Yet another title published by Devolver Digital manages to blow me away with the uniqueness of its gameplay and presentation. Stick it to the Stickman is an incredible roguelite beat-em-up that defies genre expectations, making it as hard to explain as it is fun to play. Filled to the brim with irreverent humor and genuinely fun beat-em-up mechanics, Stick it to the Stickman would be a steal at $20, and yet it is somehow ridiculously priced at only $5. If this game has even remotely caught your interest, I recommend you pick it up, because it will not disappoint.
Stick it to the Stickman is a humorous beat-em-up roguelite that runs you through an incredibly “loose” story, better defined as a series of gags. Generally speaking, the theme of the game is simple: you are a stickman starting a job at a new company. Upward mobility is uniquely possible at this job, as all you have to do to become the new boss is fight your way up the business tower, kick the CEO’s ass, and take his place.
What I just described to you is both the comedic premise of Stick it to the Stickman and the literal gameplay loop.
At the start of a run, you pick an archetype for your employee, a series of different “classes” that have their own movesets and passive abilities. Then, you fight your way up the tower, eventually defeating the CEO in a boss battle and replacing him as the new boss. Doing so starts you over with a new stickman employee, and you have to fight your way back up the tower again, with the process growing increasingly difficult each time.
Like any other roguelike, there is a constant progression system that exists outside of your runs, making each attempt a little easier. By spending the cash you earn climbing the corporate ladder, you can change the layout of the office to provide you with buffs or traps to defeat your foes. Collecting cash in each run also passively unlocks other bonuses, such as additional game modes. It is frankly shocking how much this game has to offer for only $5.
At the core of the game’s beat-em-up combat mechanics is a rather unique take on the combo system. Each character begins with about four moves, which are executed one after another in sequence each time you press the attack button, going back to the first move after you trigger the last one. As you climb the tower, you collect power-ups like you would in any other roguelike, but these mostly drop in the form of moves to add to your combo, either as a direct continuation to the chain, adding a new attack at the end and extending the combo, or as upgrades to your choice of parts of the combo that become much stronger versions.
It’s something like a deckbuilding combo system, and while it can be hard to understand at first, I found the whole thing to be kind of genius. It adds a layer of complexity that isn’t taxing for the player to think about or execute, and it allows for some incredibly stupid and powerful combos when upgraded smartly.
From start to finish, Stick it to the Stickman is filled with incredibly silly humor that parodies the idea of a modern business without ever giving too harsh a criticism (or otherwise “harshing the vibe”). The entire thing feels like something of an Adult Swim sketch, where employees battle for the title of CEO only to immediately serve the whims of the ominous shareholders, who are nothing more than silly little dudes themselves.
The character of the CEO, a persona adopted by the player character at the end of each run and yet always reverting back to the same egotistical asshole, is definitely my favorite source of humor throughout the game. The excellent voice acting for this character (which sounds shockingly like Will Arnett) does wonders for their terrible personality, and the straight-faced line deliveries from the entire cast of their rather silly script always earn a laugh.
Plenty of humor can also be derived from the game’s use of physical gags, with the weird stickman physics and the little smacking sounds when they hit each other never ceasing to amuse me.
The most amazing part about Stick it to the Stickman is that the game is only in Early Access. The incredible depth of the title, including enemy types, classes, and combos, is planned to be expanded even further as the game goes through its development cycle.
The game, frankly, is amazing, and is incredibly undervalued at just $5. I recommend everyone who has gotten this far in the review go out and purchase the game, because for the price of a good cup of coffee, you can get hours of entertainment from this gem, which only promises to become even more entertaining in the future.
If I had to criticize something about the current state of Stick it to the Stickman, I would probably point out that the multiplayer functionality could use some work. Currently, the game only has local multiplayer support, and while I personally haven’t experienced any bugs myself, I’ve read from other players that the game can be a little finicky in the multiplayer mode. I would like to see online co-op added to the game before launch, allowing long-distance friends to enjoy what this game has to offer.
Pros
- Unique blend of roguelite and beat-em-up mechanics
- Clever “deckbuilding” style combo system
- Genuinely funny humor
- Tons of content for only $5
- Promises even more content throughout Early Access
Cons
- Finicky multiplayer in the current Early Access build, with no online co-op.
TryHardGuides was provided a Steam code for this PC Early Access Review of Stick it to the Stickman. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page!
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