The Crackpet Show takes the Smash T.V. gameplay and plot but swaps the beefy, shirtless dudes with mutated animals that are reminiscent of Happy Tree Friends. Ideally played with local multiplayer, this twin-stick shooter (which is really more like a single stick shooter with auto-aim) requires more patience than most.
This top-down action game has unfortunate timing. At the time of this article, Vampire Survivors has become an overnight hit on Xbox and PC. Playing The Crackpet Show here on Switch just minutes after turning off Vampire Survivors on Xbox only made me want to play more Vampire Survivors. The slower, deliberate gameplay seems painfully boring in comparison.
Even without the direct comparison between these two games, it is easy to see the flaws with the Crackpet Show’s overall approach. The cartoony visuals are aiming for a humorous style but come off as trying too hard. Everything is composed of over-the-top gore but winds up being more eyerolling than funny. The visuals, one of the main features of this downloadable game, are unnecessarily gross and doesn’t add to the overall fun factor. They are made with quality, but the highly immature theme simply doesn’t make the game any better.
Regardless of how the game looks, there is no denying the horrendous load times. Before the game starts, the player must stare at a solid black screen for such a long period of time, you’ll think your Switch hard-froze. When the game eventually boots, the player is subjected to more loading screens than actual gameplay. It literally takes longer to load each stage than it takes to clear it. Unless you have a tremendous amount of patience, the long, frequent loading screens are entirely unacceptable in 2022.
Gameplay-wise, the left stick is used to move while the face buttons attack and dodge with a liberal auto-aim system. The stage designs are small and there are usually not many enemies to kill but bosses can be tough and actually a little cheap. Eventually the player will unlock permanent upgrades and an endless mode but you’ll probably rage quit from boredom before that will happen.
If the Crackpet Show was released earlier this year, it would probably have fared a little better. But why would anyone pay more for this game when they can play Vampire Survivors, which is a much better game, for less cost?
Not As Good As: Vampire Survivors
On Par With: Genetic Disaster
Don’t Forget About: Blazing Beaks
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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Rating
Our Rating - 4
4
Total Score
A slower paced roguelite single-stick shooter built around local co-op but suffers horribly from loading screens that never end. There is more loading than game.