Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim Review (PC)

Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim puts us in a place that we often dread to think about, yet, like most coming-of-age ne’er do wells, have little choice but to openly embrace with studded teeth as the proverbial establishment rains hellfire on our dreary parades. It resonates with us, not just to remind us that we, as common folk with higher ambitions, are all bound to the same perpetual fear of missing our time in the spotlight, but to highlight the fact that, as mere mortals, we also have the ability to forge our own destiny and manipulate the very fibers of our lives. It’s a finger to the social norms—a prod in the chest of an ordinary lifestyle. It is, in layman’s terms, punk rock, and it doesn’t shy away from flaunting its bare knuckles to convey a message.

Dead Pets is, first and foremost, a juggling act—a pantomime of socialistic affairs that invites you, the aspiring musician with a shoulder demon who has a nasty habit of pressing you for time, to journey through the daily routine whilst balancing a career as an employee at a lonely diner, a spot in a seemingly failing band, and a friend in a circle that thirsts for greater things. It falls to you, as the keeper of journals, to navigate life and decide where to pour your faith. Will you be the best you can be to earn that ever-elusive promotion, or will you pour blood, sweat and tears into “one last show” before the band takes a long overdue hiatus? In Dead Pets, it’s you who pulls the strings and decides where ol’ Gordy will eventually wind up in the wake of adulthood.

The Gift of the Gab

There’s a relatively simple indie game here that doesn’t require much of you other than a willing attitude to engage in  a wealth of seemingly related mini-games. It’s a little piece of Diner Dash, a small chunk of Guitar Hero, and just a slither of your bog-standard visual novel, complete with all of the choice-driven quips and multi-avenue butterfly effects of a traditional EP. You can organize your outfits, befriend NPCs, participate in activities, and, above all, manage your well-being, your mental health and the smallest facets that make you, well, you.

It goes like this: Gordy, a twenty-something ne’er do well with an undying desire to juggle life, ambition, and financial obligations simultaneously, enters a perpetual state of mind—a cycle where, despite there being silver linings draped throughout, an unstoppable force always prevents them from finding a level playing field. A band on the verge of success; a job that requires too much effort; a ragtag clique who constantly vie for support; and an inner demon who just wants to add the occasional fork in the road to peace and prosperity. Herein lies a rather familiar conundrum—a tale that is as equally cliché as it is relatable. It’s rebelliously pulpy, somewhat predictable, and oh-so-punk rock. Maybe that’s sort of the point, though.

To further illuminate its outlandish nature, Dead Pets doesn’t shy away from its admiration of Bojack Horseman, particularly its art style and the weird yet whimsical way in which it portrays its ultraviolet aesthetics. It shows a lot in its own composition, too, with each of Dead Pets’ characters all resembling a unique pawn in a feminist fantasy of fluorescent colors and quirky personalities, adult humor and tongue-in-cheek satire. And you know what? It foots the bill surprisingly well here. Sure, it’s a little on the unorthodox side, but for what “it” is—a caricature unto itself that doesn’t necessarily play by the rules or follow the conventional route—it matches the canvas remarkably well.

Gameplay-wise, Dead Pets is mostly made up of mini-games and off-the-cuff activities. And when I say mostly, I mean to say entirely. See, while the game does offer a sizable portion of things for you to see and do while navigating the highs and lows of Gordy’s turbulent journey through adulthood, most of the experience is comprised of simple yet oddly satisfying parlor games and gimmicky rhythmic affairs. It’s a visual novel with a dozen or more foldout pages—a book with stickers that somehow contain the answers to Gordy’s questions. And, to give credit where it’s due, each of said stickers are actually a lot of fun to peel and apply. Granted, the game as a whole doesn’t bring anything new to the table, nor does it introduce anything particularly special to the usual formula. Yet, Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim does manage to accomplish something that a lot of other life sims fail to do: to merge all of its facets into a comprehensive series of events that not only feel oddly relatable, but evergreen and intriguing. It isn’t going to win Best Narrative at The Game Awards, but I can appreciate a good indie when I see one.

Verdict

Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim is an oddball indie that doesn’t shy away from its punk heritage or its natural tendency to lean into its Bojack facets. It’s the sort of game that you would typically turn to when you’re feeling an unusual urge to bury your head in a sandbox with no formal blueprint. It’s nonsensical, unhinged, and above all, a whole lot of fun to jam out to.

If you, like me, felt that Dustborn didn’t quite deliver on its promise to capture the essence of a punk rock heartbeat, then you might be pleasantly surprised to find that, where the ragtag roadies failed to melt the faces of its kindred fans, Dead Pets was able to ignite an inferno that a lot of us assumed to be without the kindling to roar. It’s still a niche piece of work I’ll admit, and it isn’t likely to accommodate everyone in the room. That said, if you happen to be on the market for a coming-of-age tale with rich feminist themes and troves upon troves of mini-games, then you should definitely take the plunge into the bloodstream of this pulseless rebel.