Devolver Digital and developer Free Lives, known for its work on Anger Foot, have announced a brand new beat-em-up game perfect for those who hate the drudgery of office life. In Stick it to the Stickman, you’ll play a disgruntled worker who, essentially, goes postal in a towering office.
With the power of rage at your side, you’ll wield a range of deadly weapons as you fight your way through office worker hordes, and battle your way to the top of the veritable ‘ivory tower’. You’ll be able to punch and kick your way through office halls, but also utilise tools like coffee cups and laser blasts to down your enemies, as well as – to quote the game’s press release – ‘weaponised farts’.
That’s right, you’ll be able to fart your way to the top in this office brawler.
‘Batter your way through compliant coworkers, menial middle-management and brutal bosses, learning more powerful “business techniques” on your way to becoming CEO of the worst company in America,’ the game’s official description reads.
‘Attack is the best form of defence in business, and it’s kill or be killed. Pick up powerful upgrades and HR-approved weaponry to ensure your Stickman is more than just a yes-man.’
‘Your career trajectory isn’t just vertical! Incorporate new subsidiary companies to squeeze out the competition, with each acquisition offering new gameplay, new enemies, new bosses, new weapons and more! Build a conglomerate that rules the marketplace and dominates our hearts!’
You can check out the new trailer for the game below:
As you’d expect from Free Lives, Stick it to the Stickman looks like a wild and frenetic ride, with wacky physics complimented by the game’s neon visual style and tower-block progression system. As you fight through each level of the game’s corporate ladder, you’ll be able to gain more weird weaponry and upgrades, including new abilities and attacks.
The concept, in practice, is fairly horrifying – but this is neatly hidden with a cutesy stickman aesthetic that reduces the violence, and makes the entire brawler seem more cartoonish than sinister.
Stick it to the Stickman will be on show during PAX West 2022, from 2-6 September. It’s expected to launch sometime in 2023.
