Party games, where a group of up to four players compete in various mini-games, is supposed to be fun but it also can be a session of utter suffering. So what if there’s a video game that embraces the “nobody wins” aspect of a Mario Party but do away with the happy-fun-times pretense and present the experience in its true, grungy, horrific nature?
That’s the quick pitch for Machine Party, the next game by Mike Klubnika, the creator of Buckshot Roulette, co-developed with GDeavid and publisher Oro Interactive.
Machine Party can be played with 2-4 players, featuring 15 “uniquely violent” party games. These are set within the “Klubnika universe,” so it is canonically part of Buckshot Roulette.
The range of party games is pretty decent from what’s shown in this new release date trailer. Match the shape made of multiple cubes, losers get shot to death. Operate an assembly line by pushing the right objects out of the conveyor belt or be pushed into the presser. Play a game of hide and seek where everyone must rush to a defending player (who has a sniper rifle). Pick a door that hopefully opens so you can dodge a moving train running across the room. Don’t choke when smoking a joint in a no-smoking room or get shot by a hidden gun.
Some of the minigames allows for shenaniganry. In a game of avoid-the-sawblades-roomba-of-death, you can push someone to their gory deaths.
All of these is delivered in that grungy, low-poly PS1-style aesthetic with an industrial soundtrack composed by Alex Peipman.
The “test subjects” (player character) can be customised with zany hats, so you can clearly tell who gets shot when they lose a minigame.
Since its announcement during the Triple-i Initiative showcase last April, Machine Party has accrued 150,000 wishlists. Wishlists don’t necessarily translate to sales, but it’s an indication of how many players who are aware of the game and are at least interested to see more news, and 150,000 wishlists for an indie game is not too shabby.
Oro Interactive has a pretty good stable of multiplayer “friendslop” games, including Roadside Research and Mama’s Sleeping Angels. They also have some interesting single-player indie titles, including the chill yet chilling driving game Easy Delivery Co.
Machine Party launches on July 30 on PC (Steam).