Demon’s Tilt
» System: Switch (tested) PC, PS4, Xbox One
» Buy it from: Online, retail » Buy it for: £11.39 (Steam) to £17.99 (Switch)
Ever since we first interviewed Adam Ferrando about his new pinball game, he made it perfectly clear that his new game was heavily indebted to Compile’s excellent pinball hit, Devil Crash, from its creepy aesthetics to its exhilarating soundtrack. We’ve now been playing the game extensively over the Christmas break and it’s clear to see that it not only pays excellent homage to that earlier gem, but also brings a few of its own ideas to the (pinball) table as well.
Structurally it’s very similar to Devil Crash, boasting a familiar occult theme with a table that extends across three screens (which looks particularly impressive when played vertically). Each area has interesting items to interact with as well, from a woman that undergoes a demonic transformation the more times she’s hit, to a large muzzled lion at the table’s zenith. The upper sections feature complicated ramps, too, which will take a while to fully master.
What sets Demon’s Tilt apart from similar games is that many enemies and structures on the table will spit out bullets when hit, which will
then interact with your ball, changing its direction and slowing it. Initially, it feels obtrusive, but you soon realise that it’s a great way of managing the pace of the table and, more importantly, will score you a lot of points. And point scoring is where it’s at in Demon’s Tilt, with the game wanting you to string together shmup-like chains that will grant you impossibly high scores as you learn the intricacies of the table and start realising where the jackpots and sweet spots are.
While Normal mode is a good place to learn the scoring mechanics of Demon’s Tilt you’ll really want to move over to EX mode as it not only offers a stiffer challenge, but also introduces some smaller, highly enjoyable tables, just like the game it’s lovingly paying tribute to. The Switch already has plenty of great pinball games and Demon’s Tilt stands proudly with them, the only thing that holds it back is a lack of suitable button configurations for playing on a Switch Lite (something many Switch shoot-’em-ups suffer from). Other than that, though, it’s an essential addition to your library.
>> Score 88%