Deviator Gives Hollow Knight Fans Some More Metroidvania Goodness
Jan. 22, 2024Deviator Gives Hollow Knight Fans Some More Metroidvania Goodness
Deviator is an upcoming Metroidvania that proudly takes many pages from Hollow Knight’s books.
If Pokemon hasPalworldto contend with, then Hollow Knight gets Deviator. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and in this case, it seems like the developers Gami Studio are wearing their inspiration proudly on their sleeves.
Introducing their first game, Deviator, which is a Metroidvania that looks quite like Hollow Knight, with some minor tweaks.
Some people would dismiss Deviator as just a copycat, while others would take anything to abate their hunger for Hollow Knight: Silksong which has been delayed already a few times. The developers’ previous videos on YouTube didn’t garner much attention until they released a full gameplay video a few days ago.
The 1-and-a-half-minute-long gameplay trailer showcased the best that the game has to offer, even if it is in its early stages at the moment. While Hollow Knight is more about evading and quick movement, Deviator focuses more on deflecting and parrying enemy hits. This isn’t to say that Hollow Knight didn’t have a parry system, because it did. However, that title had a much more unforgiving parry window, leaving it for more advanced players to take advantage of.
Deviator will lean into parries much more heavily. Based on the trailer, it looks like this will be our primary form of defense, but will also act as an opener for some devastating attacks. Just as expected from a parry, timing your attacks just right will allow you to effectively negate an enemy’s hit, staggering them and opening them up for a counterattack.
The Deviator will also have a powerful “Parry Strike” attack that will teleport you behind your enemy on a successful deflection. This should let you unleash even more attacks on your adversaries with little to no chance of retaliation.
Battles will eventually culminate into tense affairs, as your character builds up momentum for every successful hit you land and attack you block. As you perform well in combat, you will eventually reach an enhanced state wherein the character glows blue and they become much, much stronger. There isn’t any confirmation yet if this souped-up state will confer any negative effects, however. That would be an interesting spin to balance risk and reward.
Aside from the Deviator’s not-nail weapon, they also have some powerful needles that they can fling onto enemies from a distance to continue the onslaught.
The developers did address the elephant in the room eventually in one of their “Dev Log” videos a few days after the dust settled and players saw the initial trailer. There, they do cite that while the game looks like Hollow Knight, they are proud of their inspiration. It looks like they are honoring Team Cherry’s legacy by creating something that feels like Hollow Knight, but has its legs to stand on.
They go and explore some of the game’s environments, which range from a high Gothic cathedral, down to a decrepit bone pit, and even a brightly colored forest. Of course, we also get somelocationsthat look eerily similar to Hollow Knight, like a forest looking like theGreenpathor some caves that resemble theDeepnest.
But for all those who share similarities with Hollow Knight, we also get some original works. We see some locations that look like a dungeon straight out of Darkest Dungeon, or even a clockwork factory, and a boxing ring.
One cool topic that Gami Studio touched upon was the development process when it comes to creating levels for Deviator. As expected, the art teams work hard to create assets that can be reused in different scenarios and locations. The more reusable a piece of art is, the better it is overall as the team can focus on creating more high-quality visuals.
Gami Studio then proceeds to demonstrate how they create actual levels. The team first creates a “ground layer” which is just the basic shape of the location, alongside platforms and hazards. Nothing too fancy to see here, as it is mostly pixel art and placeholders.
Then comes the first few rounds of art assets, such as the grass, ground, and other uninteractables like vines and debris. They also add shadows and doodads that players can interact with. Then they go on by adding the far background which gives the area some depth, alongside lighting. It is a nice look at something that most players would never see otherwise.
The Deviator also confirmed that a playable demo will be available to players “next month”. Though it isn’t clear if the demo will coincide with the Steam Next Fest in February, this will most likely be the case. Be sure to also check out fellow indie gameSword of Convallariawhen it gets a demo next month!
Can’t get enough of Metroidvanias? Check out ourHollow Knight: Silksong Wikifor all we currently know about the sequel. Other interesting titles worth checking out in the same genre areCrowsworn,Worldless, andTEVI.
In other news, check outCyberpunk 2077 Sequel Could Gain Multiplayer Feature, and Throne andLiberty Demonstrates the Game’s Siege Mechanics.
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
