I Can Relate
HIGH Some of the lines are funny.
LOW That cowboy fight.
WTF Is this a dream, or is it not?
I’m not entirely sure why Super Villain Games wanted me to review this, but here we are.
Doug Hates His Job is about a guy called Doug, and he’s not a big fan of his employer. The game is peppered with scenarios as to why this is the case, including issues like working with a hipster who’s afraid of printers, a receptionist that might be worse at her job than Doug is, and a boss that treats him like garbage.
Gameplay is split between scrolling beat-’em-up sections, top-down driving, some stealth, and even some 2D platforming.
DHHJ is over in less than an hour so it doesn’t overstay its welcome — something I’m thankful for, as the gameplay is not great. The combat is floaty and unresponsive, and doesn’t seem to have any tactics other than spamming the attack button and hoping to not die — or maybe jump kicking a lot. More egregious is the shooting, where enemies can hit Doug from far off and they come in waves, so that level is trial-and-error. The platforming is okay, but feels out of place in the setting.
This is not to say that DHHJ didn’t make me smile a couple of times, but I was scratching my head as to the choices being made. There’s workplace satire, an outlandish fight sequence, foiling a bank heist and scaling a mountain. However, I was at a loss as to what the devs were trying to say — one moment the game wants to suggest that this isn’t real, and in the next it gives no explanation for its most ridiculous moments.
In Doug‘s favor, the game never crashes and I have been far more miserable at other times in my life — doing my taxes, for example.
I could almost recommend Doug Hates His Job as a cheap, quick palate cleanser between meatier experiences, but for just a few dollars more than what Doug costs, any number of better experiences could be had. It’s tough to make a case for purchase here.
Disclosures: This game is developed by Super Villain Games and published by Super Villain Games. It is currently available on XBO. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBO-X. Approximately 1 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is not rated – I’ve looked everywhere and the best info I could get was on the Xbox website that says that it’s rated for ages 13 and over. The violence is generally cartoony (At one point the player has the option to beat up old-age pensioners) but some of the language is a bit full-on.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes) available in the options.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game is fully playable without sound. The text cannot be resized, nor can the color be changed.
Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.
He can be found on twitter, where he welcomes screenshots of Dreamcast games and talk about Mindjack, just don’t mention that one time he was in Canada.
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