If there was ever a game to perfectly match Devolver's E3 2021 performance, it's Demon Throttle. A retro top-down shooter that immediately pokes fun at its entirely superfluous plot--and indeed, the plot of all shmups--Demon Throttle leans so far into its retro nostalgia that it's not even going to have a digital release.
Everything about Demon Throttle is a throwback, from its Ikari Warriors gameplay to its Ninja Gaiden-esque cutscenes. The game features two characters, a blue cowboy with a six-shooter and a red woman with a crossbow, who can both play at the same time in two-player local co-op. Again, this game is retro to the core, so there's no online multiplayer (or at least, none was mentioned in the minute-long trailer shown off at Devolver's E3 presentation).
As you'd expect from a shmup, Demon Throttle will enemies to shoot, demon bosses to defeat, bullets to dodge, and lots of power-ups to improve your ability to clear constant waves of baddies.
Doinksoft (the makers of Gato Roboto, Tombshaft, and Devolver Bootleg) and Devolver partnered with Special Reserve Games to bring Demon Throttle to Switch with two different versions. The $30 version comes with an instruction booklet (a rare find in modern games), a reversible cover, and a sticker pack, while the $40 version comes with all that plus a fancier Reserve Box that has "multiple texture processes." Which means it’ll both look and feel nice.
Demon Throttle starts shipping in 2022. Reserve your copy on Special Reserve's website now.
If you're more into modern shooters, Devolver also revealed Wizard with a Gun at E3, and as the name implies, you play as a wizard with a gun. But you also get to enchant your bullets with various elemental effects and also cast spells to kill enemies in a randomly generated sandbox. Unlike in Demon Throttle, you’ll be able to pick which direction your wizard walks.
E3 runs from now until Tuesday, so stay tuned for more announcements.