The Underworld, Hades, Sheol, the dreaded realm of fire and suffering has gone by many names, but it’s most commonly referred to as Hell. This plane of existence has been depicted as an eternally damned place in The Bible to specific charting imagined in Dante’s Inferno, but as it turns out in this game, it’s also one giant world with a plethora of problems. In between the libations and vices, corruption runs rampant amongst humans and demons. In the midst of the violence and chaos outside, The Devil’s son resides in a bar, drinking himself into a stupor. Fed up with the way Hell is being run, he grabs his gun and heads out on a Big Drunk Satanic Massacre (BDSM) BDSM is a loud, action-packed satirical adventure of Lou, The Devil’s Son, trying to set things right while under the influence.
BDSM takes place in a more fantastical version of Hell, a world where humans and demons try to get along, but humans, in their seemingly inherited nature, have wildly corrupted Hell and even the King of Hell, Satan. Satan’s son, Lou, attempts to drink his sorrows away. Fed up with how life is at the moment, he grabs a bottle of booze and a revolver, and sets off to make the underworld evil again. Along the way, Lou will encounter diabolical monsters, hellish, beasts, ex-girlfriends, and old acquaintances as he sets Hell ablaze in fury and revolution.
BDSM plays as an isometric twin-stick shooter, where players control Lou in his quest to set things right in hell. Despite his demeanor and inebriation, the son of Satan is a force to be reckoned with, towering tall over other monsters and being able to move swiftly with his hind legs. In addition to an assortment of firearms from AK-47’s to bazookas, Lou has a penchant for flatulence and belching fire to slay his enemies. Lou will stop at nothing to tears down the walls and institutions of oppression.
BDSM presently a wildly bonkers and devilish world, where famous celebrities, leaders, and historical figures in the human world mingle with demons that have been around since Adam & Eve. The comedic writing and sequences of events remind me of clever self-aware humor as seen in films such as This Is The End and Sausage Party. I found myself getting a few laughs out of the various encounters that Lou finds himself in, as well as the side-quests Lou goes on. Taking care of exes, shooting monsters for money, and other ludicrous acts are peppered throughout the adventure, which takes players into various formations of the Underworld. The comedy is unapologetic and politically-incorrect, but it remains grounded so as to not lean too hard into it and potentially become revolting or repulsive. BDSM certainly has its fair share of bodily humor, but it is used to good effect. For example, one of the bigger chapters in BDSM involves demons being chopped up and used for food processing, all run by corrupted humans, to fuel the needs of finance for humans to take over Hell.
Even if this is not a preferred style of humor, players with an interest in satire will certainly enjoy the experience. However, comedy in video games doesn’t matter too much without gameplay, and fortunately, BDSM delivers.
BDSM presents itself as an easy-to-play twin-stick shooter. Players move with the left analog stick and aim with the right. Using the trigger buttons, players can fire their weapons’ primary or secondary fire. There is not a large abundance of weapons in the game, but the alternative fire modes and upgrades, coupled with the special powers, helps freshen up the action. In each level, players will face dozens upon dozens of enemies, oftentimes at once, shooting and slaying enemies in an assortment of gory, messy fun. Each moment is action-packed and allows for players to experiment with different weapons and powers. BDSM is fast, fierce, and enjoyably violent. Slaying enemies with firey vomit, summoned minions, and the deafening sound of a shotgun is an abundance of fun. Between the solid art style and appropriate music score, BDSM works as a strong twin-stick shooter.
BDSM succeeds in not being unending torture to play, though it does have setbacks. BDSM originally arrived for Steam, with a faster framerate and cleaner details. For the console’s release, and in my case on the PlayStation 4, the game visually holds up fine, though the finer textures are rather rough. It appears sacrifices were made in releasing the game to consoles. The framerate is also reduced to a standard 30fps, a clear contrast to the higher framerate on PCs. The presentation in BDSM is serviceable and does its job; it just could’ve been optimized.
Additionally, the overall experience will run approximately 5-8 hours depending on how thorough players are. Accomplishing all the achievements isn’t a cake-walk but it isn’t terribly deep or long either. Extra levels and content would have been greatly appreciated.
BDSM is a rip-roaring good time, despite its short length and sacrifices to its visual presentation. It’s satirical humor is refreshingly bold considering the current landscape of games. The combat is tight and fun with an angle of experimentation between guns and special powers. Ultimately, Big Way Games has managed to live up to their names by taking a solid step into the gaming arena in a big way. With a good degree of humor and fun shooting action, BDSM is a hell of a good time.
A PS4 digital copy of BDSM was provided by for the purpose of review. More information can be found on the official website.
