Sludge Life

Gross, weird, and consistently hilarious, Sludge Life is a satirical lens on very particular types of youth culture, but it’s also an experience I won’t forget anytime soon. Plus, it’s almost worth the price for the soundtrack alone.

Sludge Life is a stylish package that plays in both the absurd and experimental space. The art style evokes a feeling of being on psychedelics with a grungy style all its own. The visuals hit hard, and the bass beats hit even harder. I was always curious to find out more and usually there was something interesting around every corner. It’s understandable that this game’s drug use and lack of direction can turn some players off, but I found it wild and truly unique. There’s really nothing like it. Sludge Life is a vibe, for sure.

Exploring Sludge Life's perfectly-sized world simply doesn't get old and the game runs well enough to make you forget about its occasionally-finicky first-person platforming sections. There's plenty to see and do, find and utilise, and multiple endings to seek out. It won't outstay its welcome and we've got no doubt you'll want to return to Sludge Life just to vibe inside its fascinating little world again — when it's done, you won't feel like you've seen enough quite yet. It's certainly not perfect but it's a life, alright, and an enjoyable one.

Sludge Life is a strange but kind of hypnotic experience, between graffitis and social strikes, using its free exploration to deliver an in-between subtext. If the low-poly visual approach do not repulse you, this like-no-other ride sure offers a few hours of raw discoveries and disturbing encounters.

I think that Sludge Life is a great example of video games as art. It’s much more concerned with sharing its style than being a cohesive whole. Which isn’t to say it’s all nonsense, I don’t think it is. But what it actually is? That’s entirely up to your interpretation. If nothing else, I appreciate Devolver Digital continuing to share their brand of unusual and quirky published games. And as a longtime Nintendo fan, it’s nice seeing something this crude and mature on one of their consoles. I just still don’t know how highly I can recommend the game. But if you want to take a chance on something unique, look no further.