Review: Cruelty Squad

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Cruelty Squad on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1388770/Cruelty_Squad/
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This video uses music from Epidemic Sound

[@WritingOnGames]

joker voice: we live in a cruelty squad

[@juampan]

Is this some kind of... Society?

[@hayk3000]

What do you get when you cross a mentaly ill loner with a society governed by corporations? I'll tell you what you get. You get Cruelty Squad!

[@net6403]

instead of saying "literally 1984" say "literally cruelty squad"

[@MoonBeamLaser]

That’s it, huh, we some kind of cruelty squad?

[@DOOT_II]

@@net6403 literally gorbino's quest

[@SuperStingray]

I'd call the aesthetic heavyhanded if it wasn't so effective. It has what I feel a lot of the guilt-trip-laden messages in AAA games are missing- most of us are numb to the cognitive dissonance of killing in a video game because you can always pin your actions on some greater good, character motivations or even just the game developers, but deliberately devaluing and commodifying the lives you take isn't something you can easily shrug off.

[@SpiderMan-gf1lc]

idk, the game puts you into such a fucked up world that no life has value. Everyone is scummy and no one matters. These people don't feel like people, I don't get any empathy for them, nor for myself. It's a hellhole of a game, and that's the great part about it. At some point, you might even lack motivation and yet keep pushing because why the hell not?

[@killerexe007]

So, is this a Doomer shooter instead of a Boomer shooter?

[@TheSoulHarvester]

This might actually be pretty apt?

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

Deus Ex doomer shooter but adjusted for a more modern audience with a CEO mindset.

[@zergvenegas]

imagine a coomer shooter

[@killerexe007]

@@zergvenegas That is what Hdoom is, right?

[@l.i.l.s.bassist]

@@killerexe007 one of them, yea, another one would be like gal gun or any shooter that has sexual themes and/or obvious connotations of it

[@yourpalsammy9773]

Hearing "it's like Hitman mixed with Quake" is the best schizophrenic description for this game.

[@SoloMael]

What are we, some kind of cruelty squad?

[@giantzombiechild]

I think simplifying the message to just a Hotline Miami like critique of video game violence is doing it too little credit and simplifies it. In my view once you really get into the lore and themes of the game and its later routes you start to notice themes about how life without death devalues life. Cruelty Squad takes place in a universe where dying literally just costs you 500 dollars to be reconstructed and nobody ever really dies permanently with only a couple of notable exceptions because they can just go and get reconstructed for 500 bucks and this is especially the case for the rich. No wonder human life is worth so little when its basically been boiled down to a minor economic setback akin to getting a fucking speeding ticket in this world. Hard to feel bad for killing somebody when you can just come back and see them the next day like nothing happened. It makes even killing rich assholes who have it coming feel futile and irrelevant since you know they are just going to pop out again in a reconstruction machine. With that established now think about people like Peter Thiel who are talking about how they want to make themselves immortal and conquer death and do insane shit like injecting themselves with the blood of the young so they can live forever and these themes start to really resonant. That and the clear influences of people like Georges Bataille in the mythology of the cruelty squad worlds creation myth and I would say Cruelty Squad is the very first PRO-DEATH video game. (In a good life affirming way I mean) To put it another way Cruelty Squad seems to be saying that in a world without any death trying to live a meaningful life is basically impossible and makes the tragedy of human life being taken meaningless. It draws connections between the billionaire pursuance of immortality and capitalisms pursuit of infinite growth with no end. Like honestly the ultimate message of the game really reminds of the main message of the Anime Texhnolyze if you guys have ever watched that. They share some very similar themes anyway in my estimation.

[@SpiderMan-gf1lc]

I'd say this game has purposefully no message. It's not pro-death or anti-capitalist because it simply can't be. By making it as nihilistic as possible, the author is basically saying: in modern day neoliberalism, every resistence is futile and this whole game is sterile. It doesn't matter what I'm critizing, you people won't care and neither will I. We have lost already, this work of art, if it can be labeled as such, is nothing, less then nothing. It's this absolute disdain for even acknowledging the problem that seems to drive Cruelty Squad. It's utterly deranged and absurd; its meaning doesn't matter, not in this world, not in this lifetime.

