PAX EAST 2022 | "Demon Throttle"
In the 80s and 90s, if you wanted to play a game you didn’t own without buying, you had three options. You could rent it, go over to a friend’s house to play it, or have said friend bring it to you. Those last two options are what developers Doinksoft are aiming to recreate with their newest title Demon Throttle, which will be released on the Nintendo Switch exclusively in physical format. Its PAX East demo demonstrated why Doinksoft are trying to bring that classic couch co-op magic to these modern times.
In the game, two players take control of a vampire princess and a gunslinger. A demon has stolen the princess’s magic chalices, which could spell the end of days for humanity. The demon also kissed the gunslinger’s wife…he thinks, thereby forcing his hand and jumping in with the princess to save the world. A bullet hell experience, the game will have you shooting and blowing up everything that stands in your way, and then some!
The demo for Demon Throttle had me experience the first level, as myself and the developer took on a fantasy world filled with demons and monstrous creatures. While one can just shoot everything, a strategy must be figured out when dealing with some of the tougher foes. That’s where bombs come in handy, which deal a lot more damage than any bullet and arrow could. However, on top of simply wiping out enemies, one will have to find the hidden areas where the chalices are being held. (Otherwise, you don’t get the game’s true ending.)
One thing Doinksoft made sure to get right was bring old-school difficulty to Demon Throttle. This means that while the levels may be shorter, it’s a lot tougher to complete them if you don’t know the patterns. And when it comes to patterns, its boss battle had plenty to try to memorize. Yet even when one learns how an enemy moves or attacks, that doesn’t mean victory is in your grasp; in fact, it’ll more than likely take you a few more play-throughs before you can master it!
There’s plenty of potential that Demon Throttle is aiming to bring forth. On top of it being a physical exclusive, there’s also the massive player’s guide it will come with, which will feature hints and certain cheats that feel straight out of an issue of GamePro magazine. However, a real skilled gamer can beat Demon Throttle without any special codes. From what I played, it’s very obvious that I’ll need to work on said skills if I wish to conquer it!
Demon Throttle is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch.
