I’ve kept an eye peeled on Big Drunk Satanic Massacre since I heard the name. Sometimes a title is so crazy you just have to pay attention, and that’s certainly the case with Big Way Games’ twisted twin-stick adventure. The plot of Big Drunk Satanic Massacre goes a little something like this. Humans have invaded Hell, and mega-corporations have found out how to profit at the expense of the demonic hordes. While Satan might not have a problem with this, his son Lou certainly does, especially after his succubus girlfriend is kidnapped by one mega-corp, Big Wac.
If that sounds insane, then it’s a good thing you’re paying attention. Big Drunk Satanic Massacre not only revels in the crazy, it swims in a deep pool of it. There’s tons of referential humor and memes all over the place, such as how the load screen looks a little like something from DOOM or Duke Nukem. But don’t be confused, this is not a FPS, but instead a frenetic twin-stick shooter. You move Lou around, blasting foes to pieces with one of 6 different weapons with dual firepower settings. There’s a flamethrower that also launches explosive mines, for example. And you’ll need all that weaponry, cause there’s a shitload of foes the game throws at you. They range from the predictable, like demons, to things like militarized My Little Ponies to a sort of undead, guitar playing Danny Trejo to a bloated fool that looks suspiciously like he’s from Family Guy.
But that’s not the only way Big Drunk Satanic Massacre plays with gamers. It also has intentional censorship modes, such as taking out all the sex and replacing it with more guns and explosions, or using pixels to censor the naughty bits. But no matter how you decide to play, there’s a lot to enjoy. It definitely takes a certain sense of humor, but those not easily offended should love the game. Just be ready, cause there’s some really strange and creepy stuff here, such as a minigame where Lou “satisfies” a well known historical fascist.
As for how the game controls, it seemed fluid and had satisfying punch as I played. Which is good, since Big Drunk Satanic Massacre is slated for PC and consoles. If this makes it to Switch, I’d be very curious to see whether it gets purposefully censored or not. Either way, Big Way Games may have a winner on their hands here. Just make sure you have lots of health restoring milk handy, cause this is gonna be a wild ride.