[@lbsc1201]

@@SpiderMan-gf1lc if a person mentions "neoliberalism" their opinions are worthless

[@SpiderMan-gf1lc]

@@lbsc1201 cool

[@billhicks8]

@@lbsc1201 Your opinion is worthless then. Good.

[@thegenericguy8309]

@@SpiderMan-gf1lc no this game is very explicitly anti-capitalist wtf are you talking about

[@haj_endot]

There's a genre of music known as utopian virtual, a descendant of vaporwave noted for its use of tacky 90s synth sounds often used in stuff like corporate training products to give those sounds a beautiful new context. Frankly, when listening to this game's music, my first thought is "dystopian virtual"

[@qwertyqeys]

where most games tell you violence is bad to your face, Cruelty Squad leans in uncomfortably close and says "Come on, shoot those people, do it. Do it, it'll be fun" in the same tone your boss at wal-mart uses to tell you to bring shopping carts in from the parking lot

[@mixmaster6827]

To be fair, the music in cruelty squad seems like it's purposely made to sound like shit in some cases like in the casino and paradise. The music in pharma and office (combat cocktail and pyrexia respectively) fucking slaps and certainly doesn't seem like it was made by a complete amateur.

[@chrhugo]

The first ever strand type shooter

[@golevka]

Great video, great game. Hard disagree about the soundtrack- I find myself straight-up listening to the office and apartment tracks from the OST. There is a nice range of "crazy" and "desolate" that fits each level's tone

[@WastedScoundrel]

Apartment Atrocity has a banger tune.

[@dorellusthagod]

The soundtrack is an unironical banger. Just like the art direction, it takes talent to craft a truly off-putting OST. He definitely knows what parts to tweak to make it just the perfect blend of bizarre but also straight flames, dawg 🔥 the Combat Cocktail song comes to mind

[@juampan]

Nice to see super bunnyhop being true to his name jumping his way through a game.

[@blindlight]

did it wrong tho lool

[@simonm9650]

Hi! Love the video, your analysis of CS was completely on point. I'm a freelance composer/producer and wanted to add something about the music of this game. It's the same thing as the visual art, there is a distinct use of dissonance and chords that do not sound good together in these horrifically brash midi tones, once again a deliberate breaking of conventions and rules, but what REALLY strikes me is that it isn't completely random. The song that plays in the casino is so dour and depressing and really represents what that place means. The sparseness of the title theme is fitting for the art displayed on screen, a man dead in a car, a meaningless act of violence. And some of the more distorted and energetic songs go hard, like the ones that play in the nightclub and the pharmacy. But yeah, loved the video!

[@Sonlirain]

This is one of those few games where being colorblind is probably beneficial.

[@chaotickreg7024]

Check out the Death Ending if you want a full taste of the lore. This game really is made by a nihilist artist, it shows in every part. I love this game so much.

[@ohamatchhams]

I wonder if they'll make games parodying the entire mechanism, psychology and "subculture" surrounding mobile and gacha games in the future lol

[@ddis29]

there isn't already? damn, i should get on that.

[@TheSoulHarvester]

I feel like Let It Die has been doing that to some extent since like 2014; I'm sure there's other, better examples.

[@ZontarDow]

Maybe if we're lucky someone will make a game parodying these upper middle class yuppies making dark hyper dyspotic stories where the moral of the story has a downright evil undertone in terms of what the makers are trying to push and only the lower class has enough real problems in life to roll their eyes at it.

[@TheSoulHarvester]

@@ZontarDow if you branch out from being a hentai-addicted weeb maybe you'll encounter more working class fiction

[@ZontarDow]

@@TheSoulHarvester All the "working class fiction" people keep elevating is stuff from upper middle class yuppies who've never seen the inside of a factory like the game this video is about.

[@PANDORAZTOYBOKZ]

The Duke 3D comparison is exactly what I've been thinking playing this

[@LunaZerOmega]

This game is that Machine Girl album cover brought to life

[@LtSprinkulz]

Lmao that bhop technique is super bungus my guy.

[@robobroski]

conceptually I appreciate cruelty squad, but I couldn't get through half an hour of it. it is an extremely uncomfortable experience and it's a marvel.

