Let us now take a look at what Little Devil Inside offers and whether people should be excited about it.
What Is Little Devil Inside?
This title is an upcoming action-adventure video game from Neostream Interactive. The game is slated for a July 2021 release and will be playable on PlayStation consoles and PC. The game will also have a Nintendo Switch and Xbox One release at a later date. Those that know about Little Devil Inside would remember that the project has already existed way back in 2015. Back then, the game was set for a release on Nintendo’s Wii U in 2016. Several years later, and it’s now obvious that Little Devil Inside would launch on almost all available platforms right now. On why the development took so long, developers have described in prior interviews that the process ran like a marathon. The main goal was not to reach the finish line quickly but to polish everything before they got there. Finding the right talent in South Korea, where the developers are based, was also a factor in the delay since the country is largely focused on online and mobile games. As such, it seems we have a lot to look forward to in the game given how much passion and effort they have poured into it.
Little Devil Inside Game Preview
As the game hasn’t been released yet, the only thing we can do is glean information from available trailers and information released by the developers. This is what we can tell about Little Devil Inside.
Gameplay and Controls
Little Devil Inside is a third-person action-adventure RPG that combines combat, open-world, and survival mechanics, with a greater focus on the latter. Players will be sent out into expeditions where they will take on various missions for survival. A few examples of the game’s survival elements are in the game’s trailer. You can extract water from cacti or gather firewood to keep warm. There are also weapons and tools available at your disposal, which include the iconic sword and shield, guns, and other necessities for shelter and cooking. Yes, hunger is a thing in this game as well. What’s not revealed but hinted at by the developers is the possibility of obtaining grappling hooks and bombs, which would be cool to use to traverse mountainous terrain and blowing up blocked paths respectively. In between the game’s various missions, the hub town serves as a place for recovery and preparation for the next adventure. Here, you can also talk with NPCs and look through a library for information on the next destination, among others. Lastly, there are also apparently a few roguelike gameplay elements sprinkled in the game. When a player’s character dies, they can’t be revived. However, the player can take their next character to the location of their death to take any equipment that was dropped.
Combat
In terms of its combat, nothing has been shown that would interest players already playing games like Dark Souls or other roguelikes. As shown in trailers, the main character has the typical movement available to these games. He can run, jump, and roll around, as well as interacting with objects around him. He’s also equipped with a sword and shield, as well as a gun to shoot enemies with. Combat in the game looks a bit on the minimal side, though that’s saying something since there’s still a lot of enemies. The game seems to put more emphasis on exploration and discovery. Your main role in this game is an explorer and discoverer of secrets, though that doesn’t mean you can’t defend yourself. As stated, the player has guns, and a sword and shield to fight off the various monsters in the game. Time will tell what other weapons are available for use. But there are some interesting additions on the melee weapon side of things that were on various enemies. The most prominent of these additions are on the game’s desert biome. In there, the main character fights several desert raiders that ride what seem to be land-based crocodiles. One of these raiders is using a Bill, a polearm that has a hook instead of the usual pointy tip at the end. In addition to this, the raiders are also throwing explosives towards you that, while lacking in range, might kill in one hit. In addition to the smaller enemies, there seem to be big monsters that look like bosses, reminiscent of Monster Hunter monsters. There seems to be a mission-based system related to those things, perhaps bounties to hunt them down for researchers to study. There aren’t really that many weapons revealed yet, though there are a few varieties of guns that were shown in trailers. In particular, there’s a minigun attached to a ship that was used to attack what seems to be a Kraken.
Graphics
If you hate large HUDs covering your screen and lessening the experience, this game is for you. Instead of projecting health and status effects with meters, this game will make use of more natural means. How natural you may ask? Well, your character will showcase if it is low in health or affected by status ailments. This makes the game feel more natural compared to previous titles that make use of meters. In addition to these details, the game also looks like a watercolor painting come to life with paper mache characters. They look incredibly detailed and have a life of their own even when they’re wobbling around the game world. This addition to the game’s graphics is something that those who enjoy art would enjoy well.
Sound Design
While there’s not much revealed about the overall game sound design, it does sound great on the trailers, which is great to hear. The orchestral music release above has a nice hook, which already gives you an idea of the vibe of the upcoming game.
Story
Little Devil Inside is set in a 19th-century Victorian setting that contains elements of steampunk. It’s a surreal and unrealistic world and looks to be in the middle of heaven and hell. The game’s main character, who goes by Billy, is a swordsman that’s employed by a research team led by Dr. Oliver and Professor Vincent. His job is to go around the world to search for traces of supernatural events and any unusual incidents that he might find. The game’s main objective is stated to be the creation of a complete encyclopedia that details all sorts of supernatural existence and events. In addition to this, the game also has a satirical angle on the cliché of the business of hunting monsters to earn a living. This is done by also talking about the few mundane aspects of the lives that the game’s characters live in as well as the inequality that this lifestyle can invoke. Thus, there might be some additional black comedy added into the game’s narrative, which is something to hope for. Other than those snippets of stories, we don’t know much about the game’s world yet. We hope that the Little Devil Inside developers would reveal more before its release.
Level Design
From what we can tell, the game looks a bit open-world with some additional references to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game takes places all over multiple locations that come with their environmental conditions. We’ve already seen a desert and a few mountains. But there’s also deep-sea diving and forests.
Multiplayer
The developers stated that Little Devil Inside will have co-op multiplayer both online and local. This type of multiplayer seems to be similar to Monster Hunter, where players can participate in similar missions. In addition, there might be interactions and random encounters between players in the overworld, which is something that might be an exciting addition to the game.
What Are Similar Games to Little Devil Inside?
There are some games that feel and play similar to Little Devil Inside. Of course, they don’t look the same visually, but in terms of gameplay and other important things, they show what inspirations the developers took for the game. We’ll start with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and end with, surprisingly enough, the Monster Hunter series.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The reason why we’re listing Breath of the Wild is because of the similar world design and combat. For now, though, let’s start with its combat. Combat-wise, Little Devil Inside has at least similar attack patterns when compared to Link in Breath of the Wild. Though those might be superficial comparisons, there might be something to the game that allows the player to do things like Link’s dash strike. But we’ll just have to wait and see in that regard. Other than that, there are also similarities in world design with Little Devil Inside. The game world is vast, with a lot of areas for players to explore, and it seems to be connected. This is similar to how the Legend of Zelda series made their world design, but any new developments will have to wait until the game’s release.
Monster Hunter Series
Lastly, we need to talk about the various monsters that seem to be around in the game. On Little Devil Inside, the monsters vary from small enemies to towering behemoths. Some of these monsters include an undersea Kraken, a towering yeti, and even a dragon. The developers also stated that there would be bounties to take on these enemies and kill them for research. If that’s not Monster Hunter enough for you, then we don’t know what is.
Should You Try Little Devil Inside Upon Release?
You should try Little Devil Inside if you’re the kind of gamer who wants to play something unique yet still familiar. The gameplay seems to lend itself to survival mechanics with the addition of a hunger and thirst system. There are a few differences in that the developers stated that it won’t be as prevalent in the game. But it’s still something cool to see. Combat-wise, the game looks to be a bit on the hack-and-slash side of things with a side of gunplay. So for now we’re on a wait-and-see approach on how the game would be on release.
