Off the AppStore: A dark, chilling, and quirky trip DownSouth

• Become a demon seeking to survive in a desolate but diverse city
• Decisions change your soul and how you move, jump, fight, and progress
• The more your soul changes, the more your options change, as does your survival

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or  APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game, though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

Are there demons among us? There are interesting arguments for every answer you can give, but regardless, they make for fascinating characters across all media, especially games. So many games and adventures have you fighting against or playing as devils, demons, monsters, and other things you hope never to see in the middle of the night when you go to grab a glass of water. But what if demons are just trying to live like us? If you're wondering, you can talk to Troopsushi, who is trying to respond as DownSouth.

In an unknown time and dystopian place, a demon named South plunges into a dark but vibrant world full of danger and temptation. Despite his persistent grin, South is just trying to survive and, ideally, have a great time doing so. As he drops into a desolate, suffering-filled city, South must make his way through in hopes of fighting for his life. At the start, South will have all the gusto and soul he needs to run and jump his way through. Along the way, he'll find plenty of collectibles to help him as he fights off other hostile demons trying to survive, too.

But here's the thing: South may be a demon, but he still has a soul. While his grin may give him a malicious aura, South isn't necessarily the worst demon out there… Unless that's how you want him to be. Depending on how South behaves, his soul will be lighter or heavier. With a light soul, South can run faster and jump higher, but will be that much more vulnerable to hazards and enemies and have little way of fighting back. With a heavier soul, South's colour will fade, and he'll be weighed down by all the guilt, but he'll be stronger and more resilient. It's up to you to decide how South's soul will carry him through.

DownSouth is a 2D platform RPG with a morality system that drastically changes how the character moves and interacts with the world. They can be fast and light or strong and heavy, but the world will always offer plenty of obstacles to overcome. It's up to you to decide how you'll head down south.

DownSouth is available to download and play on its itch.io page!