Welcome to TheGamer’s new weekly column where we write about an indie game we feel deserves some time in the spotlight. To start us off, the twisted abomination that is The Crackpet Show. When I first sat down to play it after work, I figured I’d have a couple of quick runs to get a feel for it and see if it lived up to the hype I’d created in my head - fast forward a few hours to my housemate dragging me off my chair to force me to go and eat dinner.
How could I remember to eat when a terrified mutant rabbit was firing explosive bowling balls at a rabid mole that attacks by spinning mud off of itself? At least I hope that was mud. What if Enter the Gungeon and Happy Tree Friends conceived a baby during some chemsex? And then smoked and drank absinthe throughout the pregnancy? How does a TV show or a video game get pregnant? I don’t know, this isn’t a great analogy. Anyway, that’s The Crackpet Show, a violent, funny, dungeon-crawling roguelite bullet hell from Vixa Games.
In The Crackpet Show you take control of one of four mutated animals, fighting for fame and glory on a bloody game show set after an apocalypse that has wiped out humanity. Animals have filled the void, and they’re hungry for blood. Each level takes the form of an episode in the show, where you’ll control a rabbit, a cow, a shark, or a rooster with what I can only assume are balls on its chin through rooms filled with traps, deadly creatures, and a cheering audience. An audience you can kill if you want, because what’s the point of ringside seats if you don’t get a little blood on you?
There are multiple paths to take throughout each episode that lead to shops, new weapons, items, and perks. Perks are horrifying mutations zapped into your Crackpet that make them better little killing machines. My favourite so far is one that makes them shit a poo bomb whenever they take damage, followed closely by one that just makes all your bullets bigger. Seeing a missile two times its proper size turn enemies into giblets is always a good time. Even though you start each episode with one of four loadouts, as with any roguelite, you get more gear as your progress, meaning I fought one boss with a powerup that turned me into a tornado and a gun that shot pools of lava.
The bosses are all something special, too. You fight one at the end of each episode. They have two phases to keep things interesting during the fight, and they very specifically telegraph when they're going into overdrive after about half of their health is depleted. My favourite so far has to be DJ Horse, because, I mean c'mon. It's a DJ in a Bojack horse mask that fires musical notes at you while spinning tunes. Sludge Swine is great as well because it gets Super Saiyan hair when it goes into phase two. Body-Positive Hamster feels like a cheap shot, however, and puts a sour note on an otherwise fun roster of big bads.
Now, why is this a roguelite and not a roguelike, you ask? Well, you can upgrade weapons, perks, and items between levels, and also use the trophies you earn from beating levels to buy sponsorships. These give you permanent buffs like being able to have two weapons, more health, more rooms to unlock, and more. Unlike real TV sponsors, there are no pesky contracts, so these can be mixed and matched to your heart’s content, never tying you down if you want to try a new build. I love games that let me experiment, and as these poor creatures have clearly been experimented on already, it’s nice that the devs kept player freedom in mind.
As with any game or reality TV show, The Crackpet Show is better with friends. It supports up to four-player online and local co-op so you can fight through each episode as a team. Each downed enemy grants you likes, the currency of the future that you’ll use to buy new gadgets and upgrades in shops, and contribute to your XP at the end of each level. Don’t let anyone else steal the spotlight.
Some roguelites are let down by their weapons, but The Crackpet Show is improved by them. Each perfectly compliments the zany tone of the game; some shoot in a straight line, some ricochet. Some have fast projectiles, others slow. Some can arc over level obstacles like walls. Some zap, others burn. They’re impressively varied and the perks you acquire throughout the levels add an extra layer to all of them. Movement is also tight, so you’ll never be able to blame taking a hit on the responsiveness. Some of the guns require you to stop moving to shoot which adds a nice level of tactical awareness to the game, meaning you can’t just run and gun hoping for the best.
The Crackpet Show launched in early access with 13 episodes already available and more coming soon. It’s £13.49 on Steam right now, which is excellent value for money just based on what’s currently in the game. It’s been just as addictive as its namesake for me, and I can’t wait to see what future episodes of The Crackpet Show have to offer.