Stick it to the Stickman Early Access Review
It’s dog-eat-dog in the corporate world in Stick It to the Stickman.
Stick it to the Stickman. Credit: Free Lives / Devolver Digital
Stick it to the Stickman arrived in Early Access from Free Lives and Devolver Digital, and so far, it’s another home run. The game is an unhinged corporate satire in the form of a hyperviolent beat-em-up. This is a must-play.
The premise is that to succeed in corporate America, you don’t climb up the corporate ladder: you build a way up with the bloodied bodies of your co-workers. You work your way up from the lowly basement, “firing” your workmates, until you reach the roof, where you murder the CEO, your boss, to become him and find out you’re just a puppet for the looming shareholders. Then, the cycle begins anew as you assume the role of another worker. It's a brilliant setup for both the game's satirical humor and its roguelike structure, where each successful ascension to the top means you become the new boss, only to inevitably face your own challenger. The humor hits consistently throughout. Every element had me grinning as I hacked my way through the corporate jungle.
Stick it to the Stickman. Credit: Free Lives / Devolver Digital
The beat-em-up gameplay works through an interesting deckbuilding-style mechanic where you construct your perfect combat machine by choosing from random new moves or move upgrades as you level up. Each character class starts with a few base moves and a perk based on their personality, and you build up from there. Fire staplers or throw coffee cups. Headbutt or sweep kick. Pyrokinesis or force choke. It’s wonderful and ridiculous.
Stick it to the Stickman. Credit: Free Lives / Devolver Digital
The variety of content present at this early stage is impressive. Beyond the main tower-climbing mode, there's a wealth of side activities. The fulfillment center platforming levels come hard at a certain megacorporation and offer completely different gameplay. You also unlock a CEO cage match autobattler with online PvP support, and the open-world map between areas offers GTA-lite gameplay.
Stick it to the Stickman. Credit: Free Lives / Devolver Digital
The large number of character classes is where the game's personality really shines. Each one cleverly skewers different workplace personality types with its base attacks and starting perk. My favorite has to be the Task Dodger, because Free Lives built his avoidant personality into the class selection screen, a true stroke of genius that made me laugh. It's a perfect example to illustrate how full of fun and surprises this game is.
Performance-wise, I had to run the game on "weak computer" settings on Steam Deck, but it still looked fantastic and maintained very playable framerates except for brief moments when particle effects got out of hand. The colorful, cartoonish 3D graphics contrast with the satisfyingly extreme violence. I loved the animations. Really, I loved everything about this game’s look.
Stick it to the Stickman. Credit: Free Lives / Devolver Digital
As an Early Access title, Stick it to the Stickman already feels remarkably complete with its varied content and character classes. The developers are targeting 12 months in Early Access and plan to add new modes, including manufacturing, marketing, a science center, and corporate lobbying. I’m truly excited to see where it goes, especially if Free Lives can maintain this level of polish. This is one to watch and is well worth picking up now.
Stick It to the Stickman is available now on Steam in Early Access.
Played on: Steam Deck