[@Duterasemis]

gotta get yourself a CEO mindset

[@hayk3000]

Yeah you simply lack that grindset bro, that's why you're poor and unhappy. Gotta sleep 4 hours

[@brandonmorel2658]

You beta , man up, take protein, drink huel and learn about the alpha and sigma mindset.

[@Retog]

The music is amazing in this game!

[@grahamcrackerz1714]

You BETTER not be talking mess about Bog Business. That track is gold!

[@vlad4evar]

Such a good video, I don’t know why but it never crossed my mind that you’d review this game, but it makes perfect sense. A perspective like yours is precisely what the discourse around this game needed.

[@MultiMicals]

14:28 Gunther Herrman would be jealous

[@sirjeanpepper2492]

Don't forget the Orange soda, it better not be lemon-lime

[@Skull_Gun]

That will be adequate.

[@theschachter9816]

Exactly the kind of game I'm glad exists but will probably never play. Excellent video!

[@nickfeijoo7779]

Bro, the soundtrack is amazing

[@cole1714]

14:58 he's not shitting himself. you're literally missing the Text. he has Gunk Boosters installed in his feet, it isn't complicated

[@LeadHerring]

he could be shitting through his feet

[@emmastrange5557]

"biological detritus" that's literally shit

[@cole1714]

@@emmastrange5557 it's literally gunk???? it's gunk. please don't jumpt to conclusions you have ZERO basis for. thank you!

[@cole1714]

@@LeadHerring that's an amazing point

[@emmastrange5557]

@@cole1714 Read the item description, it clearly states that "boost yourself upwards by releasing a jet of assorted biological detritus". Ironic that you state that people are "missing the text" when its you that didn't read it.

[@dingusdangus9299]

>world engulfed in the fullest extent of nihilism because no one can die and "life" has no meaning >post scarcity world, but people are so materialistic that they're trying to get ahead anyway >bosses include the gnostic demiurge and the "cradle of life" "this is about capitalism" This is what people mean when they talk about small souled bugmen

[@enderdrache]

videos from this channel reappearing in my recommendations again after over a year makes me realise that i enjoy them and should probably subscribe.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

I think the best thing about the game is that it's both a great art piece and a great video game at the same time, without one half ever detracting from the other. It's so boldly, satirically and unpretentiously punk (neo punk? 21st century punk? is that a thing anyone says?), yet once you get into the game it's also a really solid tactical shooter with really clever and varied level design and creative mechanics. The coating of "deep fried ironic meme" paint has the same effect in that it both meshes naturally with the cynical near-future cyberpunk dystopian themes, and at the same time complements the gameplay in making areas, enemies, items and effects both unique and distinct. A note about the music: the first level actually has dynamic combat music, which I thought was a really nice touch. Personally I love the whole soundtrack (even in the swamp level, because it's so unexpected and unsettling), but it'd be really interesting to know if there were ideas and plans for even more dynamic music for different areas and scenarios at some point in development.

[@Skimmerlit]

I appreciate the history/context you provided. That’s one of my favorite aspects of your channel.

[@godofwar2k6reborn]

my eyes are bleeding. definitely a cruel experience.

[@TheOnlyRise]

Uncomfortable? It's an arcade Rainbow Six, extremely fun to play. One of those games that reminds you why you like video games in the first place.

[@duffman18]

Is it just me or ia that "blood scratch" writing at around like 1:50 actually just the Friends logo font?

[@BraxtonSwine]

After your video on Umurangi Generation and now this I have decided to exclusively buy and play games recommended by you, don't abuse this power Mr Bunnyhop.

[@burgchergler7344]

ima be honest the music is perfect

[@supermariosunshine64]

I guess you're super at bunnyhopping.

[@gringusgaming]

The reason human life is so invaluable is bc there is technology that has made humans immortal. FYI also u can only eat dead bodies after dying enough times in a given level to get on to "Power In Misery" difficulty (signified by the fleshy border). Power In Misery in-universe is explained by you being forced to get a surgery that makes you regenerate endlessly after you die, meaning that you no longer have to pay $500 when you die. Also fun tip u can grind mall madness with a rocket launcher on punishment mode while dumping all of ur money into kidneys for quick money. I'm sorry I have a lot to say abt this game

[@oo0O08]

this looks like a game made by dril. edit: nevemind, it as already addressed

[@midge_gender_solek3314]

You can only eat people only in "Power in Misery" mode

[@SwaguarTV]

14:53 That Ivermectin mechanic looks so innovative!

