Devolver MaxPass+ – VGU Reacts

Hey guys! So we’ve arrived at yet another Summer Games Fest showcase! Actually, this is a legitimate E3 showcase, taking place during one of the three E3 days. God, I hate this mess of names. Anyway, two days ago we had the Devolver Digital showcase, dubbed Devolver MaxPass+. It had been preceded by a trailer for the showcase, but seeing as the storyline of this cinematic universe has become so convoluted and tried, I didn’t even watch it.

I simply don’t care about these characters and their edginess anymore. I just wanna see some games. Specifically, I’d love a release date for Shadow Warrior 3 and Death’s Door out of this conference. Fingers crossed we have some fun! Let’s get to it, shall we?

The show burst open with a new gameplay trailer for Shadow Warrior 3! This one has whips, kicking, swords, deadly traps, and so much blood! Honestly, it feels like a spiritual successor to Bulletstorm at this point. Just everything I could ever want from that sequel. This trailer is really showing off its Doom Eternal influence, and it is chaotic! I love it, but still… no release date. Just the vague 2021 again.

Now we get some exposition, showing Devolver showcases back when they were fun and not annoying. It seems this year is taking a look behind the camera and imagining the pitch meeting for the past four years or so. It’s kind of funny, but I just want to see the games at this point. I’m so drained by all the developer interviews, I just want Devolver to shove games down my throat, and damn good games at that.

They’re trying to be funny and mostly failing, so I’m just gonna take a step back and wait for games.
Devolver likes to spoof the genres that are in the mainstream, and it sounds like this year they’re talking about “games as a service.” I am not sure what to expect.
Update: Devolver MaxPass+ is a subscription service? Maybe? Is it all a joke? Dammit, just give me games! We are seriously 10 minutes in with no new game announcements or release dates. That’s it, I’m skipping.

Finally a new game! I hate that they called it a “premium purchase,” but whatever. Trek to Yomi is a 3D sidescroller about a samurai fighting his way through a burning village. It looks beautiful and it’s completely black and white. I’m down. Looks sick. It’s coming out in 2022 for next-gen consoles and PC and oddly, it’s being made by Flying Wild Hog, as well. How are they doing two games at once? How big are they?

Next up is Phantom Abyss, which I actually didn’t know was being published by Devolver. This quickly became one of my favorite games of this Summer Games Fest, as it’s a procedurally generated race against ghosts to explore a temple. Players work at the same time to find and steal a totem from a big spooky temple guardian. Whoever makes it out with the totem wins, and that temple can never be attempted again. It is sealed and lost forever. It sounds like an absolute blast, and it visually looks fantastic, too. Early Access begins on June 22 and I am so there.

Now some more boring SNL skits. I guess they’re selling MaxPass+ clothing on a website? I am not checking this stuff out, I really do not care.

This next game absolutely blew me away, I didn’t write anything until the trailer was over, I am so astonished by the look of it! Wizard with a Gun is a multiplayer sandbox game about a cowboy with magic powers… and a gun. It looks incredible, sounds incredible, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it now! I don’t even necessarily love isometric survival games, but throw in the ability to play it with others – and cowboys – and it’s a pretty easy sell. Wizard with a Gun comes to Nintendo Switch and PC in 2022. I look forward to seeing a lot more from this one.

Next up is Death’s Door and, to be completely honest, I’m skipping the trailer for fear of spoilers. From the makers of Titan Souls – one of my favorite indies – this game follows a crow as he fights his way through a dark world of monsters. It’s one of my most anticipated of the year and I really hope there’s a release date attached to the end of this trailer!

July 20!!! Yes!!!

From the creator of Pony Island and The Hex – two games I’ve never heard of – comes… wait, “card-based?” Oof. Actually, this doesn’t look like a deck builder at all. This looks like an actual card game, complete with environmental puzzles, horrific creatures dwelling in the shadows, and fourth-wall-breaking scenarios that change the gameplay entirely. What is Inscryption? I have no clue, but I’m on board. Thankfully, it will be out later this year. Gotta love brand new reveals that are right around the corner!

Devolver Tumble Time is a free-to-play app that lovingly includes microtransactions. It’s essentially that Tsum Tsum game I’ve talked about in… other places… but with popular Devolver characters you can collect! Tumble Time is coming to Google Play and the App Store later this year.

Now here’s a new game coming out today, called Demon Throttle. Developed by the makers of Gato Roboto, Demon Throttle is only available as a physical copy for the Nintendo Switch through Special Reserve Games. Wario64 did mention this last week, come to think of it. But we still don’t know anything about it!
Update: Demon Throttle is a top-down retro shooter with local co-op! Think Contra meets Ikaruga meets The Legend of Zelda. At least, that’s what I’m getting from this trailer, with some humor, as well. It looks like a real blast, and again, it’s only available as a physical product through one retailer. That’s some unique marketing. Get it while it’s hot!

This weird showcase is coming to a close, finally. Now they’re spoofing NFT’s in some way, but I’m too tired to care. Oh, it was all a dream. Get me out of here.

And that’s it! It’s really over. No last minute announcements or anything. It’s as if they just didn’t care this year. Listen guys, if you want to do a big SNL skit, just do that. Don’t call it a video game conference and do barely nothing. Please. These just keep getting worse and worse. Anyway, I thank you all for suffering through that with me. Hopefully there are better conferences in the days ahead, and of course, you can hear all about those right here at VGU! Thanks for reading.