Demo Play Thursday - Pepper Grinder On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Pepper Grinder, developed by Ahr Ech and published by Devolver Digital.

This game had gotten some positive attention and i had heard many people talking about it on podcasts i listen to. So i came into this quite positive and it makes a great first impression with big music and an evocative image of a skull and a drill. But as i played this demo, the first impressions that this game gives didn't really match with the gameplay. In the video i call it lo-fi beats to play games to, whereas the music at the intro screen is anything but lo-fi.

There's no doubting the visuals of this game. throughout it looks amazing with not only high quality pixel art but also high quality animations. the life in the world is moving and there's energy to it. And yet, the music feels much slower. this is in contrast to the drill we use as that can drag us quite quickly, but the levels that we played in this demo seemed built around a slower pace. Even tho this demo is 3 levels, this mix was confusing and noticeable playing it.

For me, the overwhelming feeling i got from this demo was that the game's quite shallow. the gameplay didn't match the visuals, the level design didn't match the controls, and who knows what we're actually doing and why 'cause there's no story whatsoever. each level is packed with many new ideas on how to use the drill that it feels like the game's being front loaded, leaving me feeling overwhelmed trying to use a drill that controls however it feels in all new scenarios and wondering if by the end are the levels going to be too packed with everything the devs thought of or just repetitive and boring as it's all be shown so far.

In this demo, and i imagine the game too, i wanted shorter levels that dealt with each new mechanic one or two at a time. so i could get used to how the drill controls, so i could get used to the level design, or simply so the game could've spent a little time on story and tutorial. As it is, i came away from this demo frustrated and i didn't enjoy my time with it. Oh, this demo ends very abruptly, so much so that i called it out for being rude.

It's not a great demo, to the point where i wonder if it's actually negative to the game, whether its a fair representation of said game or not. Pepper Grinder isn't for me and not only do i not recommend the demo but i don't really recommend the game either.

Demo Play Thursday - Gunbrella On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Gunbrella . This game, from developers Doinksoft and publishers Devolver Digital,  is already out not only on Switch and PC.

The demo for Gunbrella, and the game itself, has been out for a few months now so the complaints i might have with the game could all be resolved by now if the game has been patched. i don't have the game so i can't do the comparison, but if you have it and played it it would be great to read your comments about how things have changed or how they are now in general.

There's a lot to like about this game after playing the demo. graphically, it looks great. more detailed than 8 or 16bit games but also not too blocky. there's a decent amount of movement in the foreground that helps give life/energy to the world, with decent backdrops helping to set the scene, and a sky with rolling clouds. The music is also good to listen to and works well, especially with the boss at the end of the video. i would be interested in hearing more of the music for sure.

For the most part, the controls are really good too. general movement is responsive and whilst the initial jump may not be that high it does feel satisfying in how it works. When we get to use the Brella for an additional jump, the sense of movement and speed is greater but i mostly felt able to control things just as easily. But, movement is also tied to shooting. If you jump up, the gun points up. if you move right, the gun points right. The right stick is also tied to shooting and something about having both control the gun just didn't work well with me.

I admit that it's only a demo and i could just need more practice. i often had issues when dealing with enemies. i would jump at an angle, try to shoot, my gun would be pointing up at an angle, i would miss the enemy and typically end up getting hit by them. It could be that after practice and more time i would be able to adjust and come up with a different strategy. But in the hour i played with the game, i never really got the hand of it.

The game didn't offer any tips or suggestions beyond the basic tutorial either. and that's something that i wasn't impressed with during the demo. It felt like the game did the minimum when it came to tutorials for the player. last weeks game, Knight Vs. Giant: The Broken Excalibur https://youtu.be/2slErl63Nz4 showed how to not only do text on screen but how to use the space effectively with added video tutorials. the text on screen approach here felt dated like the atheistic the game is based on. It wasn't just the tutorials. the items in the store and inventory had the bare minimum information. i had items that sounded like permanent upgrades and some that seemed to be time based. but the game never told me any of that. It's the same when looking up your tasks. there's a lot of space used by such few words. 

One of the more annoying parts of the demo is when i follow the instructions of a text box and it doesn't work. the game explained about food. i did what it said, and nothing happened. There were a couple of instances in a library section where text seemed to be out of order. i would encounter a scenario, get past it, and then read a text warning me of it.

One weird thing about this demo is that in the more than a hour i played, it never once said it was a demo! It's possible it might've after the boss i couldn't beat. i suspect that's where the demo might've ended, or after the quests related to it had finished. after trying that first boss i feel like i should've tried this demo on Easy, not the Normal i picked or the Hard it defaulted to.

I'm glad i tried out the demo. i was a little curious about this game. i now know that it's maybe not for me, but i can come away from it appreciating what it got right and maybe if a "Directors Cut" or "DX" edition were to come to other platforms then maybe i'd give it another shot.

