Devolver Digital does a pretty good job of curating what it chooses to publish. Some of the games that they have helped bring to market
have made it to Xbox Game Pass at some point. Over the last couple of months, I've played and finished:
8. Gato Robot (on Game Pass)
The heavy Metroid influence is pretty obvious, but it has enough hooks of its own to make it more than worth its short play time.
The controls might take a bit of getting used to, but once they click the become second nature. The game is filled to the brim with
detail and charm and does not overstay its welcome. Even when you go for the 100%. I really enjoyed it!
9. Katana Zero (on Game Pass)
This one is a trip! The levels in the game are composed of short rooms that require very precise "navigation". I hesitate to use the
verb "platforming" to describe it as it would bring comparisons to games like Super Meat Boy, Celeste, Rayman Origins/Legends,
or anything else of that nature. The core of the game play loop centers around clearing the room of its enemies in order to proceed
to the next room. There is no energy bar, so one hit and you're out. There's a "bullet time" mechanic that can help you in some of
the tighter situations. The penalty for being killed is pretty low as it basically starts you back immediately at the beginning of the room
without any load times so that you can start plotting how to tackle the room next.
The art style, presentation, and music are fantastic. The story is a bit all over the place in the best possible way. Things ended with
a lot of ambiguity that hopefully will lead to some DLC in the future. Highly recommended!!
10. Death's Door (not on Game Pass as of this writing)
I saw videos of Death's Door and, game play wise, it really reminded me of one of my favorite experiences in
video games ever: Hyper Light Drifter (if you haven't payed it, you really should!). Well, HLD it is not. Death's Door is
more like a Zelda inspired top down, 3/4 angle view, action/adventure. Its game play is pretty slow and straightforward.
The storytelling/world crafting isn't very strong. The music is competent, but doesn't stand out. The bosses are just
above average. The dungeon design is a bit weak. The game does have a very nice and interesting look to it.
It's very pretty.
It sounds like I'm a bit down on the game, but in reality it is not a bad game. Just not great. Not all them can be
The game was made by just 2 people. I think they did a fantastic job with the resources at hand.
11. The Ascent (on Game Pass)
This one is not a Devolver published game. Earlier in this thread, I raved about how much I liked Neon Chrome.
I was hoping The Ascent would scratch that same itch. Turns out it's quite a bit different. More of a 3rd person,
3/4 view dungeon crawler where the dungeon is an extremely well crafted cyberpunk dystopian city. This game
is a sight to behold! Feels like you're playing a game in the city from Akira. The music fits the world perfectly too!
The controls aren't super tight but adequate. The loot system isn't very rewarding. This is unfortunate as loot is
very important in games like these (basically Diablo with guns). The story is standard cyberpunk fair, but written and
voice acted competent enough to keep me engaged. My main complaint with the story is that your character doesn't
seem to be "known" even after all the havoc that ensues wherever you go.
The attention to detail and love poured into the crafting of the world and cityscape had me wanting to explore every
corner of the game. And I did! Don't think I'll go through another play through, but if they provide any future DLC,
I might consider it.Still had lot of fun with it. So if you think you'd be into a simpler Diablo clone but with guns,
give it a try!
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