I looked so hard for spooky demos to play for this week and I came up with nothing. I decided to go with the next best thing, which was a game that was creepy but nothing scary. An interesting take on the Metroidvania genre. This week’s demo is Venture To The Vile.

Venture To The Vile is an action platformer from Studio Cut To Bits and Aniplex Inc. The game is aimed to be released on PC and consoles sometime in 2024.

The player takes the role of a nameless fellow who has been separated from his friend by the way of the earth giving out beneath him. In an attempt to escape, he is grabbed by one of the monsters that infects him with dark powers. We learn that that these “Viles” have been heckling the townspeople for some time and it is up to this man and his powers to save the townsfolk and more importantly his friend Ella.

Venture To The Vile has no hint of it being a Metroidvania in the demo, but I will talk about what I experienced. There is jumping, a grappling hook, a parry, some minor enemies, and a boss fight. The masked man can perform basic combat, like a basic three-hit combo. Fights with enemies are usually one-on-one and only require a few hits to defeat and the parry window is huge and pretty simple to master during the demo. The man can dodge and dash The platforming as a whole is fun as it requires some concentration to be successful.

Venture To The Vile is a surprisingly good-looking video game. The environment in which the demo takes place seems to be like a church of sorts as it is lavish with hints of infection spreading throughout the area. Monsters are gross-looking with pulsating sacs of infection all over their bodies. The demo boss, at least during the last section, is downright horrifying looking. Venture To The Vile is definitely a game that stands out to me.

VERY VERY climactic music that goes on in this video game, especially toward the end of the demo. The chase scene has the best music.

Venture To The Vile is an interesting video game. The Steam page has a bunch of information about the game and how it is a Metroidvania, how it has a rich narrative and expansive world. You see almost nothing of that but are given a small taste of platforming and combat. The overall demo was fun, I have no complaints about it. The combat provides enough fun with the parrying and dodge. The platforming is the most fun, honestly. The chase section at the end is really good and I cannot stop talking about it.

Venture To The Vile is going on my wishlist. I can say that I enjoyed it enough that it can take up a spot on my wishlist.