Devolver has been going strong for 15 years now and has established a reputation for publishing high-quality indie games from around the world across a wide range of genres. From the early days of Serious Sam and Hotline Miami, to more recent hits like Cult of the Lamb and Inscryption, the publisher has a track record of allowing small, creative teams to flourish.
To celebrate their 15th birthday, Devolver is hosting a huge sale on their entire catalog of games from May 16–23 on Steam. Since they’re turning 15, we figured it only made sense to showcase 15 lesser-known gems from their roster that you can get for super cheap during the sale:
Ronin
On sale for: $2.59 (80% off)
Released in 2015, Ronin is a turn-based action-stealth platformer created by Polish developer Tomasz Wacławek while he was working as a designer at Shadow Warrior studio Flying Wild Hog. Inspired by the likes of Gunpoint, Ronin is about a young girl determined to strike down five prominent figures of a powerful corporation, one at a time. Over its 15 missions, you carefully plot your movements to set up the perfect strike before retreating back into the shadows. Throw in a handful of ninja gadgets — including, of course, a trusty grappling hook — and Ronin is well worth its short and sharp playtime.
Okhlos
On sale for: $2.59 (80% off)
Greek mythology has always been ripe for satire, and 2016’s Okhlos joined in on the fun. Set in ancient Greece under the omnipotent rule of Olympian gods, you’re tasked with mobilising people tired of the abuse suffered at the hands of their rulers through philosophical teachings, convincing them to break free from the chains of Mount Olympus and establish an ochlocracy — literal mob rule. Going from city to city, players look to recruit warriors, peasants, slaves, and even livestock to topple the status quo through eight procedurally generated locations. As you progress, you can unlock special units or swap them for one of 100 legendary heroes to upgrade your mob and increase their savagery. Each run is different, and you may find yourself taking command of the likes of Heracles, Leonidas, Pandora, or even Socrates to turn your mischievous gang into a formidable army. It’s total anarchy in the birthplace of democracy!
High Hell
On sale for: 80% off (Soundtrack Bundle)
First exploding onto the indie scene with roguelike shooter Heavy Bullets, Brazilian developer Terri Vellmann and American rapper Doseone teamed up once again for 2017’s High Hell. It’s a neon-soaked, arcade-action first-person shooter that sees you descend upon an underground criminal enterprise with the most blessed of shotguns, bringing lethal salvation to those who have fallen from the light. Righteous fury and fancy footwork are crucial to surviving an escalating, absurd series of outlandish missions. Don’t be surprised to find yourself popping brainwashed chimps, defacing corporate effigies, and dismantling the business dealings of the unrepentant cartel in this vibrant, psychedelic remix of the classic first-person shooter.
Not a Hero
On sale for: $3.99 (80% off)
Long before the critically acclaimed, award-winning OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome, UK-based studio Roll7 dipped its toe into the world of action platforming with 2015’s Not A Hero, a raucous ballet of blood, bullets, and a political incumbent calling himself BunnyLord. You play as Steve, a former assassin turned campaign manager, sent out by BunnyLord to clean up the city by “shooting crime in the face.” You add additional crew members as the campaign picks up steam, including the shotgun-toting Cletus, hip-thrusting SMG master Jesus, and the dangerously enthusiastic katana-wielding Kimmy. You quickly find yourself murdering your way through gangs and police officers alike in the pursuit of winning the mayorship. Shoot, slide, dive, and duck behind a political platform built on ethics, accountability, and an inordinate amount of gunfire.
SPACEPLAN
On sale for: $0.98 (67% off)
SPACEPLAN is an experimental piece of interactive fiction based partly on developer Jake Hollands’ total misunderstanding of Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. Launched in 2017, SPACEPLAN started life as an idle, browser-based “clicker” game (this was a thing back in the late 2010s) but soon expanded into a full game that was eventually released on both PC and mobile platforms. The game is beautiful in its simplicity: use manual clicks and the passage of time to create and launch potato-based devices and probes from your nondescript satellite orbiting a mysterious planet. Essentially, you can either spend this time unlocking the mysteries of the galaxy or just kill some time.