[@BruTalc]

Cruelty Squad's music is great, cmon Combat Cocktail alone is a banger and a half

[@MFKitten]

Make no mistake: the music is masterful.

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

The soundtrack for the office complex, first level, apartments, and some other levels are actually pretty great.

[@MFKitten]

@@ZodiacEntertainment2 The "Death" ending track is intense as all hell, rivals any and all death metal. And the apartments track had my heart absolutely racing.

[@binuxuser]

This feels like the game that would come out if I wished for my dream game on a monkey's paw

[@PinkManGuy]

This was my favorite game from 2021.

[@robertwyatt3912]

“Oh. That’s- okay.”

[@asfasfasfasf124]

the music is genius the same way you talk about the art rule breaking.

[@Imasuky]

I am glad to hear you talk about this game

[@Lathburn]

I really like the soundtrack of cruelty squad I think it's very good

[@LukeExists]

this is the most badass intro to a review I've ever seen.

[@swagmankayearIQ]

those ebay and ubisoft guys are pretty based. wagies are assets

[@celzolsen8988]

I think we hurt George's feelings in the last video by commenting on his hair and now he is self-conscious and won't show himself any more :'(

[@lalalaLaFlex]

I would just like to suggest to people that the Goat Simulator soundtrack pairs perfect with Cruelty Squad.

[@Freak_Gamer]

This has become my favourite SBH video.

[@GuyOnAChair]

This feels like a return to form. :)

[@TheSoulHarvester]

This feels like a really uninspired neg.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@TheSoulHarvester His review or my comment?

[@TheSoulHarvester]

@@GuyOnAChair your comment.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@TheSoulHarvester Ah.

[@bebookspacebuzz]

This looks like million dollar extreme

[@BigSana25]

Two videos in the same week! You really are treating us, George :)

[@Keaks_]

I have a hard time putting this into word correctly, but: I have never played a game that so perfectly encapuslates a vision like this, nothing was compromised.

[@viridianloom]

I don't have any kind of formal education in music but I have been writing and releasing music pretty regularly for about a decade, and I also particularly draw inspiration from the soundtracks of video games I play. In my opinion, although the soundtrack doesn't always hit (I get the purpose to the music in Casino but it's just too obnoxious for me haha), I think it has more stand-out tracks that hammer home the vibe of the game than it doesn't. The title screen music is disconcerting and eerie, using an augmented scale which is pretty uncommon, and then he's shifting it up and down in key by a half step so it never feels stable (along with some chromatic melodies that continue to make the song dizzying). The music in levels like "Office" is just pure chaos. It sounds like the kind of music that experimental noise musicians would make to deliberately stress out anxious listeners. And one of my personal favorite levels, Paradise, has music that's not unlike the music of Chris Schlarb who wrote music for an indie game called "Dropsy", which exhibits a similarly colorful suburbia.

[@mirrorblade6268]

Ill wait for his game where he abides by all the art school rules instead.

[@Spikeelsucko]

this kills the soul

[@beau9334]

@@Spikeelsucko this relieves the motion sickness

[@Spikeelsucko]

@@beau9334 cant read in the car either huh

[@LoveXKnife]

GEORGE REVIEWED CRUELTY SQUAD AND KZbin NOTIFICATIONS DIDN'T TELL ME?!?! WHAT THE FUCK oh.. it was today, hell yes

[@ParmMannREBORN]

I wanted to sleep but then I saw this in my sub box, time to enjoy the usual good shit at 1 am

[@TaoLeaf]

I've seen many reviews of Cruelty Squad. This is the best one.

[@wehad4319]

Isn't it more like thief and quake then?

[@AssailantLF]

I'm a cool hipster because I followed the game's dev on Twitter many months before the game was near completion and exploded in popularity

[@hayk3000]

Here have a like, at least you get rewarded with something... I guess... hey how about we take over our billionare overloards and change the system for good?

