Castle Crashers Creators' New Game Is Hilarious
By Riley Little 26 February 2016
The team behind the ever-popular Castle Crashers is hard at work on a brand new game called Pit People, and one editor went hands-on with the hilarious turn-based title.
The Behemoth isn’t a household name, which is a shame considering that the studio has produced one of the more popular downloadable games in recent memory with Castle Crashers. The four-player hack-and-slash title resonated with fans as a result of its couch co-op and zany humor, and those are key elements that the team is hoping to carry over with its latest game, Pit People. This software is a rather large departure from the aforementioned castle-crashing title, but it has ended up being a rather welcomed introduction to the world of turn-based strategy for the longtime indie dev.
I was given the opportunity to go hands-on with Pit People during a recent media event in San Fransisco, where I quickly fell in love with the pure hilarity of the dialogue present within the forthcoming title. For some context, let me first lay the groundwork for the game itself, as the turn-based strategy installment that it really is. Bear with me, though, as I can’t imagine I’ll be able to do proper justice to a game that has captivated me so.
Pit People takes place in a world where everything is dictated by a god-like creature that doubles as the narrator of the ongoing story. Evidently, this person is just pure evil, as his initial appearance sets him up against a humble blueberry farmer named Horatio which he proclaims shall be killed – as it turns out, I was destined to control this fence-wielding farmer. As the narrator progressively becomes irritated by player’s inability to pass away, he eventually slams his massive and fury fist down on the hero’s house. Tragically, Horatio’s son happened to be in the structure when this happened, setting up a revenge plot for the ages. Evidently, those are the rather bizarre events that kickstart the entire adventure.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in Pit People.Those that played through The Behemoth’s Battleblock Theatre will be familiar with the individual cranking out the bulk of the dialogue in this latest title. The actor, Will Stamper, has some of the most well-acted, sarcastic, and hysterically delivered lines in gaming, and they immediately pulled me into the world that The Behemoth has created. Of course, his role as the game’s villain is made bitter sweet, as players are supposed to hate him but end up in stitches over the nonchalant insults he hurls towards the characters under the player’s control.
This world became progressively more bizarre as I entered another arena further on in the game. The hexagonal movement pieces littered the landscape, and I tore through the legions of hostiles at a leisure pace. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I was greeted with an uzi-wielding boss that was flown in and dropped off by a giraffe tied to a bunch of balloons. This is the kind of mind-numbingly out of nowhere stuff that kept me on my toes throughout my time with Pit People, and it’s one of the main reasons I’m excited to go back to it.
Cue the giraffe.The game looks to get a lot more complex as it goes on, albeit still easily approachable in a way that makes it more appealing to a wider audience than something like Fire Emblem. The wacky characters that can be recruited – coupled with the fact that units have strengths and weaknesses in a simplified rock-paper-scissors combat system – make for an approachable, completely out there, one of a kind turn-based strategy game. The best part? It supports couch co-op, which means that friends can sit down and enjoy the game just like they have with every other title that The Behemoth has released thus far.
The end result of my time with Pit People was reminiscent of a playable version of that infamous Looney Tunes cartoon in which Daffy Duck has to square off with the pencil operated by his creators. The fact that The Behemoth managed to make me so overly entertained with a game in one sitting is a rarity, and I genuinely feel like there are many more laughs yet to be had.
Pit People arrives for PC and Xbox One but is currently without a release date.
