This bizarre low-poly immersive sim is 70% off on Steam right now
There isn't a way to accurately describe Cruelty Squad. It's a violent and brash attack on your senses, from the eye-strain-inducing visuals to the reverb-drenched soundtrack and purposely shrill sound effects. As a game, it looks like it does everything to push you away from it. It even comes with a warning label urging people with photosensitive epilepsy to stay away.
Yet, despite its brash rejection of norms, there is a surprisingly deep and fun game beneath. You play as a depressed assassin hired by a shady corporate entity, and the basic gameplay loop will feel very familiar to fans of games like Hitman and Deus Ex.
After you select your loadout, you engage with massive open-ended levels, talking to NPCs, figuring out routes, and exploring the best way to achieve your goals. There are multiple paths to find during a mission, tons of ways to achieve your goals, and the sheer size of the levels means tons of replayability.
A successful assassination or extraction will reward you with money to spend on body mods - that grant you abilities like long jumps and better body armor. Any weapon you find during a mission is added to your arsenal and available to choose from the loadout before any mission.
Cruelty Squad feels like a bizarre fever dream laced with some not-so-subtle commentary on depression and extremely engaging, tactical gameplay that feels rewarding to pull off. The game is 70% off on Steam till March 8th.
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