Venture to the Vile: Everything We Know

Industry veterans celebrated for BioShock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, have come together to create the Montréal-based studio known as Cut to Bits. Its debut IP—a metroidvania title called Venture to the Vile—will reportedly take you to a “playfully-sinister world riddled with mystery that unexpectedly evolves based on time of day or weather condition.” Intrigued? Us too.

As it currently stands, neither Cut to Bits nor its publisher Aniplex have stapled a final release date to the ambitious title. That said, the newly-formed studio has been gracious enough to provide a fair amount of information to help tide over any potential consumer. So, if you, like us, are even the slightest bit interested in Cut to Bit's fresh-faced IP, then be sure to read on. Here's everything we can tell you based on the data supplied to date.

What Is Venture to the Vile?

Venture to the Vile is an upcoming metroidvania game by Cut to Bits. In it, players take on the role of an unlikely hero—a creature, of sorts, who's fallen to a life-changing magic bestowed by an evil entity known as “The Vile.” In a bid to drive back the entity and save the town from yielding to its presence, you will need to embrace the monster you've become, and in turn adopt the abilities that come with it.

“Absorbing the Vile gives you more power but at what cost?” the blurb adds. “As you become more of the Vile you’ll endure radical changes, taking on more of its characteristics and becoming increasingly grotesque and powerful.”

According to Cut to Bits, Venture to the Vile will feature a series of “3D worlds set in 2D spaces”, and will foster several times of day—each of which will contain “new questions, unexpected upgrades, new monsters, and new narratives to uncover.” So, plenty to unearth and solve, then.

Story

Venture to the Vile will slot you into the unfortunate shoes of an everyday citizen—a poor soul who bears the mark of a monster. With your best friend Ella missing, and The Vile “transforming people, elements and everything it touches into something ghastly and unrecognizable”, you will need to yield to the underlying powers that idle deep within your pores and embark on a quest to, well, save the day and eradicate The Vile.

In Cut to Bits' own words: “Your life is plunged into disarray by a monstrous entity known as “the Vile.” With the town in shambles and your arm left blackened by the Vile, you discover that your best friend, Luella, is also missing. Will you save the town and find Luella — or will you give in to the monster you've become?” Decisions, decisions.

Gameplay

Judging from the in-game screenshots that Cut to Bits has provided to date, Venture to the Vile will adhere to a traditional metroidvania style, right down to the retro aesthetics. It's not unusual, then, to expect plenty of open exploration and the frequent 2D-based puzzle to boot. What's more, fans of the sub-genre can expect to immerse in a whimsically warped world populated by quirky and memorable NPCs. If anything at all, it's a mashup of Alice: Madness Returns' aesthetics, and Hollow Knights' iconic gameplay mechanics.

Going by the blurb, this power of yours—bestowed on you by The Vile—will be something of a double-edged sword. As its wielder, you will have to make decisions that may very well aid others, but at the cost of ushering you even further towards the monster you're trying so hard not to become. And while giving in to the power will most definitely have its perks, it will also exclude you from the final fragments of humanity you have left. Question is, “should you embrace the next step in evolution or eradicate it?”

Development

Cut to Bits, a studio made up of some of the industry's most experienced developers, first announced its plans to bring Venture to the Vile to consoles and PC on May 9, 2023. And while the team didn't specify the platforms, it was mentioned that the game would be shaping up for a 2024 release. We can't say for certain when in 2024 it'll be, but you can get a vague idea by signing up for its official newsletter here.

Trailer

Yes, there is a trailer to serve alongside the key details. And not just the bog-standard trailer you'd expect to see at such an early date, either — but a full-blown preview featuring plenty of juicy gameplay features. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Venture to the Vile will be coming to consoles and PC via Steam in 2024. It hasn't been confirmed which of the three major platforms it'll be coming to, though it's safe to say that it'll find a spot on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 at some point or another. And while we can't strike out the prospect of it being on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch, there's nothing that currently suggests it'll head that way, either. Still, never say never.

Any news on Cut to Bits bringing any form of special or collector's editions to the table? Not yet, no. If anything of the kind does come knocking, then news is bound to spread over on its chosen networks and marketplaces closer to the time of its planned release. Hopefully, that'll be somewhere around the third or fourth quarter of 2023.

If you are planning on sticking around for the long haul, then be sure to check in with the social feed for additional updates here. Should anything pop up ahead of its 2024 release, we'll be sure to update you with all the latest details right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Venture to the Vile when it releases next year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.