During the PlayStation 5 game announcement event, many indie titles were unveiled for the next-generation PS5 along with some big reveals. Little Devil Inside is an indie title developed by Neostream which showcases a hero going on adventures while surviving in the wilderness. While the art style and animations seem cute, the trailer shows off some unexpected depth to the gameplay that suggests the world of Little Devil Inside is anything but innocent.
The Beginning
After putting together the pre-alpha prototype in 2015, Neostream submitted the game’s pre-alpha trailer on a Steam Greenlight campaign. Since then, the title has gotten 5,000 backers and the development team has 12 professionals working on Little Devil Inside. Now that their game is being shown off for the PlayStation 5, Neostream has a lot to promise players when the game releases.
Working for the Master
The main character is a mercenary working on bounties/jobs for his old master. The footage shows the mercenary is a capable and resourceful fighter as he goes on multiple journeys to different areas, such as a demon-infested desert, a damp swamp, and a snow-filled land. In contrast to this, the master is seen simply staying at home, waiting for his mercenary to come back.
As the mercenary travels to these places, it’s presumed the old man gives him these tasks in exchange for money and honor. From the footage, the old man seems to always stay safe as his mercenary goes out of his way to fight the danger, with the rare occasion of driving the player with his vehicle. This is appropriate as the protagonist will generally be trying to survive the harsh landscapes as he tries to accomplish his quest.
Exploring and Surviving
The world of Little Devil Inside is not all just about b-lining to the main monster like Monster Hunter. The destination could be in an unfavorable area, such as a damp swamp, an icy mountain, or even the darkened depths of the ocean. The protagonist will have to survive using any means he can in the wilderness such as crafting, cooking, fishing, and finding shelter.
The gameplay looks similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the main character must constantly care for himself depending on the weather, environment, and how much food is available. The trailer didn’t show how these hindrances take effect on the mercenary, but it can be assumed the weather debuffs are present as he is wearing heavy clothing in the snow and his normal attire in the desert.
Additionally, there seem to be parts of the game where the merc will be exploring the depths of the ocean with the help of the old man’s boat and a heavy diving suit. The terms of exploration seem interesting as the player is tethered to the boat for air. There probably won’t be a lot to these underwater segments except for a boss fight or two, but only time will tell.
Big Fights in a Little World
The world of Little Devil Inside is full of not only the townspeople and beautiful environments, but with dangerous enemies and wildlife. Each new area the merc explores will be littered with dangers both big and small. Fortunately for the mercenary, he’s resourceful and uses what he can to survive. In the desert, he is seen fighting against a large group of dark creatures. He swipes the first enemy by slashing and performing an execution, then he pulls out a pistol and shoots another.
The bigger enemies will be the real problem. While it seems like a daunting task to take down a large enemy, the hero does this for a living and is ready to fight colossal beasts. If he gets damaged, he crafts bandages to heal outside of battle. If it’s dark, he needs to craft a torch. If a big monster looks too crazy to fight, try to even the odds by combining a fishing pole with some explosives to deal a lot of damage.
Conclusion
Little Devil Inside is being developed by the small but growing team of Neostream. As the game has been in development for around five years, it’s impressive to see the project that started off as small areas for playtesting will be heading to next-gen consoles, possibly in 2020. The game looks like a mix of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild’s survival with battles similar to Demon Souls. However the game turns out, Little Devil Inside will be ready for players when it first releases on the PlayStation 5.
