Freakpocalypse Review

With the weight of Cyanide and Happiness, expectations for a game are going to be exceedingly high. The long awaited game Freakpocalypse opens with a promising intro filled with the familiar and yet always hilarious style we have all loved on YouTube and beyond for many years now. However the tried and true formula the Explosm Entertainment has delivered with for countless years doesn't seem to manifest in video game form. This is in part because the player plays an active role in the experience of the game and this can easily disturb volatile comedic timings, but the issues expand beyond medium issues. The jokes, while still very much in sophomoric form, feel rather safe in Freakpocalypse compared to other entertainment that Explosm has created. No doubt that players will be drawn to this game due to the tag of Cyanide and Happiness, and will almost certainly be puzzled by the PG-13 approach here. Additionally, while the content here is vast and the recorded dialogue appears to go on forever, there doesn't seem to be any world building happening. Characters, save for the protagonist, are never given a chance for players to attach to them and then feel rather disposable as a result. The aggregate effect is that the world ends up feeling uninspiring and dull.

While die hards of the Cyanide and Happiness franchise may find plenty of redeeming qualities with this title, it was an overall miss for me. Though my love of C&H really makes me hope they'll try again because it definitely had promise.



A copy of this game was provided by the developer.