PAX EAST 2019 | "Trover Saves The Universe"
When you get involved with a Justin Roiland project, you basically know what you’re signing up for. The creator of Rick & Morty and House of Cosbys has found his interactive niche within the virtual world, after his success with Virtual Rick-ality and Accounting. Now it’s time for Roiland to attempt to create an adventure unlike anything else, with his upcoming Squanch Games title Trover Saves The Universe leading the charge both in gameplay and hilarity.
Everything goes to Hell when a strange monster steals your two dogs, shoving them into his empty eye sockets and causing all sorts of mayhem. Sitting in your chair, you watch the news as you near about how this monster is destroying everything, with the world seemingly blaming you and your two stupid dogs for what’s happening. That’s when Trover enters the picture, telling you to move your ass and get to saving. And thus, it’s time to become the hero that you more than likely shouldn’t become.
The demo for Trevor Saves The Universe gave me the chance to learn all the basics of the game, with the majority of my personal time sitting on my butt and moving Trevor around the areas. Via teleportation, players will be able to go from one spot to the next without having to rise from the comfort of your chair. It’s a run-in with an old man where you’ll learn about the art of combat, as you can pummel the life out of the nasty curmudgeon while he pleads for you to stop. Nervous about committing murder, Trevor has you hurry up towards his ship, which will take you towards another dimension.
Although the demo was relatively short, it gave me a solid idea of what I can expect from the full game. Its humor is a fine mix of crazy improv and some clever thought-provoking elements, similar to what one would find in an adventure with Rick Sanchez and his grandson. The game is as bright and colorful as its language, with the strange alien creatures never holding back on how shitty of a person you seem to be. (They also really, really hate your dogs, as evident by the voicemails left on your answering machine.)
As for the gameplay itself, Trover Saves The Universe delivers a simplistic platformer setup. Warping from one spot to another is fairly easy, so long as you know to aim with your head. Combat is also quick to get into, as you fend off many weird creatures with flair thanks to the laser sword Trevor is equipped with. Odds are there will be more techniques added to your repertoire as the game progresses, but as is the fights and bantering that occurs is both satisfying and incredibly funny.
Trevor Saves The Universe is due to hit PlayStation VR on May 31st. Even if your character may not redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow populous, one crosses their fingers that they manage to do some sort of good in their world. (Either that, or you may just screw something up in the long run and cause even more chaos.)
