Cruelty Squad Review Summary

An incredibly unique immersive sim with tight, fun gameplay and a steep learning curve, but harsh visuals may trigger seizures; highly recommended, especially on sale.

Game is praised as good: Many reviewers describe the game as good, fun, and entertaining, with solid gameplay and a unique experience. The overall reception is highly positive.

Game is incredibly unique: Reviewers frequently highlight the game's uniqueness, noting that it offers an experience unlike other games on the market, with distinctive design and gameplay.

High replayability: Reviewers emphasize the game's high replay value, thanks to its level design, modes, difficulties, secrets, and varied equipment and strategies.

Gameplay is fun and tight: The gameplay is described as fun, flowy, and tight, with an exciting loop that keeps players engaged. Reviewers appreciate the overall feel and execution of the mechanics.

Game is a masterpiece: Some reviewers consider the game excellent, well-made, and even a masterpiece, with unforgettable experiences and top-tier quality.

Visuals are harsh and ugly: Players consistently report that the game's visuals are abrasive, ugly, and cause eye strain. The color palette and design choices are described as deliberately unpleasant and even nauseating.

High difficulty and unforgiving: The game is widely considered challenging and punishing, with frequent deaths and demanding gameplay. This difficulty requires significant willpower and can be off-putting.

Game is confusing initially: Many players find the game's premise and early stages unclear, with an inadequate tutorial. The lack of explanation makes it hard to understand what to do or what the game is about.

Risk of photosensitive seizures: The visual design poses a serious health risk for epileptics and photosensitive individuals, potentially triggering seizures, nausea, and dizziness. This is a major safety concern.

Slow and tedious start: Players note that the game takes time to become enjoyable and is hard to get into initially. The early game is perceived as uninteresting and a barrier to engagement.

Immersive sim design: The game is frequently compared to immersive sims like Deus Ex and System Shock. It features interconnected levels and multiple approaches to objectives, similar to Hitman.

FPS gunplay praised: Players consistently highlight the first-person shooter mechanics, including tight gunplay and a variety of unlockable weapons. The game is described as fun and engaging due to its shooting mechanics.

High difficulty curve: The game is repeatedly noted for its high difficulty and unforgiving gameplay. Players mention a steep difficulty curve and many challenging levels, with a special mode called 'Hope Eradicated'.

Stock market simulation: A central feature is an in-game stock market simulation that affects gameplay. Players can trade stocks in real time, adding a unique economic layer.

Fishing activity present: Fishing is included as an activity or minigame, often tied to stock trading of fish. This adds a quirky side activity to the overall experience.

Visuals can trigger seizures: The game's visuals may cause epileptic seizures, a serious health concern. This suggests flashing or intense graphics that need attention.

Game is poorly optimized: Multiple players state that the game is very unoptimized and optimization is not great, citing performance problems. This suggests a need for performance tuning.

Frame rate drops below thresholds: Players report frame rate drops below 240 fps at both 4k and 1440p resolutions, indicating performance issues on high-end displays.

Runs well on old hardware: Some players report the game runs perfectly fine on a busted old gaming laptop or can run on basically anything, indicating good scalability on low-end machines. However, others note stuttering on Intel i5 UHD620.

Crashes on AMD hardware: The game crashes on AMD hardware, pointing to compatibility issues with certain GPU drivers or architectures that need fixing.

Highly recommended overall: Multiple clusters indicate strong positive recommendations, with players urging others to try the game and praising it as a must-play. This reflects broad satisfaction and endorsement.

Better value on sale: Several clusters suggest buying the game during sales rather than at full price, indicating that while the game is enjoyable, its full price may not be justified. This is common feedback for niche or unconventional titles.

Unique and bizarre experience: Players highlight the game's uniqueness and weirdness, recommending it to those seeking something different from typical shooters. This suggests the game stands out for its avant-garde art and unconventional gameplay.

Difficulty may deter some: Multiple clusters note the game's high difficulty and learning curve, with advice for patience and using guides. This indicates the game is challenging and may not suit casual or impatient players.

Replayability and exploration rewarded: Players mention high replay value, with encouragement to experiment and discover secrets, suggesting the game offers depth and multiple ways to approach objectives. This appeals to completionists and explorers.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 30.0h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

Session length: 1.0h.

Cruelty Squad has a punishing initial learning curve due to confusing mechanics and no tutorial, but after about an hour of adjustment, most players find it becomes a deeply addictive and rewarding immersive sim.

Friction: steep learning curve; confusing mechanics; no tutorial; janky controls; ugly visuals; initial sensory overload.

Unlock drivers: getting used to controls; mastering mechanics; obtaining augmentations like grappling hook; game mechanics clicking; adapting to difficulty; unlocking movement options.

Immersive Sim Connoisseur: Methodical, exploratory, using augments and multiple approaches to navigate levels and eliminate targets stealthily or creatively. Motivation: Emergent gameplay and systemic depth, enjoying the freedom to solve levels in many ways. Stance: buy.

Speedrunning Veteran: Aggressive, optimizing runs through levels, learning enemy spawns, weapon placements, and mastering movement to achieve high ranks or speed. Motivation: Mastery, competition, and the thrill of perfecting runs through challenging, punishing gameplay. Stance: buy.

Political Satire Enthusiast: Slow, thoughtful exploration, reading environmental details, appreciating the thematic layers and absurdist commentary on modern society. Motivation: Engaging with the game's biting political and social critique, finding meaning in its dystopian cyberpunk satire. Stance: buy.

Most Windows users with 8GB+ VRAM and Linux users with low VRAM report good performance, but Windows users with under 8GB VRAM and Linux users with 16GB+ VRAM experience occasional lag spikes or frame drops.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Performance is mixed with reports of long loading times, lag spikes, and unoptimized behavior, even though some users still recommend it.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Game runs perfectly with no performance complaints reported.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: positive. Only one review, no performance issues mentioned.

Steam Deck: The game has major compatibility issues on Steam Deck, with users reporting it unplayable and requiring urgent optimization. Audio glitches on Linux are also common. Additional complaints about UI and controls may further impact the experience on the device.

Linux and Proton: The game has mixed Linux/Proton reception. Some users praise Proton for working well, while others encounter an arcane Godot-related unplayability issue and persistent audio glitches. The evidence is sparse, but suggests that while Proton can work, there are notable Linux-specific problems that may require troubleshooting.

External guides: User feedback indicates a heavy reliance on external guides and wikis due to hidden mechanics, cryptic secrets, and poorly signposted navigation. The primary complaint centers around the need for instructional data to uncover hidden content and understand game systems, with secondary concerns about maze-like level design.

Frequent comparisons to Gorbino's Quest: Many reviewers compare this game to Gorbino's Quest, with some feeling it is not as good while others favor it. This comparison dominates the feedback and suggests it is a key reference point.

Best value when on sale: Reviewers consistently advise buying the game only on sale, stating it is not worth the full price. This pricing concern appears frequently and is a common recommendation.

Comparisons to Hitman series: The game is frequently compared to Hitman for its assassination targets and sandbox gameplay. Reviewers note both similarities and differences, such as a more hostile world.

Comparisons to Deus Ex: Reviewers compare the game to Deus Ex in terms of design and feel, sometimes to counter criticism of enemy damage. This indicates a similar immersive sim and systemic approach.

Similar to Postal 2: Reviewers compare the game to Postal 2, describing both as FPS sandbox games with civilians, enemies, and tools for objectives. This highlights the chaotic and open-ended nature of the gameplay.