I guess I have to be honest from the start: I didn’t trust Demon Throttle very much before launching the game. Beyond curiosity about such a title, retro in the full breadth of the word and with an exclusively physical release for Nintendo Switch. But launching the game, seeing the credits, and listening to the midis of the soundtrack…well, it was an instant regression to a distant era where I wasn’t just playing, I was watching other elders play, and I was fascinated by the game competence.
Because the main goal of Demon Throttle is that the title lasts at least for the few hours (in less than four hours if you are an experienced player and use the cooperative mode). Remember what made us fall in love with video games 30 years ago: its addictive gameplay. There isn’t much complexity in his game, nor is that what he’s looking for. The argument is that we are a cowboy and a vampire of 2,000 years, from which a demon accidentally snatches his wife and chalices (to remove the curse of vampirism) for the combine forces face the demonic menace in four intense stages.
And each of these phases has a fixed layout (Hence, objects and enemies always appear in the same place) and you move through them using vertical scrolling, a system that’s almost not used anymore. With each shot we can destroy parts of the path or open a path to advance, and we’ll also reveal secret areas, health charges and bombs, and even a power shield that prevents impact.
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As I mentioned before, we have two main characters: the cowboy and the vampire. Each of them has a different health bar, inventory, and even different weapons. The shooter uses a revolver for long, straight shots. The Vamp has a powerful crossbow that fires two volleys before each reload, each shot scattering three arrows that are more powerful than a bullet, although they don’t go very far. Two characters and two different styles to play, which will also be important to be able to defeat the demons. And that’s what separates Demon Throttle from other shoot ’em ups. You immediately understand that you need a second player if you want to complete the game, because Solo difficulty is overwhelming.
Even on the home screen, the game prompts you to use the Joy-Con as if they were each an independent controller. And it is that even in the first phase it is necessary to team up to defeat the first boss too, or at least to have a chance. Alone it becomes almost impossible. This excessive difficulty and the lack of a second player can be the main obstacle to enjoying the small experience of Demon Throttle, conceived with the aim of returning for a few hours to those afternoons with friends and a tube TV where the game it was not over until the final credits were seen, and without a save option or password from which to resume a later phase. I repeat: there are only four phases, four levels, but each of them will take time and we will die dozens of times before getting through each of them. Happily, hardly any loading times. Advantages of modern hardware.
It also doesn’t help players get closer to its prize. I understand that a release limited to physical units is also a plea for the preservation of the medium. But to justify paying 30 dollars for this experience when there is more than likely only one player interested in trying it seems a bit daring to me. Graphically, it’s not particularly flashy either, and aside from the 8-bit soundtrack and its addictive gameplay dynamics, many will surely walk past it when they see it on store shelves. It’s almost like porting a game from 1985 to today’s consoles. A great gameplay that maintains the fragility of the rest.
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