Recent reviews by Gay Little Rat

Friends vs. Friends is a quick-fire grind game that to make the most out of, you need to play it for some days, and of course is best with a friend or few to play with along the way! Don't let the FPS or Deck elements shy you away from trying, as they work together in their balancing act to make the game accessible to multitude of possible skill sets various players can have.

---

Being an FPS that jived with being a Deck Builder as its main mechanic, myself and friends got interested immediately. We were also drawn in by the game's art direction, which is a sweetly detailed pixel art take on 3D models, akin to early PS1 models, which makes for some clear-cut hurtboxes with its very boxy-but-stylish look.
The handling of the guns felt great and impactful, each shot sounds snappy and it's extremely exciting to spam-click a full Boira mag right into someone's side. Playing cards to affect the matches felt good, both counterplaying and surprising each other with certain cards, with lots of "What!?" moments followed by impish giggling.

The card play makes the game very dynamic and easy to understand, and although you will construct your deck of 25 cards or more before entering a match, the random draws from your deck help things stay fresher. Repeatedly playing against the same person (or people, in 2v2!) makes it very interesting as you start to learn their deck and how they utilise it, and they learn yours in turn. You might play your cards differently than you normally would in response, or anticipate their hand and counter-play your own accordingly.

---

As a player currently, I am actually often on my own, and queue for the 2v2s mode. I love the extra element of randomness of having another solo player as my ally, working with them and their deck to try and conquer the opponent's strategies. The involvement of the characters having their own passive effects makes 2v2 even more of a hotpot of chance, as you can encounter and create fun pairings of characters that might compliment one another or double-down a strategy in some way.

With a moment to breathe and see what you've drawn before each round begins, it's really nice to prepare an approach by taking into consideration the map, the characters in play, and what you've got in your hand. Then you switch your focus into the FPS mind-set of mechanically aiming and avoiding fire while you're both slinging card effects at each other, vying for the upper hand with buffs and debuffs or quickly closing out a round with a well-placed-and-shot bomb or shotgun round in the chest. Trying to find the careful balance between them is very exciting.

My favourite moments are tense anticipation while trying to sneak while crouched up to where someone is, and surprising each other with cards played on sight in a rock-paper-scissors like moment that can decide victory in a second. Gets some of my best "Ooo"s and "Ahh"s!

---

However, the card system that elevates this PvP game to something intriguing and exciting can also be what may turn some away.

You start out with your basic deck, and unlock things as you level up to 21, gaining “Friendos” along the way to trade in for card packs. This feeds the gameplay loop - Make and adjust your deck, head into matches, win/lose your shootouts, get money, and purchase packs to improve your deck, repeat. Simple!
There's lots of cards to collect, and duplicates don't go to waste either. Duplicates of cards, from Common rarity up to Epic rarity, get used to upgrade certain numerical statistics of your collected cards.

This leads into the problem that the player with more hours has a much heavier advantage in the playing field. Likely they will have cards you don't have yet, they're also likely to be stronger, and will have knowledge on cards you don't. Early on, though, chances are it will go both ways due to the random element of the card packs. You might have a stronger Health Up than them, but they have Steel Bullets for a damage up which you don’t own. And it does, unfortunately, only get worse the wider the level gap is, more so if you’re still unlocking characters and you face a level 60+ player, let alone a level 100+ player.

---

Now, that might seem a little pessimistic, but I find it important to note for some people. Besides, this is a positive review! As such, this is where the FPS element comes in.

I'm certain you've played at least a couple before. And those who have honed their skills in the genre can still feel very at home here in Friends vs. Friends even if they've never played a Deck Builder before in their life. In fact, the character Stevie Gull will probably tickle a player like that's fancy, with his passive equipping you with a stronger version of the basic Boira pistol, which can open up room in the deck for more buffs and debuffs by forgoing weapon cards if you feel brave enough.

With good mechanical skill, it's still very possible to overcome these level gaps. Hell, I've got 123 hours in the game at time of writing and have looped the level 100 rewards a few times now (At level 100, you still "level up"! You just loop the same 5 rewards) and occasionally I still get utterly trounced by players levels 30-60 who can aim much better than I, and have a decent understanding of their own decks.

---

It is quite possible to still do well in this game despite a card-related disadvantage. And on the flip-side, it's still also very possible to win against players with strong mechanical skills with a well-played card or combination there-of from a nicely constructed deck.
The reason I find this game can work so well is because the two balance each other out. Random card draw and Strategy vs. Mechanical aim and Reactivity, both demanding development of different skill sets and reflexes that come together to form a perfect storm for your opponents.

But even as someone who can still find a ton of enjoyment from this fantastic game on their own, the best times are absolutely when you can hop in with someone you know, or hop into a Voice chat with one of the many cool and welcoming people from the Brainwash Gang discord server, and enjoy the hilarity this game has to offer together!
It's an absolute blast getting to experience what can happen in a match, get used to how each other plays in co-ordination or against one another, and get better with the game all at once.
There's a wonderful thrill to be had of demolishing a friend in one round, just to get erased off the planet the next as a clap-back, and both laughing about how viciously you just murdered each other!

---

What can be two very complex genres for vastly different reasons, this game manages to marry together by keeping things simple to control, responsive and easy to understand, and explosively entertaining to put everything together. And if you don't mind a bit of grinding in your game, then I can highly recommend picking this up, especially if you know someone else who could be interested in this PvP, 1v1 or 2v2 experience.

I hope this review helped inform your decision!


Oh, and just to mention at the end - Big shoutouts to Janikut for introducing me to the Brainwash Gang discord server! It's been very lovely getting to meet the community there, and lots of fun interacting every so often in the shenanigans that can go on there.
Plus, it's handy to keep up with game announcements, too, as this game gets regular update posts and content patches!

I'm a boosted gamer but that doesn't stop me from having fun, god bless based Huntress

An excellent game with nice drawings to help give visuals to the story the player creates and fantastic amounts of replay ability.
The Yawhg is more of a party game, as you can play it with 2-4 players, but it is still interesting to play as 2/3/4 characters on your own and see what endings and stories you can create. But, as with all multiplayer games, it's a much better experience with other people.
One thing I would like to see in the future (if this game will be updated), though, is online multiplayer, for when you can't find anyone in real life who have the time to play it with you but you have a few friends on steam who have the game and are willing to play it with you.
Here's to "The Yawhg", and may it do well as a game that everyone will (hopefully) love. (Even though it's not for everyone.)