[@conair8240]

Just bought it today and so glad I did

[@sigmanation6957]

The best way to make a statement on anti-violence is to show the reality of the carnage. Napalm Sticks to Kids is a more effective anti-war song than any call for peace on earth.

[@nirktheman-thingstab-cutter]

Only took me 12 hours to get the house. I wish homes IRL could be achieved that quickly XD

[@beau9334]

Such satire. Much irony. Wow.

[@Sentay0]

Good to see you're still around George, I swear I'll catch up on Dad and Sons someday. Also nihilism, Nye-uh-lism

[@aNotoriousPhD]

i love the slurpcore soundtrack

[@SelfCheckout]

the music sounds how the game looks

[@alucas705]

A new superbunnyhop review better unsubscribe (i always love to see your videos in my feed)

[@willhamlink]

The music was designed to sound weird and strange but imo it still oddly enjoyable lol

[@alfiowo]

I hope more people get to play this masterpiece now that you've reviewed it 🙏

[@STANNco]

feel it's been a while since we've had a video that isn't about ancient history

[@terry2295]

I could imagine the music of a small artist named slugabed working really well with this game

[@Goobywoobygoo]

As a big fan of Sam Neil I’m glad to see “Neilism” is starting to take off!

[@roncinephile]

Probably the greatest game review of all time. The right person. The right game. The right time.

[@jakejutras5420]

Gib is pronounced like "jib" because it is short for giblets! :D so says John Romero anyway.

[@Ramonatho]

I bought this game when George first mentioned it on Dad and Sons. It's really good.

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

Why are you waking me up at 2am- OOOH Cruelty Squad!!

[@Ottrond]

I'm overflowing with joy. I love you, George. I love Cruelty Squad. I love life.

[@shoelace5977]

looking at his comment section where people talk about the game is like listening to it´s NPCs (if bunnyhop is to be beleived), and i´m not sure if it´s a joke or not

[@inkenoir]

It's like someone put FPS combat in LSD Simulator. Amazing.

[@QuixEnd]

Im surprised you managed to review this game without sounding hyper pretentious and intellectual. You've been doing this for ages, but dang this game is quite overtaking to describe.

[@crunchbuttsteak8741]

Cruelty Squad is the most *punk* sci fi I have seen since John Brunner's 4 hallucinations in the early 70's. Fucking love it and all it stands for

[@XDWX]

How have I never heard about that scandal before? Wow!

[@BenSKG]

Great, a new video from George. Wonder how he's getting on?

[@xBINARYGODx]

If did what those "fine" gentleman/woman did to an ex or someone I had thing for, I highly doubt I would get such a minor sentence. Hopefully, I am wrong about that, me also getting off far too easily is not the better alternative.

[@hannibalcase1100]

I'm not super familiar with art or art history, so I could be totally wrong, but it seems to me that Cruelty Squad doesn't just break the rules of artistic norms, but it does so in a very specific manner. I think it might be just as beholden to normal artistic standards as any other product, but because it does the total opposite, not the normal. Anyway, I've seen lots of videos on this, but this is the first one that's actually got me interested in playing the damned thing. Good show.

[@themushroom_dude]

this games makes me look at civilians as nothing but flesh and money bags

[@jaletemur6680]

power in misery traversing the grid of death you can get the ability to eat bodies by dying alot until you see this message up there guess dying isnt such a bad thing afterall?

[@H1zoneTv]

i dont get that part about the music, its amazing and as u said it fits, I'm pretty sure its not because he is not that good at music, i mean i kind loved it as a experimental piece

[@ninjacat230]

well that's one way to open a video

[@xboxgamer474246]

This looks super cool

[@ChuChuKian]

the music is fantastic though

[@PaPaPhantom]

I just played this game for the first time today. It gave me a feeling like I was a child playing something I shouldn’t. I’m probably going to have nightmares about this game tonight but I think it’s a sick game. In the cool sense and in the literal sense. It’s fucked up. I’m gonna play more

[@ZeludeRose]

algorithm comment, always happy whenever you upload

[@Squalidarity]

Can’t wait for the VR version.