Cyanide & Happiness – Freakpocalypse

It was only a matter of time before the beloved Cyanide and Happiness series would make its way to another form of media. This webcomic was launched in early 2005 around the same time that use of the internet was reaching levels of popularity never seen before. Of course, websites and social media outlets see infinitely more traffic in one day now than they would have a decade and a half ago, but this still goes to show the staying power which the series has.

Its crass yet relatable humor has drawn in audiences for years and has evolved numerous times during its extensive run. With the release of Cyanide and Happiness: Freakpocalypse, the series has entered yet another realm of consumption that perfectly fits today’s trends. Despite the success this series has had as a webcomic and as short skits on YouTube, Freakpocalypse left a lot to be desired as a video game installment.

Cynical as Always

If you’re absolutely in love with Cyanide and Happiness’ writing style, I’m happy to say that the tone is consistent with the rest of their creations and falls right in line with other comics and videos. A lot of the jokes land pretty well, there’s decent comedic timing, and a lot of the player-driven events are sure to get a laugh without fail.

This is certainly the strongest part of the game – its impossible to say that their tried and true method of pleasing their audience isn’t successful here. Getting to play as Super Coop, the main character, as he tries to deal with the freaks of the C&H world felt right at home. Although its down a peg on the ‘raunchiness’ scale in comparison, Freakpocalypse is written in a way similar to the South Park The Stick of Truth and South Park: The Fractured But Whole.

None of the jokes, purely visual or otherwise, never get too graphic but they still include quite a bit of risque humor in each scene. This is how I felt during the first hour or so of gameplay – it was thoroughly enjoyable and felt like the developers worked in harmony with the creators. While it had its moments that kept me intrigued so far, a few noticeable issues began to eat away at me during each level.

Lacks a Certain Something

As a point and click game, its expected that the writing will be top notch throughout the experience. I honestly enjoy P&C games because they give you a chance to appreciate the settings you’re placed in during each scene, but Freakpocalypse just didn’t live up to this standard. It had the same general tone as the comics and skits – the problem is that it was watered down in comparison to these benchmarks. There were also a lot of missed opportunities that the developers should have taken advantage of seeing as this is a video game.

I’m not wholly sure what the advantage of making a game instead of making another skit out of this was besides the monetary perspective. Sure, you’ve got an inventory to work with, and there are some divergent ways to deal with situations as Super Coop, but they really didn’t provide much else other than an extra funny moment or two. Although this game had great art direction (at least it was true to the C&H style) and competent sound design, these assets weren’t enough to convince me that a video game was the right direction since the developers hardly took advantage of what the medium offers.

Bottom Line

Regardless of its shortcomings as a video game and its ability to utilize the primary ideas that set Cyanide and Happiness comics apart, the experience was incredibly short, watered down, and overall a lackluster experience.

Pros:

• Maintains the C&H theme well
• Has some comical moments
• Good art and sound design

Cons:

• Overall uninteresting experience
• Writing has its moments but is dull after short playtime
• Doesn’t use video game media to further the C&H chaos