Devolverland Expo

About

Devolverland Expo is a first-person 'marketing simulator' set within an abandoned convention center after the annual Devolver Digital game expo was mysteriously canceled. Break into the convention center and avoid the advanced security systems to watch and retrieve all the trailers, gameplay demo videos, and other secrets lost in the expo's cancellation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,664 reviews

gameplay41 positive mentions

monetization279 negative mentions

Creative and innovative way to showcase upcoming games during the pandemic.
Fun and engaging experience with well-designed booths and trailers.
Free to play, making it accessible for everyone.

Poor optimization leading to crashes and low frame rates.
No save feature, requiring players to complete the game in one sitting.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth beyond watching trailers.

monetization
284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The monetization aspect of the game is primarily centered around its nature as an interactive advertisement for other titles, particularly those from Devolver Digital. While many players appreciate the creative approach to advertising and find it enjoyable, others criticize it for lacking substantial gameplay and being overly focused on promoting other games, often feeling like a glorified ad rather than a fully realized game experience. Overall, it is seen as a unique and innovative way to present advertisements, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and entertainment value.
- “Recommending this is a no-brainer since this interactive exposition is free, also free of microtransactions, also knows exactly what it is and wants to be, looks great and works properly.”
- “With the ever-burdening world of microtransactions and preorders, this is a breath of fresh air.”
- “There's no tutorial and the other reviews are saying it's just a 'game' full of ads for future and past games and that's all.”
- “The gameplay is almost non-existent, there is no challenge whatsoever and you're forced to watch ads; not even the escape button works anymore when ads are on the screen.”
- “I realize it's a giant advertisement but yeahhh it's lame and boring.”
gameplay
177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
7%
The gameplay of "Devolverland Expo" is primarily a marketing tool, featuring basic mechanics such as stealth and shooting, but is largely overshadowed by its promotional content. While some players found the experience enjoyable and appreciated the unique concept of combining gameplay with trailers, many criticized the gameplay as simplistic, lacking depth, and often feeling like a glorified advertisement rather than a fully-fledged game. Overall, it offers a short, fun experience with decent graphics, but players seeking substantial gameplay may be disappointed.
- “Instead of just releasing a YouTube showcase or a stream, they decided to make the entire thing a playable game with puzzles and actual game mechanics; kind of a genius move.”
- “The gameplay is a mix of stealth and walking simulator, with a boss fight at the end.”
- “Taking the budget that would have been a convention and turning it into a virtual expo with basic game mechanics is a true masterpiece and shows the absolute brilliance behind Devolver and their commitment to the gaming community.”
- “The gameplay is almost non-existent; there is no challenge whatsoever and you're forced to watch ads, not even the escape button works anymore when ads are on the screen.”
- “Although free, the gameplay is not good enough to cover up that this game is just a collection of glorified ads.”
- “You will easily spend more time watching trailers than in actual gameplay, which consists of going through essentially empty buildings.”
graphics
174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
44%
2%
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their impressive quality and attention to detail, often described as stunning and better than expected for a title primarily serving as a marketing tool. Many players noted that the visuals are vibrant and thematically cohesive, enhancing the overall experience, although some encountered performance issues and limited graphical settings. Overall, the game's graphics stand out as a highlight, contributing significantly to its appeal despite its short playtime and simplistic gameplay.
- “The graphics were incredible, the sound engineering was crazy good, and the exhibits were top-notch!”
- “The graphics are amazing and the fact that it's free just blows me away.”
- “This was a super cool way to show off some new games that are coming out, and the graphics for this were stunning.”
- “The only negatives I'd list are purely visual - near the end of the expo, you can retrieve a special item, and instantly the graphics in that room degrade to blocks and muddy pixels.”
- “This game requires really high specs considering the graphics are relatively simple.”
- “While certainly unique, the 'game' or marketing material runs very poorly, even when meeting recommended specs (just barely in the case of my system, and even then, couldn't get the thing hitting a consistent 60fps even with graphical settings dramatically reduced).”
optimization
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
47%
38%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, crashes, and high resource usage, even on lower settings. While some appreciate the creative concept, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, making it difficult to enjoy despite its free availability. Users recommend caution for potential buyers, as the performance problems significantly detract from the experience.
- “The game looks pretty good visually, but it suffers from poor optimization.”
- “Nice concept, but poorly optimized.”
- “Despite varying user performance and unstable optimization, this 'marketing simulator' is a genuinely creative idea in terms of interactive presentation.”
- “The game is badly optimized and lacks the basic mouse options (can't even adjust sensitivity) but I like it for what it is and I applaud the idea.”
- “Performance is abysmal, it will crash on you at least 2 or 3 times before you can finish and since it doesn't save your progress you'll have to start from the beginning each time.”
- “The game's performance is like a hybrid of a dumpster fire and a train wreck, but everything else seems pretty good.”
story
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
78%
4%
The story in Devolverland Expo is minimal and primarily serves as a vehicle for showcasing upcoming games through a series of trailers and advertisements. While some players appreciated the creative concept of integrating marketing into gameplay, many found the narrative underdeveloped and lacking depth, with the experience feeling more like a promotional tool than a traditional game. Overall, the game offers a loose storyline that can be enjoyable but is not the main draw for players.
- “When I first booted up Devolverland Expo, I fully expected the game just to be a walking sim where you just explore the booths and watch trailers, but I was genuinely shocked that it's much more than that with actual combat and puzzle solving to actually advance through the story.”
- “This is amazing and honestly more than a virtual expo, an actual fun game with a mini story.”
- “Very interesting, had me on the edge of my seat, the ending is fun, and the game is enjoyable throughout the whole story.”
- “There's generally no story in the Devolverland Expo experience.”
