It must be said that the term simulator in video games makes me shudder like a gripping gothic tale from Edgar Allan Poe. From Farm Simulator to Goat Simulator, the simulator genres are tricky games to review, mainly because the clues are in the title and unless it is a pretty terrible simulator, there’s not really much to write home about.
Simulators are the brown corduroy of the gaming world, if you even have one in your collection; you have given up on life. You’re sad, you’re miserable and as you slip on your tobacco coloured shirt to humming sounds of the shipping forecast on BBC Radio 4, heading down the local pub to join your equally bland friends for the 100th annual Chipping Campden Gravy and Stock Cube festival, nothing can compare to the amount of sadness in your life than admitting you can’t wait for that new Sunday dinner simulator.
All this padding in the above paragraph was done to try to prove that I can insult better than what is offered in Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator, a game that mixes the sword fighting mechanic from the Monkey Island games and overstuffs it with Monty Python-styled humour to the point it’s painfully obvious Vile Monarch couldn’t think of any other sketch comedies to be influenced by.
However, perhaps I am being a little too harsh. Humour is after all, subjective and it would be a grave insult to say that it’s all terrible. Oh…Sir!! does provide some terrific silly humour you and your friends will enjoy, if only for the short term, and the overall presentation is something a little refreshing relative to the norm of the simulator genre.
It is set up like a fighting game, so fuck Tekken 7 – this game has elderberries. It has all the trappings: online multiplayer and local multiplayer, unlockable fighters and a tournament mode for single player. The pixel graphics are beautiful and fit the overall zany tone of the game; Vile Monarch have done well to put in a lot of effort into its overall presentation and it shows. The game itself is easy to pickup and play, with a simple premise; two players are pitted against each other and the objective is to create some of the most silly, witty and downright mad insults.
For a few solid hours, this was a load of fun – describing my opponent’s mum as “Having a passionate affair with your cousins car” provided some great immature chuckles from yours truly and the single player was fairly challenging as well. The only really true mode for single player is the tournament mode, where you are put in 5 scenarios including a pet shop with a dead parrot and the final round which is essentially an insult punch up with God on a Terry Gilliam backdrop (did I mention there were Monty Python references?). Each fight comes with its own hints and challenges that will actually get you scratching your head trying to find the right combination of insults to deal some heavy damage.
The only real nitpick is probably the lack of insult options, especially after several hours trying to beat the single player, after which it became evident this really wasn’t a game in which to invest large quantities of time. Rather, Oh…Sir!! is a game that you play whilst waiting for take out or a friend to show up, hence why it is really only a nitpick. As previously mentioned, this game also comes with it multiplayer modes and I can confirm that Oh…Sir!! is much more fun with a few mates to spar with. Watching a friend squirm, trying to find that perfect insult, hoping you won’t take their line for your insult was a good laugh and you end up having real insults dished out at you if you do that once too often.
Oh…Sir!! is some good fun to have if you’re with a few friends and a few beers, a nice little party game before the big session. Though it can be a little repetitive, you can’t fault a small developer for bringing something fresh and funny to the table. Perhaps for its sequel though, it could do with less Monty Python references.
PS4 copy provided by PR. Also reviewed on PC.
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