Crossing Souls
On sale for: $2.99 (80% off)
Nostalgia has always been a big thing for gamers, and that’s apparent in 2018’s Crossing Souls, developed by Spanish indie studio FourAttic (named after their “office,” which was literally an attic). Inspired by the dreamlike, Spielbergian wonder of classic ’80s fantasy, sci-fi, and coming-of-age movies, Crossing Souls takes you on a cinematic adventure through California in the midst of a supernatural event that rocks a small community. Taking control of five friends, each one with their own skills and combat styles (not to mention typically ’80s personality traits), you’re charged with flitting between each character on the fly, using each kid's specialties to overcome obstacles and the bad guys’ weaknesses. Featuring a nostalgia-inducing cinematic score that evokes peak John Williams, wonkily animated cutscenes, and dozens of easter eggs, Crossing Souls is a joyful trip back to when VHS fuzz was the worst of your problems.
Gods Will Be Watching
On sale for: $1.99 (80% off)
Gods Will Be Watching is the first full-fledged release from narrative-driven developer Deconstructeam. Originally developed as an entry for the Ludum Dare game jam back in 2013, Gods Will Be Watching caught the eye of Devolver, who stepped in to help turn it into a full game. The result divided opinion upon its release in 2014, with some critics and players finding it difficult to get past the game’s intentionally punishing mechanics, despite acknowledging the team’s talent. Pitched as a minimalistic sci-fi point-and-click thriller centred on despair, commitment, and sacrifice, this was perhaps to be expected. Nevertheless, Deconstructeam soon implemented The Mercy Update as a way of helping players make the tough decisions that affect their entire crew’s wellbeing. It remains an innovative departure from the traditional point-and-click adventure, taking place in six intimate, tension-filled scenarios linked together through a narrative of interstellar espionage.
Gato Roboto
On sale for: $1.99 (75% Off)
2019 introduced Devolver-owned studio Doinksoft to the world with the Oregon outfit’s debut title, Gato Roboto. Featuring classic NES-inspired monochromatic visuals, the game follows a cat named Kiki attempting to save her owner after they crash land on an alien planet, forcing Kiki to don a mech suit and explore the planet's depths. Pet-troidvania, Meow-troidvania, Mechtroidvania…whatever your genre-bending description of choice, Gato Roboto sees you exploring the underground labyrinth of a deep space outpost, uncovering the dastardly deeds that unfolded before your arrival. Curiosity will often get the better of your feline instincts, as you’ll also need to venture outside your trusty mech and risk all nine lives to explore otherwise inaccessible areas. Secrets abound in this purrfect ode to classic puzzle platformers.
Bleak Sword DX
On sale for: $5.99 (40% off)
Sleek, thrilling, and wonderfully cruel, Bleak Sword DX is a dark fantasy action game by Spanish developer more8bit, otherwise known as Luis Moreno Jimenez. Originally released for Apple Arcade in 2019, Bleak Sword DX builds on the original game, offering expanded gameplay mechanics, narrative elements, and atmospheric world-building. Its unique, condensed art style is reminiscent of 8-bit classics, but with a modern twist that blends 2D sprites with 3D environments. The game is centred around 12 chapters of cursed diorama battlefields, where your hero must lift the curse of the legendary Bleak Sword by eliminating the hostile creatures in each environment. Somewhat soulslike in its levelling system, you gain experience points by clearing stages but lose those not used for levelling up after dying twice in a stage. Not for the faint of heart, but a hell of a lot of fun.
Titan Souls
On sale for: $1.49 (90% off)
Speaking of soulslikes, what happens when an indie developer takes the brutal “one more try” philosophy of that genre and adds a boss rush on top? Well, Titan Souls is your answer. Conceived and prototyped during Ludum Dare #28, Titan Souls is an open world, top-down action-adventure, where your hero’s only weapon is a single arrow and you can only take one hit. The goal is to defeat 20 giant monsters (21 on hard mode) called the Titans. Just like you, they only take one hit to die, but they also only have one way to be defeated. During combat, you must figure out how each Titan behaves and identify their fatal weakness. The twist is that your single arrow must be charged before it can be shot and has to be retrieved before it can be reused. Oh, and you can only perform either action while not moving, making you a sitting target for the Titans. Did we mention it’s quite hard?
