JUSTICE SUCKS was provided to Kakariko Herald by tinyBuild Games for review.
When JUSTICE SUCKS was first revealed, I was very interested in the concept. It was something unique I hadn’t really heard of, so when we were given the chance to try it out, I was immediately excited.
JUSTICE SUCKS, for those who don’t know, is the latest game from Melbourne-based Samurai Punk (and published by tinyBuild Games) that centers around Dusty McClean’s plot for revenge after his family is kidnapped and warranty is voided by the evil corporation who made him. Knocked into a world of 90s television, Dusty is trained (by you, of course) for the war ahead of him, with the ability to unlock various power-ups, perks, and complete various challenges. The more you complete, the stronger Dusty becomes.
In this review, I’ll be covering the story (no spoilers), gameplay & upgrades (power-ups, perks, etc.), and my overall thoughts at the end.
Story
As I mentioned in the introduction, Dusty McClean’s family has been kidnapped by an evil corporation. This same corporation voided his warranty and sent Dusty into “90s television land” (as I call it.) You team up with Sexy McClean, the hotter, dreamier manifestation of Dusty, to train up through various scenarios, and ultimately, rescue your family.
For the purposes of this review, I’d like to discuss the first level: the McClean’s home. This acts as the tutorial level, where you get to meet members of the family and learn the controls. The story plays out a little something like this: Dad asks you to turn on the TV, then he can’t find his keys, then the children want to play hide and seek with you. After all is said in done, the family heads out to go do something, when suddenly, the McClean house gets robbed.
Jumping into action, Dusty is tasked with protecting the house and ‘getting rid’ of the intruders. You must stay hidden, otherwise the enemies will hurt you. So in order to attack them and stay safe, you ‘ping’ certain objects in Hack Mode (accessible on the ‘R’ bumper button on the Switch controller) to draw their attention to the traps. Once they get close to it, you can hit the button and harm the enemies for the greater good. Oh, and you get bonuses for absolutely devouring the enemies once you’ve killed them.
So, yeah, you’re a crazed robot vacuum killer. But, it’s only done for the sake of revenge, so it’s okay. Probably. (I’m not an expert on laws within Dusty McClean’s universe, so, don’t take my word for it.)
Unfortunately, at the end of this mission, Dusty McClean is hurt by way of getting knocked into a television set (ouch) and his family is kidnapped. Thus begins the game, where you are transported into a world filled with 90s TV themes and references, as well as being introduced to your manifested “sexy” counterpart, aptly named Sexy McClean. (Those abs really are something!)
Gameplay & Upgrades
Teaming up with Sexy, you’re trained by him to exact revenge on your family’s abductors through a series of missions and other challenges. The game actively encourages you to retry for the best scores and outcome, which in turn, gives you a higher power level and allows you to progress through the game at a slower pace. While you can just speed right through to the end, I think the way the game encourages you to play through allows you to enjoy it more!
Upgrades, perks, and other improvements are obtained by completing missions and challenges, as well as powering up Dusty to higher levels. The higher you go, the stronger you become, of course! (The Sexy Punch is my favourite personally, as it’s fun to watch enemies go flying mere seconds before eating them… Anyways, moving on.) These perks are activated by consuming your enemies and sucking up their blood, a la vampires, which is a cool way to encourage players to clean up after themselves.
Conclusion: Overall Thoughts
Even though there were a few minor graphical things that caught my eye – models are low-poly in some situations, Hack Mode felt sluggish when there was a lot going on, and cleaning up could feel tedious in large stages – it was a great experience overall and I’m looking forward to replaying the game in the future. With all that said: I hereby rate this game an 8/10 on our Scoring Chart!
JUSTICE SUCKS released today and is $19.99 on the US Switch eShop. (Our code was provided for the Switch version.)
JUSTICE SUCKS
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8/10
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7/10
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8/10
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9/10
In Summary
Liked: The story, challenges, and power-ups are really fun to play and mess around with. Leaderboards are an awesome addition, too! [Framerate also felt solid!] Needs improvement: Sometimes, model felt “low poly” but still looked good. Hack Mode feels a bit sluggish at times, but still fun to mess with. Cleaning up can also feel tedious in bigger stages. JUSTICE SUCKS was provided to Kakariko Herald by tinyBuild Games for review.