Combo Devils: The Game Everyone’s Cheering About
Last week, just after the Summer Game Fest showcase aired live from Los Angeles, and the night before the first day of SGF’s Play Days, I spent the evening checking out cool indie games. The Guerilla Collective showcase had its own livestream the day before its in-person showcase and I was excited to attend the event to get a first-hand look at some of the indie titles that caught my eye. Over the last week I have been writing articles about the games I had the chance to stop and see there. There is a whole list of games worthy of putting on your Steam wishlist, but to see the ones I have been highlighting, look for other articles with the green circle in the primary image.
At the Guerilla Collective showcase in downtown LA, I spent a few hours exploring any game that caught my eye. But there was one game that caught my ear. I heard a small group of people cheering in excitement and had to see what was going on. As I got closer I saw that they were playing a colorful platform fighter (in the vein of the Super Smash Bros. series) called Combo Devils.
As a fan of these kinds of games, I was immediately drawn in. I unfortunately didn’t get my hands on a controller at any point, but it was still fun to watch. Thankfully, that’s not all I came away with. I had a great conversation with one of the developers from Punkzilla, the studio behind the game. We covered many topics, like how exciting it was to be surrounded by other video game nerds like us at this huge in-person event. But I also was curious about Combo Devils and why you should have it on your radar.
Combo Devils has the classic versus modes you would expect from a game like this. Players can duke it out in 1 v 1 matches or gather a group in four player brawls. But what really caught my attention was learning that Combo Devils has a roguelite mode. At least part of the inspiration behind this mode was to give players a co-op experience, rather than just always fighting each other. Fighting your friends can always be fun, but in situations where there is a huge skill discrepancy or even when someone is taking the game a little too seriously, it can be great to team up for a change.
I don’t have all the details of this mode, but my understanding is that it will allow at least three (maybe four?) players to work together to take down various minions leading up to a more challenging boss fight. Combo Devils will also feature mini-games like a soccer mode and a target practice. As a more casual fighting game player, this is very exciting to learn about. I can’t wait to hear more.
Another exciting feature is the game’s unique roster. Many fighting games these days have long-established characters or are focused on crossover excitement. Combo Devils introduces a whole cast of original characters to learn about. The first one that caught my eye was a character with a colorful mask, a spear, and a bat companion. Once I get my hands on the game, this character, Ikani, will probably be the first character I try out. Other characters include a martial artist Shiba Inu, a giant dinosaur in shorts, a lizard with a drill for a hand, and plenty more I would have trouble describing quickly. Combo Devils plans to have at least fifteen characters at launch, and hopes to add more within the first year.
As far as I know, there is no release date yet for Combo Devils. I hope the wait won’t be too long, and I’ll be excited to see what platforms it comes to. For now, stick to FinallyGotAroundTo for any news or updates. Don’t forget to wishlist Combo Devils on Steam and check back soon for more exciting indie games from the Guerilla Collective showcase!