''Sludge Life'' is a 2020

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by Adam "

Doseone Adam Kidd Drucker (born April 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Doseone, is an American rapper, producer, poet and artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon. He has also been a member of numerous groups in ...

" Drucker and Terri Vellmann and published by

Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wil ...

for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. It was the second collaboration between the two and Devolver following ''

High Hell ''High Hell'' is a 2017 first-person shooter video game developed by Terri Vellmann and Adam "Doseone" Drucker and published by Devolver Digital for Windows and macOS. It was released via Steam and itch.io. Both developers had previously colla ...

'' in 2017. ''Sludge Life'' was released in 2020 for free for the first year. It has been released along with a soundtrack EP and digital album, as well as ported to the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

. A sequel, ''Sludge Life 2'', was released in 2023.

Gameplay

''Sludge Life'' is an open-world adventure game based on

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

parkour Parkour () is an athletic Training#Physical training, training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment ...

, and

urban culture Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. The defining theme is the presence of a large population in a limited space that follows social norms. This makes it possible for many subcultures close to each other, exposed to social influence ...

. Initially equipped with nothing more than a

spray can Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. It comprises a can or bottle that contains a payload, and a propellant under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the payload is forced out ...

and

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

, the player must leap and climb to find preset locations for tagging in order to further explore the environment. Tagging (especially difficult tags) enables the player to gain respect from other taggers and eventually allows the player to co-operate with a series of

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

. A handful of items found around the world can provide the player with new gameplay features: a

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

that can - aside from taking pictures - reveal tagging locations, a glider that can extend the player's airborne distance, a teleporting device called the "warper" that allows the player to place a marker down and teleport back to it any time, and a pair of "vandal eyes" floating in a jar that always look towards the closest tagging location. The laptop can also be updated with 7 apps (music, video, a

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

, etc.), and the player can play

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

s, eat some of the food lying around, and "zoom" (the term for using

psychedelic mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

). There are 100 tags to spray and there are three possible endings. The player cannot

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

, although there are a handful of environmental hazards - such as fall damage - that will knock the player out causing them to reawaken in a

hospital bed A hospital bed or hospital cot is a bed specially designed for hospitalized patients or others in need of some form of health care. These beds have special features both for the comfort and well-being of the patient and for the convenience of h ...

Plot

''Sludge Life'' is based on the efforts of a graffitist to be recognized by his peers. Set in a fictional 1990's-era

oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

, the main character, Ghost, spends time meeting inhabitants, exploring, and spray-painting tags and murals. Exploring the rig and talking to other characters can reveal some of the world's backstory, including secrets about the

megacorporation Megacorporation, mega-corporation, or megacorp, a term originally coined by Alfred Eichner in his book ''The Megacorp and Oligopoly: Micro Foundations of Macro Dynamics'' but popularized by William Gibson, derives from the combination of the pre ...

Glug, and revealing a

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

against Glug protesting the death of the corporate

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

, Ciggy. While climbing and exploring the rig, its environs, and the buildings on it, Ghost is able to find three possible endings: * Finding a large bomb in a bunker, Ghost can blow up the entire world, corrupting the game in the process. * Finding the Glug CEO's escape pod, Ghost can leave the shipyard for good. * Collecting 100 tags and one of the personal items of another tagger will cause Ghost's eyes to be ripped out of their body and enter a psychedelic hallucination.

Development

''Sludge Life'' was developed by Adam Drucker AKA

and Terri Vellmann from

. Previewed at 2020's

PAX East PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, and Melbourne. Previously, it was also held in San Anton ...

(29 Feb - 1 Mar), the game demonstrated an emphasis on graffiti, music, resistance, grime, and crass humor. Notably, however, the game was dramatically less violent than the developer's previous ''High Hell'' (and later Disc Room). In fact Vellmann's first conception of ''Sludge Life'' would be to remove guns entirely. Focusing on

NPCs A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

rather than enemies, Drucker and Vellmann began to develop personalities in the new game. Characters were designed based on real people the developers encountered. As ludic aspects developed, Drucker drew from activities of his youth including

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

, and

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant gr ...

