Party Hard

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. ActionTrip
    May 3, 2016
    85
    With all the various ways to end the party for hapless victims and the various characters you can unlock through level progression, there are countless hours of partying hard ahead.
  2. PlayStation Universe
    Jul 3, 2016
    75
    One thing’s for sure: There isn’t anything quite like Party Hard. A delirious, if flawed, marriage of Hitman, Hotline Miami, and Home Alone, Party Hard’s idiosyncrasies will no doubt turn off those without the patience to persevere; but for those willing to put the time in, Party Hard is murderously good fun at its most unhinged.
  3. IGN Sweden
    May 23, 2016
    70
    Party Hard is a unique experience. The game blends humour and ultraviolence with stealth and a high difficulty level. Party Hard might actually be too hard for its own good.
  5. GameSpot
    May 23, 2016
    70
    It’s a wacky, bloody affair that never aspires for more.
  6. Eurogamer Italy
    Jun 27, 2016
    60
    A meeting point between Hitman and Hotline Miami, Party Hard offers an experience that's not very fun and interesting due to an excessively repetitive level design.
  7. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Apr 27, 2016
    60
    The stealth gameplay is satisfying, but a game can’t be this difficult while also being unfair to the player. The technical issues that bring down publisher tinyBuild’s latest game are disappointing and really tarnish a solid base.
  8. DarkStation
    Jun 2, 2016
    50
    Party Hard presents some interesting ideas and has a promising start, but it sours quickly due to repetitive game design and a frustrating inconsistency in difficulty.
  9. IGN Denmark
    May 30, 2016
    50
    If it had been balanced for faster gameplay, with more traps, Party Hard would actually have been a fun action game. As it is now, though, the party never really gets going.
  10. Digitally Downloaded
    May 4, 2016
    50
    Overall it's hard to recommend this game as it feels unpolished and very repetitive.
  11. Brash Games
    Apr 30, 2016
    50
    Party Hard is not a bad game by any means, but it’s just not a particularly fun one. Without that addictive ‘one more go’ feeling that other games of its ilk employ so effectively, Party Hard becomes much more of a chore than a game about murdering a drunken party should.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 21
  3. Negative: 4 out of 21
  1. felasi
    Aug 27, 2016
    5
    Looking past the poor creative choice for a game (killing innocent people at a party because you can't sleep, really) there is gameplay to beLooking past the poor creative choice for a game (killing innocent people at a party because you can't sleep, really) there is gameplay to be found in party hard. Each level has a unique feel, and it's up to you to find the best way to complete it. However, you can easily take your time and pick people off one by one and after so many games it gets old. Some frustration on certain tricky levels, and you don't really feel rewarded once completing these tougher levels. No real sense of achievment since it feels like a chore and there is no reason to be celebrating killing people. Nothing really special here you can afford to miss this one.… Full Review »
  2. FriedConsole
    May 25, 2016
    6
    You are probably looking at screenshots of Party Hard and thinking “what the hell kind of game is this?” To be succinct, Party Hard is a twoYou are probably looking at screenshots of Party Hard and thinking “what the hell kind of game is this?” To be succinct, Party Hard is a two dimensional stripped down Hitman game. The words “two dimensional” here having double meaning in that the graphics are 2D and the gameplay isn’t very deep. Gameplay consists of sneaking around a party indiscriminately killing people until everyone is dead without being discovered. The problem is that it is a one trick pony that grows old real fast.
    The gameplay has a lot of the same trial and error of a Hitman game. The fun is in discovering what works and what does not but too many times playing Party Hard I had no idea on why I was caught. There is no visual indicator that there are other pixilated figures viewing my murdering to call the police. This left me frustrated as getting caught meant doing an entire level over again despite only having a few murders left to do.
    The game description on the Playstation Store boasts “semi-procedural environments” which is a good example of technically not a lie but highly misleading. The only things randomized are placement of traps and items with the one screen maps being exactly the same every level. The randomized elements do matter as some traps are very useful like cars that run over people versus timed explosions which are mostly useless. Visually and sonically it tries to take its cues from Hotline Miami’s retro 80’s styling but doesn’t succeed very well. The 8-bit songs that play during a level are initially catchy but will eventually have you searching the options menu to turn it off after the third retry. Visually the tired 8-bit graphics often makes it hard to see what is going on and the framerate is often stuttery on PS4.
    There are cutscenes from the point of view of cops trying to find your character but they are poorly voiced and aren’t very interesting. No reasoning for killing people is given other than your characters is a psychopath that just doesn’t like parties which would cause an uproar if we were still living in the 90’s.
    I just don’t think the game is worth the money for a game that will quickly get old after the first level with succeeding levels that don’t really add that much new to the very basic gameplay. Maybe for $1 on a flash sale this might be a good purchase but otherwise it might be more fun to just get a proper Hitman game.    … Full Review »
  3. Ben_Patten
    Sep 10, 2022
    4
    Fun for all of an hour, then it becomes excruciatingly annoying with your two options to either be: wait until the NPC's walk out of theirFun for all of an hour, then it becomes excruciatingly annoying with your two options to either be: wait until the NPC's walk out of their dancing loops to seclude themselves which can take upwards of 20 seconds per character, or go in chainsaw roaring and slaughter as many people as possible. Either are fine in concept (Hitman balances both of these beautifully) but if you want to be a silent assassin it takes far too long, and it's exceedingly hard to be able to influence that with limited traps. If you choose the murder everyone approach you'll come to find not the police to be your enemies, but Mario, who locks up any window you may use while being chased by the law. It just becomes very annoying to go through each level, with very little variation between the lot, and repeat the same steps over and over. Still not a bad game, and the highs do let you feel like a rampaging maniac, but those lows are slightly too low to warrant it.… Full Review »
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