Backlog Conquering - Foul Play - Part 2 - Finishing the First Play

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

This is part 2 of playing Foul Play on PlayStation 4.

In part 1, https://youtu.be/fLzEjnrlZks, i started playing through the first play and after 50 minutes i had finished Act 3. so the first thing to do today was to try and finish it. thankfully i did and i even got to Act 3 of the second play.

The game's charm, art style, and turn of the last century English is still fun. But the brawling sections just feel like they're a bit too long. it's not that they're difficult, it just feels like they're taking too much time to get through. i'm enjoying the story and how it's told, so for me i'd rather be spending my time doing that. the Brawling sections just feel like they're padding and not really adding much to what i'm finding interesting.

Backlog Conquering - Foul Play - Part 1 - The First 50 Minutes

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

This is part 1 of playing Foul Play on PlayStation 4.

Devolver Digital Announce Mastertronic Are Releasing Shadow Warrior At Retail For £29.99 On 4th October

Devolver Digital have announced they are partnering with Mastertronic to release Shadow Warrior in the UK at Retail. set to come out this Friday, 4th October, for £29.99, Shadow Warrior should be available from stores like GAME, Amazon and indie stores. This is a new take on the original 1997 3D Realms version of Shadow Warrior, it has been re-imagined with new combat mechanics and more.

Press Release

Devolver Digital Have Released A New Feature Trailer For Shadow Warrior

Devolver Digital have released a new trailer for Shadow Warrior. this video highlights some of the lesser known features in Shadow Warrior, like destructible bikes. Shadow Warrior is set to come out on PC on 26th September and PS4 in the future.

Devolver Digital Announce Hotline Miami Comes To Both PS3 And PS Vita On 26th June For £7.29/€8.99

Devolver Digital have announced the EU release date for Hotline Miami. the game was released this week in the USA on the PSN and now the EU will get the game on 28th June. Hotline Miami will cost £7.29/€8.99 and it is a Cross Buy title, so you buy it on one platform and get it for the other for free. this PS3/PSV version of the game will features trophies, touch support, leaderboards and a exclusive Russel Raging Bull Mask.

Source: EU PlayStation Blog

Flying Wild Hog And Devolver Digital Announce Shadow Warrior, A Reimagining Of The 1997 Classic Coming To PS4 And PC

Flying Wild Hog And Devolver Digital have announced they are collaborating together to create a reimagining of 3D Realms 1997 classic Shadow Warrior. coming out this year on Steam and 2014 on PS4, Shadow Warrior has a blend of modern design, inventive combat mechanics and a contemporary retelling of Lo Wang's rise to legend. Shadow Warrior tells the story of Lo Wang who has been ordered by his employer to track down a legendary blade known as the Nobitsura Kage. he's aided by Hoji, spirit, and is own gun, blade and magic.



Screenshots


Press Release From Devolver Digital

Vlambeer And Devolver Digital Announce Luftrausers, Coming To PS3, PS Vita, PC And Mac This Spring

Vlambeer And Devolver Digital have revealed their new game is Luftrausers. coming to PS3, PS Vita, Mac And PC, Luftrausers is a dogfighting airplane game. the game has a retro look and feel, but is also fast paced. there are 125 different airplane combinations to choose from. Vlambeer also go on to talk about why they chose to bring the game to PS3 and PS Vita even though they are a 2 man team. Luftrausersis set to come out this Spring.

they've been working with Devolver Digital to work through the red tape needed to get the game out on consoles, Deovlver also worked on getting Hotline Miami out, as well as Sony which means Vlambeer has been able to focus on the game. Vlambeer's experience with Sony on Super Crate Box and how well it went was also another reason for the move to Sony's consoles.



Source: EU PlayStation Blog

Devolver Digital Announce Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition Is Out Now on Steam For $9.99/€9.99/£6.99

Devolver Digital have announced Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition is out now. this PC and Mac game out now on Steam includes Duke Nukem 3D and 3 themed expansion packs, Duke Caribbean: Life’s a Beach, Duke: Nuclear Winter, and Duke It Out in D.C. the game also has Steam Cloud Support and Steam Achievements. Duke Nukem 3D originally came out in 1996 and this new release costs $9.99/€9.99/£6.99 from Steam.

Press Release

Devolver Digital And Dennaton Games Have Announced Hotline Miami Is Coming To PS3 And PS Vita This Spring

Devolver Digital And Dennaton Games have announced they are bringing Hotline Miami to the PS3 and PS Vita this Spring. details about specific features or price weren't announced but they do say the features will take advantage of what the PS3 and PS Vita have to offer.



Screenshots


Source: USA PlayStation Blog