Heave Ho
On sale for: $3.99 (60% off)
Heave Ho tasks up to four players with a simple goal: don’t fall to your death! Created by French developer Le Cartel and released in 2019 for PC and Switch, players take control over a gurning disembodied head with a pair of stretchable arms, using their iron-like grip and the outstretched hands of their friends to grapple across each level on their way to victory. Clambering across one another’s dangling bodies and swinging your pals to safety in a wobbly mass of limbs is made all the more silly by customising your character with all manner of ridiculous accessories and zany accoutrement in a vain attempt to remember who you are.
Olija
On sale for: $4.49 (70% off)
Another French developer saw their game published by Devolver in 2021, though it came by way of Japan. Thomas Olsson conceived his debut game Olija after moving to Japan, collaborating with a team they dubbed Skeleton Crew, a Japanese saxophonist, a shakuhachi player, and his wife to bring his vision to life. Inspired by Moby Dick, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Prince of Persia, Olija is a game about Faraday, a man shipwrecked and then trapped in the mysterious country of Terraphage. Armed with a legendary harpoon, he and other castaways try to leave this hostile country to return to their homelands. The game mixes exploration and quickfire combat through the use of Faraday’s Harpoon, challenging you to rethink movement through platforming, puzzle, and combat. Inspired by swashbuckling tales and cinematic adventure games, Olija is a story about facing the unknown in adversity.
Boomerang X
On sale for: 75% Off (Soundtrack Bundle)
Continuing the theme of weapon-based traversal in 2021, Boomerang X from developer DANG! is like a rollercoaster ride of fast-paced first-person shooting taken from the classic hardcore boomer playbook. Armed with a magical boomerang, slice, fly, and dive through flocks of evil Ghibli-esque creatures in this acrobatic arena boomer(ang) shooter. As you catapult yourself through the air, the power drawn from the creatures you defeat can be used to slow time and recalibrate your airborne attacks. They really should have called it Doomerang.
Pikuniku
On sale for: $2.59 (80% off)
Pikuniku is a puzzle-exploration game that takes place in a strange but playful world where not everything is as happy as it seems. The brainchild of French-British indie collective Sectordub (Arnaud De Bock, Rémi Forcadell, Alan Zucconi, and Calum Bowen), Pikuniku sees you take control of the titular Piku as he helps peculiar residents overcome their mundane struggles, uncovers a deep state conspiracy, and starts a little revolution on his delightful dystopian adventure. The majority of puzzles involve kicking and pushing objects to open doors and access rooms, but Piku can also lasso his legs to swing from hooks or curl into a ball and roll, allowing you to move around faster and reach higher or previously inaccessible areas. Pikuniku also features a local co-op mode with nine levels, in which a second player controls Niku, Piku’s orange pal.
Stories Untold
On sale for: $1.99 (80% off)
Developed by No Code, the Glasgow-based studio spearheaded by John McKellan (Alien: Isolation) and Omar Khan, 2017’s Stories Untold is a narrative-driven experimental adventure game that bends the genre into something unique. Combining a mix of classic text-adventure, point-and-click, and first-person puzzle games, four short stories are packaged together into a single mysterious anthology that pulls together ’80s retro nostalgia, innovative and experimental gameplay, and tense, psychological horror.
On top of this sale, Devolver will be celebrating its 15th birthday by dipping into its archives for a series of blogs on its official website that take a trip down memory lane. If you’ve ever wondered which Devolver Digital T-shirts changed the game for video game merchandise, what their top 15 soundtrack entries are, their favourite game trailers, or even what their most impressive event spaces are from over the years (who could forget their iconic E3 parking lot space?), then wonder no more.