. To emphasize the visual aspects of graffiti and its spatial relationship vis-à-vis the observer, parkour became a primary theme. Music and visuals also began to be emphasized. In adopting

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

and

vaporwave Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, a visual art style, and an Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s and became well-known in 2015. It is defined partly by its slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, 1970 ...

elements, Vellmann developed an aesthetic style including Ghost's laptop, hallucinogenic "zoom" trips, and the

smog Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and ''fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odour. The word was then inte ...

gy backgrounds. Drucker developed the music along with Big Mud (Drucker's in-game alterego) and DJ Dead, and a

45rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The gr ...

EP was released within the laptop as well as in reality on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

. ''Sludge Life'' was released on the

Epic Games Store The Epic Games Store is a video game digital distribution service and storefront operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as a software client, for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and online storefront. Android and iOS versions of t ...

on May 28, 2020 and was offered for free for the first year. The Switch and Steam versions were released as soon as the Epic Games Store version was sold on June 2, 2021. A physical version was planned for Switch.

Reception

After its initial 2020 release as a free game on

, numerous reviewers encouraged players to test ''Sludge Life''. The second release (allowing Switch and

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

) in 2021, provided additional reviews to examine the game again. Recognized for its laissez-faire exploration which the developers described as a "

walking simulator A walking simulator, shortened walking sim, is an adventure game that consists primarily of movement and environmental interaction. Walking sims sometimes include puzzle elements, and generally do not have combat mechanics or traditional win/l ...

", early reviews emphasized the humor in the game as well as its strange mood/atmosphere. The game was compared to 2000's ''

Jet Set Radio (originally released in North America as ''Jet Grind Radio'') is a 2000 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The player controls a member of a youth gang, the GG's, as they use inline skates to traverse ...

'' in its themes, but otherwise more similar to visual media like the programming from

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

or ''

Liquid Television ''Liquid Television'' was an animation showcase broadcast on MTV from 1991 to 1995. It launched several high-profile original cartoons, including ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' and '' Æon Flux''. Other recurring segments include "The Art School Girls ...

'' from the mid-1990s. From the initial 2020 release from Epic Games Store, reviewers emphasized the game as having a niche and unique/eccentric vibe. The 1-year free price was also broadly appreciated, and the game was praised for its gameplay and the music. Criticism was primarily limited to controls which were found to be "wonky", however additional criticisms came in the form of its relatively short length and the inelegance of developing its uniqueness. Hardcore Gamer gave the game a score of 4/5. Reviews of 2021 from Switch, Steam, GOG, etc., were similarly positive with ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' describing the game as "visually striking", "genuine", and "vibrant", ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

'' describing it as "astonishingly clever", and ''Nintendo World Report'' claiming it as "wild and truly unique. There's really nothing like it. ''Sludge Life'' is a vibe". Complaints were limited to the visuals and mechanics which ''Nintendo Life'' found to "feel inconsistent" and to potentially cause "confusion between which objects can be climbed like ladders and which cannot". ''Nintendo World Report'' also worried that the non-linearity of the game might be off-putting for gamers. Scores of 8/10 were awarded from both ''Nintendo Life'' and ''Nintendo World Report''.

Controversy

''Sludge Life'' was banned by the

Australian Classification Board The Australian Classification Board (ACB or CB) is an Australian Government of Australia, government Statute, statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, television programmes, video games and publications for ex ...

after rating the game a "refused classification" (RC) in June 2021. Although details from the Board were scant, the May 2021 review and re-rate of '' Disco Elysium: The Final Cut'' (banned in March 2021) suggested that the reason for ''Disco Elysium'' may have been for the same reason: "use of drugs". Similar rating boards like the ESRB (USA) has given ''Sludge Life'' similar mature rates such as Mature 17+ (M).

Sequel

''Sludge Life 2'' was announced on March 23, 2023, releasing later the same year for Windows. It was well received in its preview version. A demo for the sequel called "The Big Mud Sessions" was released on June 8. It acts as a bridge between the two episodes, where Ghost, now a manager of rapper Big Mud, must help Mud perform on a recording in the studio by getting him a Ciggy Cig to ease Mud's anxiety. The sequel was released on June 27.

References

External links

* *{{Official website, https://www.shopsludgelife.com/
Doseone @ bandcamp.com
2020 video games Devolver Digital games Dystopian video games First-person adventure games Adventure games Graffiti video games Indie games Linux games MacOS games Nintendo Switch games Open-world video games Parkour video games Video games developed in Brazil Video games developed in the United States Video games with cel-shaded animation Windows games