Cursed Companions Review (PC)

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” — A monster that, believe it or not, fell to its death over something as simple as, well, a word.

While talk might be cheap, it does make for a far more compelling weapon than mere blades or bullets. It can also make for a surprisingly effective curse, given that a simple slip of the tongue can deplete a health gauge or, in some cases, deflate the soul of a star-crossed lover. In Cursed Companions, specifically, there’s no greater gift than the language barrier. A word holds the weight of the world, as does it possess the stocking power of a twelve acre galleon. That is, of course, if you know how to manipulate the lingo.

Cursed Companions utilizes the power of small talk to construct a laughably complex phrase-driven dungeon  crawler in which you, along with a troupe of fledgling wordsmiths, dispel threats with forbidden words and questionably poor pick-up lines. For example, saying something as simple as “follow me” or “okay” can be a death sentence, either for you or for those before you. As a group, it falls to you and your teammates to work together and assess each dungeon, all whilst ensuring that each slip of the tongue is beneficial for the team and not, say, the monsters that lurk in the dark.

Talking, as well as engaging in light conversation with your peers is a bit like dancing on ice in Cursed Companions. Given that you need your voice to not only dispose of unusual creatures, but to illuminate dank hallways, unlock hidden treasures, and solve environmental puzzles, everything that you say comes with a caveat. If you mistakenly say the wrong word, then you can either take a hit to the heart, or fall head over heels into a cesspit of unfathomable jargon. It’s all a little silly, but when it hits, it does a lot more than twist your tongue.

For what it’s worth, I love the concept behind Cursed Companions. With friends, there’s a lot of fun that you can have here, more so given that a single word can either make or break the experience. Flirting with a disoriented creature, for example, can provide you with comic relief, whereas making a small error with your tight-fisted vocabulary can squash your chances of finding a foot on the ladder. It’s all rather ridiculous I’ll admit. Under the circumstances, though, it’s great for a quick giggle.

The idea is simple: each character receives a word—a curse, if you will, that can either work against them, or grant them a better advantage over the board. In most cases, it’s a simple phrase that you would naturally use in an ordinary conversation. But, herein lies the problem: certain words are needed to expel demons and other pesky humanoids. For example, the Foul Moth—a winged creature that despises bad language—requires you to use specific words to “befriend” it. In other cases, you have to resort to god-awful pick-up lines to avoid a collision with “The Bride.” The list goes on, but you get the idea.

With twenty creatures to battle over a procedurally generated world, Cursed Companions always gives you a good deal to work with. To add, it offers another mode—Traitor Mode—which allows you to deceive, sabotage and ultimately conquer your opponents with secretive words. There’s also an Endless Mode and a Challenge Mode, with the latter offering a souped-up dungeon crawling experience that requires you to tackle tougher bosses with advanced vocabulary skills. The point of the game, however, remains the same: to weaponize words and to harass mindless creatures.

In addition to the game modes, Cursed Companions features a wide variety of cosmetics and skins. After completing a challenge or a dungeon, for example, you can unlock hats, sunglasses, or cheeseburger helmets. Granted, these items are purely cosmetic, and in no way do they influence the experience. That said, they do make for surprisingly good post-game rewards. Not that you need a cheeseburger helmet to bark “WHO’S YOUR DADDY?” at a monster, mind you. Don’t ask.

Cursed Companions commits to its curse and rolls with the punches in a surprisingly creative manner, with an eccentric twist that waxes both horror and humor in the form of otherworldly aesthetics. It might not be the scariest co-op horror game on the market, but it is an original one that dares to tread in waters that others have simply failed to float in. With an odd yet unique idea that takes full advantage of proximity chat and arbitrary communication, it builds a solid foundation for a long-lasting conversation. To that end, I can’t fault it.

Unfortunately, there are a few broken bones here that sully an otherwise perfectly healthy co-op game. The bugs and the frequent freezes, for example, make it so that even the simplest voyages are awfully difficult to complete and reap the rewards from. But other than that, Cursed Companions delivers everything it promises on the box: a conversation starter that will get your mind and your vocal cords working overtime.

It’s best not to expect a flawless game here, because at the end of the day, Cursed Companions is still in possession of a few nasty habits. That said, it does have an active developer at the helm, so I’m willing to give credit where it’s due and let it take its course.

Verdict

Cursed Companions sets out to make small talk the all-time ice breaker in a world where camaraderie is meshed with deadly caveats, giant moths loathe foul language, and flirtatious brides desperately crave a small helping of cheesy pick-up lines. Saying that, it all makes for a rather ridiculous co-op game. Though, it is one that you’ll likely remember, nonetheless.

If you can excuse its lack of technical polish and frequent freezes, then you should be able to scrape enough water cooler talk out of Cursed Companions’ procedurally generated dungeon to survive that next all-important board meeting. It might deflate your natural ability to construct a plausible sentence, but with any luck, it should give you something to talk about.