Venture To The Vile is a 2.5-D metroidvania from developer Cut to Bits and publisher Aniplex, Inc. The game’s art style is heavily influenced by the Victorian era and features gothic architecture and era-accurate fashion.

Over forty NPC’s populate the sprawling levels and become available only during certain portions of the full day-night cycle and dynamic weather conditions. For those that love the metroidvania genre, this highly polished game is a must play!

The game is currently slated to release on Steam and PS5|4.

Story Overview

Set in the strange town of Rainybrook, a fantasy version of Victorian England, Venture To The Vile has players control a hero who’s been separated from his friend Luella. To make matters worse, a strange entity known as “the Vile”has overrun the town.

After getting knocked unconscious, the hero awakes to fink that he has absorbed some of the monster who attacked him and now has a hideous claw attached to his arm. He must explore the town to find clues about the outbreak while facing tough decisions about the monster growing in his body, all in the effort to find his dear friend Luella.

Gameplay

The gameplay (at least for the demo) featured more melee combat rather than projectile-based fighting, though the rest of the game will likely give players some options. Like most metroidvanias, the game also features a grappling hook (of sorts!), with the hero having a tentacle arm that can grab hold of enemies and anchor points to catapult the player.

Where the gameplay really shines is in the 2.5-D nature of puzzles. The demo had locked doors that could only be bypassed by weaving between the background and foreground. This added complexity to the game that not ever metroidvania has.

The most enjoyable puzzle of the demo was the chandelier puzzle, which required players to adjust a series of levers in the background that controlled chandeliers in the foreground. The trick wasn’t just to go and activate them, however; players must navigate back and forth until the chandeliers are arranged in the correct height pattern, allowing players to platform over obstacles and reach the next passage. This was a lot of fun and very promising for the rest of the game.

The enemy type was typical of what one would expect within the genre. However, the demo wasn’t necessarily trying to highlight this aspect of the game; rather it mainly focused on the 2.5-D elements. I look forward to experiencing the combat in the full release.

About the Development Team

Before playing the demo, I spoke with the game’s producer, Masao Kobayashi. He highlighted the fact that the 14-person Montreal-based development team, Cut to Bits, is full of skilled professionals that formerly worked for AAA studios. Titles previously worked on by members of Cut to Bits include Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, BioShock, and Grand Theft Auto. The experience in the field shows, despite this being a new indie studio; the game (which has been in development since 2019) looks, plays, and feels like a AAA game.

I asked Kobayashi about the transition after working for those larger teams. He observed that while the indie scene does grant some freedoms, such as the ability to “wear more than one hat,” it’s not always as romantic as many believe.

“There’s a lot of bootstrapping,” noted Kobayashi. “Securing funding is difficult and staffing can be a challenge.”

However difficult those hurdles may be, Kobayashi and the team at Cut to Bits have found huge success.

I couldn’t end the interview about this upcoming metroidvania without asking Kobayashi about his favorite game in the genre. “There’s so many good ones, but I’d have to say Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.”

Final Thoughts

Venture To the Vile is a must-play for fans of metroidvanias. The 2.5-D environment creates deep immersion in the fantastical world; while it’s not the first game to employ this strategy, it is more successful than most in utilizing the depth for puzzle challenges. I found myself constantly evaluating the linear plane I traveled while keeping my eye in the background or foreground for possible secrets or loot I might miss.

With the development team’s experience working at AAA studios, it’s no surprise that Venture To The Vile is highly polished and plays smoothly. I hope the game makes it to Xbox or Switch because I NEED to play the full release.

You can Wishlist Venture To The Vile on Steam here. There is also a demo available!

Tell us what you think! Will you be playing Venture To The Vile? Share your reactions in the comments below. You can also join in the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.