While the objective in most games is to stay alive, Suicide Guy tasks you with terminating your beer bloated existence. Chubby Pixel’s first-person puzzle platformer could have been vulgar, but there’s enough irreverent humour in this bizarre sequence of bonkers vignettes to make its dark premise work. Still, while it’s not a complete disaster, it never really sets the world alight either.
The plot went right over our heads. You play as a middle-aged nobody in a stained shirt, sipping beer and gobbling down donuts. When you drop your beverage you’re whisked away to a fast food restaurant filled with various suicide missions. Your task is to die 24 times in order to… Save your alcoholic swill? There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere, but we didn’t care to find it.
Things start out relatively straight forward on a railway track, where you must sprint into an oncoming train in order to smash your worthless ass into smithereens. It’s dark stuff, but the title quickly locates its funny bone and begins taking the piss. One stage sees you performing a satanic ritual in a suburban church in order to summon the devil who’s only too happy to lop off your pathetic head.
The game plays a little like Mirror’s Edge without DICE’s attention to detail, as you sprint through the colourful environments, leaping on platforms and sloppily climbing up ledges. The stages play out like mini-puzzles, with switches that need to be pressed and objects that need to be aligned in order to successfully end your life. To be honest, some of the solutions are quite cunning.
Once you know the answers, you’ll be able to beat the levels in mere seconds, but figuring everything out first time is part of the fun. One magical world sees you brewing a concoction of animals in a cauldron, and then drinking the diabolical dregs. In another you’ll need to use an alarm clock to wake a dragon, who’ll subsequently breathe fire in your pathetic face and burn you to a crisp.
It’s quite a sloppy title, and you can almost see the lines of code making everything work. But each stage is totally unique, and it can be quite a novelty seeing what’s next. As such, you’ll probably work your way through the three to four hour campaign just to see all of the craziness that the title has in store. A slick framerate and bold artstyle means that it looks better than it probably should, too.
Ultimately, though, the release does feel quite disposable. There are some clever ideas here, and it’s random enough to hold your attention – but despite its sense of humour, it’s not the kind of thing that’s going to live long in the memory. And while it is very flippant about the suicide stuff, we’re still not sure it’s quite in taste to be honest. Your mileage may vary on that front.
Conclusion
Suicide Guy is not the disaster we feared it would be, and in places it’s actually rather funny. The title’s randomness stops its campaign from getting stale, and there are actually some cunning puzzles here that are fun to solve. Despite all of that, though, it’s quite a disposable game that’s fun while it lasts but will be quickly forgotten.
Comments 17
How much does this cost?
Sounds pretty distasteful to me, misandry is a bizarre theme choice but if the gameplay is fun I guess nobody will care.
Sounds like a pretty funny concept executed "mehly".
I'm surprised that in 2018 people aren't gathering with pitchforks outside of the developers building lol
@Constable_What $8 USD
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2796-CUSA11124_00-0000000000000000
Does the game make any attempt to acknowledge, with maybe an opening splash screen or something, that suicide isn't a joke and that people with a history of depression or dark thoughts perhaps shouldn't play? Maybe even stick up region-specific support numbers or websites?
With that, I could try to get behind the "joke" (as distasteful as it may seem). Without it, then it simply isn't funny.
I fully support freedom of expression and divergent senses of humour but, when you're dealing with such serious subject matter in your core concept, a courtesy heads-up is the least you can do.
@RogerRoger I didn’t see anything like that. It is quite silly, but I agree... I’m not sure it’s entirely in taste, even if it is very dumb.
@get2sammyb Thanks for the response (and for the review, by the way; enjoyable to read as always).
@stu123 depends on the video game, Actual Sunlight handles it properly, not all video games are just for 'fun'
I love how everyone is up in arms over loot boxes in games but this subject matter no one said anything about. I guess it just shows how stupid our society has become.
This is not my type of game and suprised such a topic would be made into a game. Same as a new PSVR game coming out called bar fight which again is not something that should be promoted.
@dryrain fighting is basically slapstick though
@Tasuki - While I agree Society is going to Hell in a Hand Cart.
People can easily decide whether to buy or not with the Suicide Game.
However, Loot Boxes are Ripping off Players who have a real interest to Play the Released Title - if they decide not to fork out for a Micro-transaction, they feel they are missing a part of the experience or at a disadvantage in a Multi-Player Universe.
I have No problem with Micro-transactions for items not affecting Gameplay - ie Different Costume for Batman, Decals for my
Dirt Rally Car etc Do Not Need Them - No Payment - but to enhance Gameplay -No Go
I am really surprised that a game like this ended up on playstation or game console or of server in fact. It's not funny is suicide and it shouldn't be used as a humour subject either yes with had PAIN on PS3 but that was a game which didn't have any meaning really not like this.
@Templedoom It's not a matter of people have a choice of buying or not mental health and suicide is not a joking matter and shouldn't be portrayed in such a humorous way. It's one thing if protrayed in something like in Law and Order. How far do you think I would get if I created a game with bright cartoony graphics and and called it Bullied Teen and the objective is to shoot up a schoolyard of children?
@Tasuki I think the difference is that the loot boxes are built into hyper popular games, and this suicide gag game is... well, this is the first time I ever heard of it. You can guarantee if the next Call of Duty had a mini-game attached to it that dealt with suicide in a distasteful manner, there'd be drama. There's always been weirder and in most cases worse things going down in the fringe when it comes to entertainment, but generally, things have to be a little more mainstream before everyone gets their pitchforks and torches.
@Tasuki With respect, your comparable analogy is somewhat flawed. For the record, I struggle with social anxiety, depression and OCD, and have taken myself to the top of a very tall bridge before.
Depression and suicide is a personal tragedy; by definition, it isolates you and makes you feel alone, you versus the world. Taking your own life primarily impacts you, and you alone. This is why wider society needs awareness campaigns and a greater understanding of mental health issues, because it's almost impossible to know what's going on inside another person's head. The only way to effectively be able to recognise and support those in need of assistance is if you know a problem exists in the first place; up until now, and probably for a while yet, most people's ignorance of mental health will more often than not result in dismissive statements like "Oh, just pull yourself together!" or "Doesn't everybody do that?"
Education comes in many forms, and humour has been used for awareness campaigns to great effect in the past, and hopefully again in future. It's why I asked whether this game opened with a disclaimer warning people about the content and providing support details and signposts to further information. If it did then, whilst I'm sure the game's content treads a very fine line, it could at least claim to be trying to make a difference and bringing awareness of anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies to gamers. Unfortunately, as Sammy confirmed, no such disclaimer is featured, and therefore this game is in incredibly bad taste... but, despite being personally offended, I still don't find it on the same level as your comparable analogy.
We're all acutely aware of the impact of school shootings, terrible acts of violence where an individual robs other innocent people of their lives. It's not an act of isolation, but rather an act of destruction, of taking things that don't belong to you. It's a selfish crime against society, and most certainly not a personal act of internal consequence. Laughing and joking about a school shooting dishonours the memory of the victims and insults their families.
Sometimes it takes a divergent sense of humour to break through apathy on a certain subject. One man's offensive joke is another critic's "brave material" and, as I said before, it's a very fine line. As somebody who's desperate for things to change for the better, however, I support any well-intentioned attempt. It's just a shame that this game isn't one of them.
@RogerRoger Thanks for sharing!
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