The convoluted tale of Little Devil Inside has intrigued more than 5,000 Kickstarter backers when it debuted on the platform in 2015. It also caught the attention of Sony, who partnered with the developer – Neostream – to make the game a PlayStation 5 timed exclusive. Although it has been hailed as one of the PS5’s premier indies, we still know little about the game. So far we’ve seen an elderly man accomplishing mundane tasks at home while a boy goes on wild and diverse adventures such as penguin sledding and fighting werewolves. This action-adventure RPG is a truly unique experience set in a surreal environment with cartoonish characters and a realistic setting. Although the PlayStation State of Play was a subpar presentation (unless you’re a Star Ocean fan), Little Devil Inside did shed some light on this strange adventure. Here is everything we know… and we still don’t know much. The StoryWhen PlayStation first unveiled Neostream’s project after a substantial absence, the preceding trailer juxtaposed the mundane life of an old man with that of an adventurous boy, a boy named Billy. This led some to believe that Little Devil Inside would tackle some deep themes including the encroaching limitations of time. Perhaps the old man is remembering his adventures as a child…alas this is far from the true story. In reality, this old man is a professor who has hired an explorer, Billy, to hunt down and uncover supernatural beings. Even though the story is not as deep as we thought, it may comment on our desperation for prosperity, which led Billy down this dangerous career path. In many games, monster hunting is an enjoyable job that our protagonists bask in, but Little Devil Inside may take a different route, exploring the dangers and reasoning for taking on such a job. The Graphics and SettingLittle Devil Inside takes place in a Victorian-era fantasy world that brings players to a wide range of environments. We’ve seen desolate mansions, vast grasslands, scorching deserts, mountainous snow lands, and wide, empty oceans. Billy’s adventures will take him across the world, providing players with a steady supply of new environments to explore. In terms of the visuals, these environments strike a strange tone between cartoony and hyperrealistic. It’s like an old cartoon that fills the background with a gorgeous hand-made painting while the character in the foreground is animated. Take the first shot of the Little Devil Inside trailer as an example. The top left of the screen is filled with a bright blue sky with clouds scattered throughout while the slight illumination of the sun shines in from the right. Sun rays shine through the green leaves of a tree and a sprawling ocean rests in the bottom corner. It’s a breathtaking scene that could easily be captured by a real-life camera, but Billy sits in the forefront. He has a blocky body and huge, anime eyes. Similarly, the train station behind him imbues a cartoony quality that seems a little out of place. This juxtaposition of visuals gives Little Devil Inside a sense of character and distinction as it masters both photorealism and the blocky nature of many indie games. The Map The map takes this same distinctive visual setting to another level. Most video game maps are found in the game’s menu where players can mark waypoints and check their pathway before heading back into the action. In Little Devil Inside, the map is part of the action. Neostream described it as “ a dynamic, miniature-like representation of the world with a tilt-shift effect.” On the map, we watch from above as Billy arrives at a small town via train. He jumps out of the train in the form of a Russian doll that wobbles across the map. The player controls this action while still in the map view until they run into a shopkeeper. Then the camera zooms down to Billy in what we’ve come to expect as the traditional gameplay view. It looks as though the player will be traveling across the map to access different missions just like Mario but with a little bit more interactivity. Instead of simply being the mission hub, the map will function as an alternative view for most gameplay sections. The map view, for instance, shows a zoomed-out version of Billy rambling up a mountain, but the gameplay perspective zooms in to show that his mule is stuck in the snow and he is struggling to stay alive. When traveling the map, certain world events occur, such as when a flock of sheep stands in the middle of the road, forcing a quick honk to move them. Lastly, traveling around the map seems rather slow but that’s the point according to Neostream. The developers want players to be patient, take in the sights, and live in the moment, hence the absence of a fast travel system. Suffice it to say, Little Devil Inside is integrating its map into the gameplay loop, further distinguishing itself as a unique experience for PS5 players. The Gameplay When we go boots on the ground and enter into real-time gameplay, Little Devil Inside has a lot to offer. For one, there will be dialogue choices, but these seem somewhat limited. In the above example, when the sheep get in your path, Billy could choose between honking his horn and telling them to “shoo.” This doesn’t seem like a substantial integration but the same can’t be said about Little Devil Inside’s survival system, an essential part of its gameplay loop. According to the trailer’s overlapping commentary, Billy will need to use the resources around him to survive the harsh heat of the desert, the blistering cold of the mountain tops, and other various environments. This is where fishing, collecting food, and combining ingredients come into play. Billy must recharge by sitting at campfires and cooking meals with the right ingredients. On top of survival, there will also be more traditional, sword-swinging combat. Here the young adventurer must roll out of the way of attacks and stab his enemies through the heart. In one instance, Billy stabbed a foe and dragged the body before throwing it at an approaching enemy. The combat in Little Devil Inside looks sluggish and slow, but we can’t be too critical until we play it for ourselves, as the RPG adventure has yet to be released.Hopefully, those loyal Kickstarter backers won’t mind waiting longer, but in the meantime, stay tuned to Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more gaming news.