For the most part, Nintendo's digital event at E3 featured the same type of fun and whimsical content that we've come to expect from the granddaddy of gaming. You know how it goes: Mario, Link, and Pikachu have another day in the sun, and whether they're partying or adventuring, the actual meat of the games themselves never gets too bloody. After all, Nintendo is supposed to a family company of sorts. The Wii and the Wii U were consoles that were made with the intent of not only reeling in committed gamers, but their moms, dads, and siblings as well. It's different with the Kinect or PlayStation Move, which serve as peripherals to Microsoft and Sony's core gaming missions. With the Wii U and its predecessor, community is built-in.
As such, grizzled veterans like Solid Snake and Marcus Fenix or a rough-and-tumble adventurer such as Nathan Drake (not to mention crazed psychopaths like Trevor Philips) have less of a place on Nintendo's newest offerings. This isn't to say that Nintendo has completely shut out M-rated content for their seventh- and eighth-generation systems. The Call of Duty, Manhunt, and Silent Hill franchises all made appearances on the Wii while Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs are or will be available for the Wii U. Likewise, Sony and Microsoft have done their best to match Nintendo in the market of all things adorable. Sony has offered edgy—but loveable—characters in form of Sly Cooper or Ratchet and Clank. Xbox acquired the rights for Banjo-Kazooie and tried to milk that bear and bird combo for all that it was worth.
However, when you see trailers for games like Yoshi's Wooly World, it's hard to say that Nintendo doesn't have the cute and cuddly market on lock. After all, the game features a Yoshi character made out of fucking yarn. Do you realize how precious that is? For god's sake, HE POOPS OUT BALLS OF YARN.
On the flip side, the trailer for Nintendo's forthcoming exclusive Devil's Third (which definitely sounds like a strong whiskey drink you'd order at the bar) is here to shove away the company's fluffier instincts, and quite possibly slice them in half with a katana. In the trailer, designer Tomonobu Itagaki introduces us to a world far removed from the Mushroom Kingdom. If you haven't already, click the video at the top and see for yourself. We've got a jacked-up (presumably Russian?) brawler tearing his way through an army of ninjas while using machine guns and a couple samurai swords. There's body art, spraying blood, discarded limbs, and a gratuitous thong. Midway through the video the lead character, Ivan, screams out, "Die, motherfucker!" At one point he's even, inexplicably, playing drums for a vaguely hardcore rock band! That's hilarious! But also meant to inspire fear. To close, Ivan finishes out the trailer by taking a hard pull from a flask. All in a day's work, right?
So what do we make of this? It's hard to say. Little is known about Devil's Third other than the fact that it was recently stuck in development limbo. Itagaki's team, Valhalla Game Studios, was developing the title for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 under THQ's aegis before the publisher folded in 2013. After the rights were given back to Valhalla, Nintendo pounced on the opportunity to scoop up an exclusive that didn't feature a plumber, electric mouse, or brave, young Hylian hero. And honestly, when they're starting to dig deep into the Kid Icarus franchise for new faces, it might be time to start spreading their wings a little bit.
Hence, we have Ivan, the wet dream of every gamer who aspires to be a bigger badass than is humanly possible. Does the game appear over-the-top? Yes. But will we play it? Hell fucking yes. Any time we have the opportunity to combine katanas and motion controls, we'll be there. No, the title won't have an Amiibo to go along with it, but it speaks to Nintendo's current place in the market that the company was willing to take a chance on this title at all.
Think about all of the titles that were trumpeted for the Wii U yesterday: Mario Maker, an open-world Zelda game, Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros., Splatoon. Each one of them is relatively harmless compared to what Devil's Third trotted out. One would be surprised to see a drop of blood shed in any of these titles. However, with sales at an all-time low and a resurgence desperately needed, Nintendo is clearly willing to do what it takes to appeal to a wider audience. Sure, certain aspects of the Devil's Third trailer may seem clownish, but don't be surprised if Ivan helps the company save face among the more "mature" set. Sooner or later, we all have to take off the kid gloves.
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