Stick It to the Stickman Review: The Best Workday You'll Ever Hate

Every year a small game quietly eats more of my evenings than the big releases I'm actually paid to finish. This year it's Stick It to the Stickman, the rogue-lite physics brawler from Free Lives (the South African studio behind Broforce) and Devolver Digital. It spent a year in Early Access after launching in August 2025, and the 1.0 version arrived on Steam for Windows and macOS on September 23.

What it is

You are a low-level stickman employee at a deeply evil corporation, and the only way up the ladder is through your coworkers - literally. Each run is a shift of escalating violence against hordes of red stickmen, punctuated by promotions, shareholder demands and absurd job assignments. The satire is not subtle, but it is sharp: performance reviews, outsourcing and "increasing shareholder value" all become game mechanics.

How it plays

The core is a physics brawler with a surprisingly deep build system. During a run you assemble a "combat portfolio" from weapons and special moves - fireballs, chainsaws, katanas and plenty of dumber things - and level them up as you go. Because everything runs on ragdoll physics, no two fights land the same way. Kicking a manager out of a window and watching him take three interns with him never stops being funny.

What keeps it fresh is variety. Levels throw platforming, autobattling, delivery runs, car theft and free-running at you between the brawls, so a run rarely settles into one rhythm. The 1.0 update adds two new modes (Neurolink and a deliberately [REDACTED] one that wraps up the story), two new archetypes in the Foreign Manufacturing mode - the Ninja and the Negotiator - plus new passives, bosses and level segments. You can play solo or bring a friend along, and with two people it turns into pure slapstick.

Where it slips

In long sessions the brawling starts to blur. Once you've found a build that works, the early part of each run feels like clocking in. The physics occasionally decides a fight for you in a way that's funny the first time and annoying the fifth. And the humour, while consistently good, leans on the same corporate jokes often enough that you'll see the punchline coming by hour ten.

Price and value

The full game costs $11.99, and it launched with a 50% discount that ran until October 1. Even at full price it's a no-brainer next to most $70 releases - this is exactly the kind of game that's easy to justify on any budget.

Who it's for

Fans of Broforce, Hades-style run structure without the seriousness, and anyone who has ever sat through a pointless meeting. If you want a story-heavy experience or precise, deterministic combat, the chaos will wear on you.

Verdict

Stick It to the Stickman is a cheap, loud, smart little game that knows exactly what it is. It won't change your life, but it'll make your Tuesday night a lot better.

Score: 8/10

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