We’re back again with another E3 presentation recap, and this time we have probably the most exciting presenters for E3 yet: Devolver Digital and their Big Fancy Press Conference.
So, did Devolver Digital once again single-handedly save E3? In a way yes, but I guess when you’re following up on Bethesda’s showcase it would take a very colossal mistake to perform worse. That said, while the famed indie publisher’s presentation ran the shortest, it didn’t have a shortage of both new and announced titles to show off. In between the game announcements, of course is that famed presentation style, which only becomes crazier and more convoluted with each iteration of E3. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
In any case, for the sake of brevity and poorly attempting to recap the Big Fancy Press Conference in all its glory, here is a rundown of all the titles they presented during the show. This year was themed like a Direct presentation, taking a jab at what seems to be the very recent Stadia Connect presentation.
Fall Guys reveal trailer
In an age where the market is saturated with Battle Royale everything, even permeating into franchises that don’t really need them, the title that set itself differently is already king. This is pretty much the case for Fall Guys, a colorful, physics-based, highly whimsical and ridiculously engaging Battle Royale title. Check out the teaser aired by Devolver to see what’s so different about it.
It’s Battle Royale as you’ve never experienced it before: through a Takeshi’s Challenge-inspired set of eliminations. Colorful little blobs face both humiliation and exhilaration, all in a bid to outlast one another to claim the crown. If it plays anything like it looks here, then it is already better than a lot of competitive multiplayer titles. This is definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of party games and ‘fun’ in general.
Fall Guys will be released sometime in 2020 for the PC and the PlayStation 4. Here’s hoping they port it to both Xbox One and the Switch as well, and offer full cross-play at launch; it will do gangbusters, I’ve no doubt of that.
Devolver Bootleg reveal trailer
Have you ever made the mistake of telling a family member or a relative what game you want for Christmas, only to have them buy you a hilariously inept bootleg of it? Well, now you can relive those memories with the announcement of Devolver Bootleg, born from a hilariously underrated segment from Devolver Direct involving grey-market distribution and third-party software platforms at large. It’s also made available the moment it was announced, which is extreme dedication to the craft, in my honest opinion. Check it out below.
The trailer plays like a commercial from the late 80s to early 90s, complete with screen wipes and rotating transitions. By visiting DevolverBootleg.com, you are redirected “unironically” to a Steam page for Devolver Bootleg, a collection of the some of the publisher’s best titles’ “demakes,” or what essentially is a direct translation into a simpler experience.
As an appreciator of incredibly-crafted shitposts, this one takes the cake. The Devolver Bootleg even has its own launcher, which is a jab at the ongoing launcher war between Steam and Epic, and contains eight “demakes” of their games, including:
- Enter the Gun Dungeon, an off-brand Enter the Gungeon
- Hotline Milwaukee, an off-brand Hotline Miami
- Ape Out Jr., an off-brand Ape Out
- Shootyboots, an off-brand Downwell
- Super Absolver Mini: Turbo Fighting Championship, an off-brand Absolver
- Catsylvania, an off-brand Gato Roboto
- PikuBiku Ball Stars, an off-brand Pikuniku
- Luftrousers, an off-brand Luftrausers. You could either get Luftrousers 3 or Luftrousers 6, just to authenticate the whole bootleg thing.
Kidding and joking aside, I checked some of the gameplay footage available right after this went on sale, and I have to say that I’m fairly impressed. I might even pick it up, not only because of the totally attractive and generous one percent off that Devolver put on its price tag. It’s mostly because of the game’s actual developer, doinksoft, who has a penchant for making amazing arcade games, as proven with their recent release of Gato Roboto.
Whether it’s a joke taken too far or an actual attempt at making a video game, Devolver Bootleg is an amazing 4D chess-inspired move from a publisher that bootlegged itself, and getting all of the profits in turn.
Devolver Bootleg is now available on Steam with a generous one percent off that’s hard not to take advantage of.
Carrion reveal trailer
Following another segment where another speaker at their ‘Direct’ simultaneously turns into a fleshy tentacle monster like something out of John Carpenter’s The Thing, we get a trailer for Carrion, a very promising “reverse horror” title from developer Phobia Games. Check out just what sets it apart from other horror titles by giving the trailer below a look.
Let the power fantasies begin. In Carrion, you play as an amorphous blob of flesh and tentacles, hellbent on consuming and eviscerating the scientists that have been keeping you imprisoned inside an underground facility. It’s an amazing twist on the horror genre that’s severely underplayed, especially for single-player titles, and instead of tension filling you up I can already see myself laughing sinisterly while I traverse crawlspaces for more victims. Also, I give the voice actors for the scientists an A+ because their screams of terror are amazing.
The only downside to Carrion is the fact that it’s still far off, with a release date set for 2020. Let’s hope that by next E3 it will have released already.
Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead reveal trailer
Coming to Arcade in 2020. Now that’s something I never thought I’d hear again. As someone who still likes to frequent arcades from time to time to play Time Crisis and House of the Dead, this is something heartwarming to see. Check out the trailer for this next announcement below.
It’s a fully-fleshed arcade cabinet for a lightgun shooter dungeon crawler, developer by the engineers at Griffith Aerotech and of course, Dodge Roll and Devolver Digital. Titled Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead, it’s a spinoff of Enter the Gungeon, only this time you use an actual lightgun to play against the Cult of the Gundead.
It’s also what Devolver was referring to with their $5000 game that they were announcing, seeing as you can pre-order one of these bad boys right now by checking the Griffith Aerotech page here. As for the game itself, it’s quite interesting to see how well Enter the Gungeon translates to a lightgun cabinet shooter.
Expect long lines at the arcade for this one once it drops next year. Now that’s two things I’d never thought I’d hear.
The Messenger: Picnic Panic reveal trailer
Devolver’s next announcement is Picnic Panic, a free expansion for The Messenger, coming in July 11. Check out the release date trailer for it below.
The expansion takes place on a sandy tropical beach, filled with new stuff to check out, and returning ones as well. Of course, expect some new bosses thrown into the mix, as that’s probably some of the best parts of The Messenger.
My Friend Pedro release date trailer redux
As the Devolver Direct descends into literal madness, we get one last glimpse at the already released final trailer for My Friend Pedro before it launches this June 20. Check it out below, if you haven’t already.
In just eight days all the anticipation and hype will be coming to a head, as Devolver Digital’s most-awaited title finally releases. If you don’t exactly know why it’s highly-anticipated, shame on you, and go check out its Steam page right here.
My Friend Pedro will be released on June 20 for the Nintendo Switch and the PC.
Devolver Direct ends, with a few teases for next year
If you’ve watched the whole thing you know what a wild ride it has been, and it seems it’s still not done. There’s still more lore to discover, and Nina Struthers will have her revenge, in this timeline or the next.
And that’s the whole presentation for Devolver Digital this year. It’s short, sweet, and announced a lot of really cool games that it managed to wash away the bad tastes Bethesda’s conference left in my mouth. It’s a bit disappointing that no updates on Metal Wolf Chaos XD was shown (although Devolver did promise something for it coming soon) but you take what you get, and what I got was amazing game announcements with something for everyone.
Check back in with us for more recaps of E3 presentations.
