Silly Polly Beast might beat you down and make you want to throw your controller, but it'll do it with so much style that you won't even be mad about it for long
Sometimes a game hits you right in the face from the moment you start it — Silly Polly Beast did exactly that. Within seconds, I knew I was playing something completely different. It's wild, stylish, confusing, beautiful, and cruel all at once. It's one of those games that feels like it crawled out of someone's sketchbook at 3 a.m. after too much coffee and not enough sleep, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Let's start with the look of it because, my god, this game is stunning. The whole thing is drenched in red and black, like an angry comic book that came to life. It has this rough, hand-drawn, punk-horror vibe that you don't see often anymore. Every frame looks like it was painted with rage and sadness. The lighting pops, the shadows swallow you whole, and it's all so stylish that sometimes I'd just stop moving for a second to take it in. It's gritty, it's loud, and it's absolutely gorgeous on PS5.
You play as Polly, a young woman who's had her world torn apart after something terrible happens to her friend Alice. In desperation, Polly makes a pact with a demon to find her — and, well, you can already guess that's not going to end well. The story is simple enough on the surface, but it's told in this surreal, fragmented way that keeps you guessing. One minute you're chasing clues, the next you're fighting grotesque monsters in some twisted version of hell. The deeper you go, the more the world starts to melt around you. It's dark and strange and deeply unsettling, but it works.
Now, here's where Silly Polly Beast really stands out — it doesn't stick to one kind of gameplay. It constantly shifts perspectives and genres like it's trying to see how many ideas it can fit into one game. One moment it's a side-scrolling action game, then it suddenly turns isometric, then it's using fixed camera angles like an old PS1 horror game, and then you're skating down a tunnel dodging debris in an endless runner sequence. Somehow it all fits together, and each shift feels like a reflection of Polly's mental state — unstable, chaotic, and unpredictable.
Combat is stylish but rough around the edges. Polly fights using a skateboard, yes, an actual skateboard that doubles as a melee weapon. It's ridiculous and awesome. You swing it around, bash demons, and even kickflip into them if you time things right. There's also a stamina system that limits how often you can attack or dodge, and two guns to swap between — a revolver that recharges when you find light sources and a heavier weapon like a shotgun or P90 that has limited ammo. You can also throw some larvae (I know, right?) and use them as bombs. It's a good system in theory, but in practice, it can be a bit of a nightmare.
See, Silly Polly Beast is hard. Not “oh that's challenging” hard — I mean hard. The kind of game that throws ten demons at you out of nowhere and watches as you crumble. One fight you're breezing through like a champ, the next you're getting demolished in five seconds flat. I got stuck right after beating the first demon boss when the game decided to checkpoint me in a tiny room with barely any health and a swarm of enemies ready to chew my face off. I tried for a couple of minutes, but to no avail. I actually felt my soul leave my body at one point.
The problem isn't just that it's difficult — it's that it sometimes feels unfair. A little more balancing would have gone a long way. Even some kind of progression system would help, like the ability to upgrade your weapons or make your skateboard hits stronger. Maybe that happens later in the game, I don't know, but still. You can increase your health and stamina a bit as you go, but that's about it. When the game wants to punish you, there's no mercy.
And yet, despite the frustration, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The atmosphere, the art, the sound design — it all sticks in your head. The soundtrack is this distorted blend of heavy riffs, demonic whispers, and industrial chaos. Every hit lands with a thud, every enemy screech makes your skin crawl, and Polly's quiet, determined look between fights reminds you that she's still human underneath all that madness.
There's something strangely personal about this game. It doesn't feel like it was made to please everyone. It feels like the developers made exactly the game they wanted, rough edges and all. And you can feel that passion in every corner of it. The world design, the creature art, even the strange way it transitions between gameplay styles — it's all dripping with personality. You can tell the people behind it didn't care about playing it safe.
And that's what I love about it. It's not perfect — far from it — but it's alive. There's this constant tension between beauty and brutality that makes every minute memorable. Sometimes you'll hate it. Sometimes you'll love it. Sometimes you'll do both at the same time.
It reminded me of the kind of game you played as a kid that punished you but fascinated you so much you couldn't stop. You know it's punishing you, but you keep pushing forward anyway, because you just have to see what's next.
The only real thing holding it back from greatness is its difficulty. Those sudden spikes break the pacing and make it hard to fully enjoy what the game is doing so well elsewhere. There were multiple moments where I thought, “Okay, this is it, I'm done,” only to boot it back up an hour later because I couldn't shake it. That's the magic of Silly Polly Beast — it frustrates you, but it also pulls you back in.
If you're into stylish indie games that swing for the fences, this one's worth checking out. Just know what you're getting into. It's going to test your patience. You're going to die a lot. You're going to swear a lot. But you're also going to witness one of the most visually striking, creatively fearless games of the year.
Even though I didn't finish it, I can honestly say it's one of the most coolest looking experiences I've had in a long time. It's weird, it's raw, and it's overflowing with soul.
So yeah, Silly Polly Beast might beat you down and make you want to throw your controller, but it'll do it with so much style that you won't even be mad about it for long. It's not for everyone, but if you appreciate games that take risks and look damn good doing it, this one's absolutely worth your time. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a promo copy provided by the publisher. Silly Polly Beast is available on PS5, PC and Xbox.
