So, remember that weird kid that always sat by himself during lunch in High School? The one that always exuded an aura of "What's his problem", while also potentially being the coolest kid on the block? No, I'm not talking about myself (well, maybe I am a little bit, but I digress). I'm talking about what Devolver Digital has been doing for the indie scene for... quite some time now. Any time I see something that Devolver is working on, I'm always intrigued.

Funnily enough, I think the first time that Devolver really landed on my radar was back in 2019, when I played through (and loved every second) of My Friend Pedro. Seeing as Shotgun Cop Man took far too much of my time earlier this year, as well, I figured it's time to talk about some of their more recent games. Games that have taken up a ton of my life already, and how I'm not mad about it in the slightest. From the recently released BALL X PIT, to the occult classic Cult of the Lamb, we're going to take some... Baby Steps into this one, and talk about how much I appreciate Devolver for being the weird kid.

Thank Sweet Baby Jesus I’m Unemployed Right Now, Because ‘BALL X PIT’ Is All I Can Think About

So, last week, I was all about Megabonk. After getting to Tier 3 and facing off against a creature that had millions of hit points and could regenerate its health, I've stepped away from the game for a little while. I guess that I chose the perfect time to do just that, because BALL X PIT is the only thing I can think about now. For good reason, too. A hybrid City-builder x Breakout-styled roguelike? Where has this been my whole life? Apparently, it's been inside the mind of Kenny Sun, a brilliant maniac who may have just become one of my favorite developers.

The premise of BALL X PIT may sound wild. And it absolutely is. But I can't put it down. I'm glad I have a PlayStation Portal, and I strongly suggest that anyone who plans to become as hopelessly dependent on this game do the same. I genuinely mean it when I say that I may buy a second, or potentially even a third copy for Steam and Switch 2. The game is that good. There's literally nothing else on the market quite like it, and I don't think that anyone outside of Kenny Sun could have thought of an idea as wild as this.

But What Makes ‘Ball X Pit’ Worth the Time and Effort?

There's a lot, actually. The game looks and runs like a dream. There are a ton of builds that players can sink hours into fine-tuning and crafting. Fusions, evolutions, and power-ups galore. It's perfection in pixelated form, in my eyes. I'm sure I'll find a new game in the coming weeks that will take up just as much time as this one did. But honestly? I don't really know if that's actually going to happen. As a Breakout sicko and someone who loves city builder games, I never expected to see the two meshed together. And if they ever did get pushed into the same room together? I didn't expect the result to be so magnificent.

It's a glorious amalgamation of weird, wacky, and wild. Three W's that I look for in any type of indie game that I want to pour endless amounts of time into. I don't think that anyone else could have helped bring this idea to life, honestly. But speaking of weird ideas and adult man children who spend too much time playing games...

Why Is Nate So Gottdamn THICC in ‘Baby Steps’, Doe

Baby Steps. A game that is so ridiculously Shaun-coded. You play as an unemployed failson who is transported to a new world after his mommy and daddy are upstairs arguing that he needs to get the hell out of the house. It's a journey that rivals that of Death Stranding, with a massive world to explore. The only problem is? Nate, the caked-up protagonist wearing a pair of onesie pajamas, is too goddamn lazy to do anything about it. So you have to QWOP your way through the varying degrees of verticality to try and escape. Yes, you read that right. You need to control every single solitary footstep that Nate takes in Baby Steps. A task so menial and brutal that most players are bound to lose their minds.

But you know who was more than willing to jump in and publish this magnificent piece of art? Devolver Digital. Why? Because it's weird as FUCK, and they love that kind of stuff. Honestly? So do I. Baby Steps has been on my radar since it was announced, and potentially could be my Game of the Year. It's so off-the-wall crazy that you can't help but think about what kind of psychological pain Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch wanted to inflict upon any sorry bastard who willingly partook in this journey.

I Mean, the Game Does Have the Most Realistic Onesie Soiling Technology

Remember when Yoko Taro, developer of the NieR franchise, was applauded for pioneering the "drying" technology that was implemented into NieR: Automata? This stuff right here (the link could be deemed NSFW because of 2B's booty cheeks). Well, outside of the absolutely maniacally terrifying control scheme that Baby Steps offers, it's also got a similar technology behind the veil. But rather than drying off our caked-up protagonist, Nate, it's to make him a dirty little boy. Every slip. Every fall. Each plop into the mud is going to dirty up this onesie.

It's so stupid. But I love everything that Baby Steps has to offer. There's a reason that IGN gave the game a 9, to be fair. Much like the majority of the ample Devolver Digital library, there's nothing quite like Baby Steps on the market. I do have a question for you, however... If you don't want to play as a giant Baby Man, what other type of games do you want to play? What about something where you play as an anthropomorphic lamb who is put in charge of running their own cult? Who would ever want to play a game about a cult with a lamb?

‘Cult of the Lamb’ Absorbed Me When It Released, and ‘Woolhaven’ Looks Like Even More Fun… Somehow

Cult of the Lamb is something that is so disgustingly cute, yet absolutely mortifying to witness. You play as an adorable little Lamb, spared by an evil being under the pretense of running a cult in their name. Surely nothing could go wrong... right? Well, tell that to my devoted followers who are currently eating poop from a bowl, and you may be onto something. Cult of the Lamb was, understandably, a tour de force on the indie scene when it released in 2022. Even 3 years after its initial release, and over 50,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam, it's still going strong. Woolhaven is a massive new DLC that's coming out sometime in the future, and I can't wait to say hello to all of my friends once again.

When the game was first released, I wasn't sure there would be enough Cult of the Lamb content to keep players happy and coming back for more. But as time has gone on, the cult continued to grow. Now, it's an unstoppable monolith of devoted fans that would be willing to go to the ends of the Earth for this adorable little leader. I, myself, am a proud member of that group.

Born To Run a Cult, Forced To Feed Them All Shit

I think that Cult of the Lamb resonated with so many people because of the freedom that it offered. If you wanted to be a tyrannical piece of shit yourself, you could make them eat their own droppings... just for fun, but also, for a mild bit of nutrition. But, if you wanted to give them a bit of Faith in the world surrounding them, you could also be a kind and generous leader. The choice was completely and utterly up to you. So, given that choice, players went bananas and started following one of the greatest indie games of the past decade in stride, and we've ended up where we are now.

But, even at the end of the day, there are even MORE titles coming out from Devolver Digital that need as many eyes on them as possible. Skate Story, Anger Foot, and even some less "weird" games like NEVA. Their library, frankly, is staggering. You can see everything that they've published on their website here. Go through and find me like... four games that aren't absolute bangers. I don't think that you'll be able to do that.

So... thank you, Devolver Digital. For being that weird kid that we all wanted to get to know a bit better. I know that the weird kid inside of me would have loved to share their school lunch with you. Oh, and Devolver Digital and Massive Monster, at one point in time, feuded with the official Angry Birds Twitter/X channel and blessed us with the greatest image of all time.