is certainly one unique cocktail of styles and influences, and it results in a rather visually impressive take on the post-apocalyptic. It also makes for an open-ended world with multiple paths, plus one with a cast of characters said to have heart-breaking stories, and the main story being that of having to navigate through hurtful relationships. It looks like things here will be deep on multiple levels, and we certainly can’t wait to see more of what Heart Machine has in store here, with Possessor(s) set to come out in 2025 for PC and consoles.
Finally, after the whole thing wrapped up, complete with a clip from one of Volvy’s old cartoons after the credits, there was still more afterwards, with viewers being directed tothe official Devolver Direct siteto grab a goodie bag, where clicking on Volvy takes folksto an itch.io pagewith a free, 1996-era Virtual Volvy E-Pet known as Pocket Volvy. And if that wasn’t enough, earlier today, Devolver Digital sharedthe story of Pocket Volvy over on their official site,stating that the toy was recalled in 1996 after the screen would endless fill up with poop until it reached the point where it killed Volvy, and so all the toys were recalled and destroyed, and that if you ever find a copy, you should definitely not play it. So, uh, ignore that itch.io link.
The 15 Best Devolver Digital Games
Celebrate these indie legends by going through some of the best that Devolver Digital’s published.
And after all that, rather unbelievably, Devolver still isn’t done with the reveals.As revealed over Twitter,Showgunners developer Artificer is set to debut a new game with Devolver during tomorrow’s PC Gaming Show. It feels like a never-ending parade of Devolver, which something being revealed every day at this point, almost to a horrifying degree, which…well, actually fits in with Devolver Digital’s style perfectly. We’ll have more on this new game tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the trailer, and happy 15th anniversary!