- “This game is mostly a marketing game and has no storyline or anything that would compel the player to continue playing.”
- “The story feels underdeveloped, making it hard to stay fully immersed in the game.”
humor
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely appreciated for its quirky, self-referential style, with many players finding it both entertaining and clever in its approach to marketing upcoming titles. While some reviews note that the humor can be hit-or-miss, with certain elements feeling repetitive or lacking depth, the overall consensus is that the game successfully delivers a fun and lighthearted experience filled with amusing easter eggs and absurd scenarios. Devolver Digital's signature blend of satire and playful absurdity shines through, making it a memorable, albeit short, interactive showcase.
- “I really liked this funny and fresh demo-type game; it's basically a developer expo, showing trailers to upcoming games, but in a game.”
- “Devolver Digital, for another year, turns an E3 into something unique and hilarious.”
- “This game takes the fun of those live streams and makes it an interactive experience; it's such a good way of showing off new releases and it's a funny feeling actually wanting to replay the game to find all the collectibles just to see a screenshot for a game that isn't out.”
stability
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues such as freezing and lagging, even on systems that meet or exceed the recommended specifications. While some players found the game enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus indicates that it is not well-optimized and can be frustratingly unplayable at times.
- “The only concern for me is how buggy it seems to be.”
- “I play the game fine then a massive stutter freezes my whole game; it's not even an FPS stutter, it's literally a stutter and sometimes the game freezes for like 10 seconds and it was unplayable.”
- “The game ran terribly for me, had a constantly low framerate and was plagued by a myriad of framerate drops - so far that I had actual freezes, especially during the SW3 trailer wherein the app froze for a minute or two.”
atmosphere
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
21%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unique qualities, blending elements of a game expo with a dark, eerie vibe that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the environment, which features distinct booths and engaging design, although some find the presence of security robots detracts from the enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fun, creative, and visually stunning, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “The environment in the expo is well-embellished with games' booths that have their own distinctive atmosphere.”
- “This short, super atmospheric, light-stealth little experiment is worth your time.”
- “The atmosphere conveys a dark, almost eerie vibe, though any real sense of danger is minimal.”
- “That said, I have my problems with this title and the biggest one of those are the security robots that, possibly in order to maintain some kind of challenge for the player, or lure them in with 'action', constantly annoy the hell out of anyone that tries to enjoy the art design and lighting, game booths, or general atmosphere.”
- “As a walking simulator/exploration game that solely relies on atmosphere, collectibles, and its surroundings, this could work if it wasn't for the 'enemies'.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
54%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the soundtrack's nostalgic and atmospheric qualities, particularly its "Stranger Things" vibes. However, others criticize the lack of consistent music throughout the gameplay, noting that it often feels absent except in specific moments, such as when entering booths. Overall, while the music enhances certain experiences, it is seen as a weaker aspect of the game by some reviewers.
- “I especially loved the music from the trailers echoing as you get closer to the booths.”
- “The music and art scream 'Stranger Things' vibes you'll see :) Main menu music most of all.”
- “The music is wonderful as well.”
- “No music to fill the void.”
- “Level, music, and sound design is nothing special.”
- “As for the soundtrack, apart from the sounds and the voice acting, you don't have any music (apart from when entering a booth).”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many reviewers noting its short length and limited depth. While some players find minor replay value in collecting achievements or hidden items, the consensus is that it primarily serves as a marketing tool rather than a standalone experience worth revisiting.
- “The graphics are way better than you'd expect for just a marketing gimmick; it's a novel way of showcasing other games and somehow it has a bit of replayability with the hidden game collectibles.”
- “Although the length of time to play this game isn't that long, the replay value of this simple idea keeps the 'expo' going and going.”
- “It's super short but has some replay value to it if you want to 100% complete it for all the achievements.”
- “A very short game that's fun on the first playthrough, but has very little replay value.”
- “As a marketing strategy, it effectively showcases upcoming titles and keeps players engaged, but as a standalone game, it lacks depth and replayability.”
- “Now, looking back at it, I see no replayability and now it seems like a big advertisement, which it was to begin with, but now I've lost that inspiration after I found out that the games are real.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly during the final boss fight, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the virtual games expo concept. Many reviewers express that the repetitive tasks, such as avoiding guard bots and searching for collectibles, feel overly stressful and unengaging, leading to a desire for a more streamlined experience.
- “So yeah, I'm not quite happy with how this idea turned out because I love the concept of a virtual games expo showcase, but the core loop is a really stressful and tedious balance of avoiding guard bots and searching for collectibles, and that's not all that entertaining.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Ditch the security bots and other bits and pieces which make it a little tedious and just stick to the virtual convention vibe and present information to the player.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the experience is highlighted by users who describe it as a wholesome and moving journey, evoking feelings of nostalgia and joy akin to being a child in a candy store. The well-written narrative and engaging gameplay elicit strong emotional responses, including laughter and tears, while also fostering a genuine interest in the games being promoted.
- “So moving, emotional, and well written.”
- “I want to cry, lol.”
- “I laughed, I cried, I consumed product.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Character development in the games is noted for its depth, with standout character designs in titles like Serious Sam and Shadowlands 3 that leave a lasting impression due to their unique and eccentric qualities.
- “The character development in this game is truly impressive, adding depth and complexity to the storyline.”
- “The character designs in Serious Sam and Shadowlands 3 are memorable and showcase unique creativity.”
- “The depth of the characters really enhances the overall experience, making the story more engaging.”