Stick it to the Stickman Preview
Once upon a browser tab, stickman-based Flash games ruled the internet. Low on pixels, high on chaos, and often weirdly well-animated, these games gave up-and-coming developers a chance to showcase their talents. Stick it to the Stickman aims to revive that same wild spirit in a physics-driven, roguelike brawler. But in a genre already packed with heavy-hitters, can it do more than just cash in on nostalgia?
As a lowly worker, your goal is to literally climb the corporate ladder to become the most powerful man in the company. How? By decimating all your co-workers and kicking the crap out of your boss to become the CEO. While your goal is simple, there’s always another employee vying for your position of power. With a clear message about capitalistic greed, Stick it to the Stickman adds a healthy dose of humor to the adventure, reinforcing its tongue-in-cheek satire of the modern workplace. Although its narrative doesn’t break new ground, there’s a pleasant narrative threat to keep you engaged.
Missing its Target
As with any brawler, combat is central to the experience; unfortunately, this is where the game stumbles. As you progress through each floor of the office workplace, you’ll unlock bonuses that enhance your offensive abilities. These can extend your combos or upgrade existing attacks, turning a simple uppercut into a visceral dragon punch. Perks can also be collected as you progress, giving you the option to slow down time, gain health and more. While the system is thoughtfully designed and offers several distinct ways to tailor your fighting style, its implementation ultimately funnels that variety into a repetitive, button-mashing routine.
The simple controls lead to an accessible brawler that is easy to pick up and play. Each move is well animated and flows seamlessly from the last. As enemies flood the area, you will need to work out which to eliminate and when. Although the majority are fodder, you encounter certain characters with extra abilities or more health, resulting in some strategy when working your way up floors. However, due to the ragdoll physics, manoeuvring can also be troublesome. This leads to abandoning all tactics and throwing punches into the chaos. While this is enjoyable at first, the shallow gameplay struggles to maintain engagement.
You have the option to select an employee type before starting your run. These are genuinely funny, resonating with anyone who has been in a workplace with classes such as Work Avoider, Weeb and much more. Their move set also correlates with their class, which adds more variety to the experience. I would have liked to see these lead into different play styles as well. Currently, even if you select a player with more evasive options, they don’t differ from a brute. While you may align with a certain character’s moveset, this doesn’t alter the gameplay enough.
Time to Work
Tasks you complete and money you earn contribute to objectives that expand your corporate control over the city. Alongside unlocking new options for your ascent up the tower, you can also take part in well-designed minigames like driving, taking on a different job, or even cage fighting. These diversions not only add variety but also highlight the thoughtful meta-progression baked into the game’s core. Free Lives clearly has a plan for how this system will evolve, and I’m genuinely interested to see where it goes.
The simple visual design is appealing, with contrasting colours that highlight active enemies. While it doesn’t do much to stand out stylistically, it executes its intentions well. Unfortunately, I did encounter some performance issues, though I assume these will be ironed out during the Early Access period.
Stick it to the Stickman is packed with potential but needs some refinement. The meta-progression is strong, offering continual unlocks, objectives, and tasks to complete. However, the core combat, central to the experience, lacks the depth and precision expected from the genre. While it does scratch that pick-up-and-play itch, it doesn’t quite do enough to keep you hooked. As it stands, it’s entertaining in short bursts but struggles to leave a lasting impression.
***PC code provided by the publisher for preview***
