Have you ever wanted to be an animal? What about an animal that possesses the ability to shoot a rocket launcher? Well, The Crackpet Show by indie developer, Vixa Games gives you that opportunity and a whole lot more.

The Crackpet Show, as the title suggest, is a rogue-lite shoot’em-up game about mutated animals that fight in a bizarre TV show to crush their opponents with weapons that will make some third-country shudder.

As the start screen, you can select your favorite bestie, or beasties, in this case, gear them up and get ready for the ultimate showdown.

Addictive as Crack

The game is action-packed and will have you hooked. From the get-go, you can choose from different beasts each with its own unique skills and abilities. You can then customize them with different items, skins, and enhancements that grant them special powers, like increased speed, temporary invulnerability, and attack power.

As you progress through the robust areas, you'll face bigger and more powerful enemies as well as bosses who are harder to defeat and hell bent on cancelling your contract. Of course, if you manage to survive to the end, you'll be rewarded with fame, fortune, and sweet sponsorship deals that will net you more unique items and upgrades.

The graphics are bright, vibrant, and very cartoon-like giving the game a very appealing look, especially to a younger audience. The only issue is that this game isn't intended for such a young crowd unless they like to see their favorite bunny splattered to death. The different caricatures, however, bring out the characters' personalities, from a rapid pig to a shark who appears to suffer from the mad-cow disease.

The animations are smooth and fluid, making it easy to control your pet while they blast their way through the levels and the sound effects adds to the atmosphere of craziness. Overall, the mix of upbeat music and sound effects make it fun to listen to while playing.

One nice feature is that there is plenty of replay value due to its rogue-like nature. Every time you play, or replay a level, for example, it's randomly generated so no two playthroughs will feel exactly alike. This feature keeps things fresh so even when you've beaten a certain area, you can go back and try again, but this time with better stats.

Plus, there are tons of weapon upgrades and achievements for completionists out there so even after beating all the levels, there’s still plenty left for them to explore.

Whack Pack

So far all's well and good, right? Yes, mostly. Like other games of this genre, the game starts to get easy once you get a good build going. Still, I don't know quite what to say about this type of level design.

On one hand, it's quick and dynamically generated. On the second hand, each one seems easy to beat while the obligatory end-level boss is a hit-and-miss with some that can be defeated easily while others are just pure brutes.

Finally, let's talk about the co-op only mode. Now, conventionality isn't necessarily a strength and if the developers wanted to do a true co-op mode, they should have gone all in. Games like this almost always require on-line multiplayer to maximize its enjoyment.

Instead, Vixa Games erred on the side of familiarity and caution, and in the process, has left me with a game that I can only play by myself. Sure, I can do local co-op via split screen. But seriously, split screen? C'mon folks, it's 2022. We should get a real MP mode as the game deserves it.

Gong Show Plus

All in all, however, The Crackpet Show is a really fun game full of action-packed combat and bright visuals that will keep players engaged for hours on end despite its lack of true co-op mode.

So, whether you're looking for a casual gaming experience or something more intense where every playthrough offers something new, this is a game worth checking out.

Joel

Healthcare Professional, Gamer, and Writer all rolled up in one. He once opened up an old Atari 2600 to see if it had a heart ... and it did. Hence, the lifelong love affair with gaming.

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