Devolver Digital once again bolsters its reputation as the most badass indie label on the planet with its latest game reveal.
From solo independent developer Gabe Cuzzillo comes the uniquely stylized top-down smash ’em up Ape Out, a game in which you play as a captive gorilla on a vicious rampage to break free from its captors by fist-smashing them into a bloody pulp, using them as human shields, and tossing them around like projectile ragdolls of bone and flesh. The frantic, gory action is backed by a rhythmic jazz score that brilliantly accentuates the primal violence.
So yeah, the game itself looks and sounds awesome, sort of like Hotline Miami from the perspective of the animal kingdom. (I’ll leave it up to other folks to come up with the inevitable Harambe memes and puns.) What’s even more awesome, though, is not just the game announcement on its own, but rather the manner in which it has been announced. A standard trailer was produced, and you can watch it below via YouTube like any other trailer. Or, even better, you can take part in the action directly through a playable demo version of the trailer that’s available right now via Steam.
By downloading the interactive version, all of the gameplay bits you see in the regular trailer become controlled directly by you. It’s only a minute long, but even in that brief amount of time the game shows itself to be an intensely satisfying bloodbath. There’s even an achievement for finishing the demo without dying. Hey game makers and marketers: do more of these playable trailers please!
Ape Out will break free on PC and undisclosed console platforms this summer. Who’s ready to go ape?