There’s nothing idiotic about Silly Polly Beast. On the contrary, this… survival horror…? is smart, stylish, and… super duper. Playing the demo a while back put this on the radar, and with Top Hat Studios on publishing duties for Andrei Chernyshov’s, I’m delighted to say that this is one worth getting.
As the titular Polly, you escape an orphanage for a life of freedom, only to be immediately put back on an actual leash and in deeper than when you first left. Not that the folk who run the orphanage are that bad, but left for dead, Polly reluctantly makes a deal with an S&M type (similar to Hotel Barcelona) to be reunited with her pal, Alice, whom she was due to meet up with until the near-death experience.
Ideally, Polly could just ask for help, right? Aside from the youth never feeling like they’re being listened to by adults, Polly is, in fact, a (selective) mute. Of course, you can read her thoughts, from the text presented on screen, Nostradamus, and Silly Polly Beast isn’t about resolving conflicts through pithy wordplay. Nope, be(a)st bring your guns.
After Polly enters an underworld of sorts, with a Catherine/Persona-like palette, she’s handed a gun that regenerates each time you’re near lit barrels. Feeling like you have infinite ammo, which you theoretically have, seems badass, but Polly has to keep moving away from these shadow-like beings in fear of another untimely death. Fortunately, a skateboard serves as a melee attack and can also be thrown a short distance to keep pursuers at bay.
Alas, this isn’t enough to keep your head above water at the beginning, and there are a few Souls-like deaths expected as you get the hang of the mechanics and scarce resources. On top of the battles that take place, there’s an ominous fog that explodes on touch. Again, this is surprisingly easy to ignore and end up taking your health down quite early on in the game. A girl can only eat so much chocolate to replenish health before the thighs kick in…
Joining a resistance of ‘good’ shadows, Polly navigates the murky depths on a mission to assassinate those who restrain your own captor, with a steady feed on new weapons, albeit these can’t be refilled from the barrels and instead rely on the classic ‘you’ll take your one bullet and like it’ survival horror trait. Silly Polly Beast boasts an autosave feature that, when you enter an area having emptied your weapon chambers, the game will save with your current stash. What that translates as: if you don’t use your resources wisely, you can find yourself in a bit of a pickle.
The latter phrase is putting it lightly. I really like this game, but it definitely falls into the more difficult crowd. Not a Metroidvania or rogue-like, but old school survival horror that isn’t about scaring you with blood and guts, but has you filling your pants as to whether you’re resourceful or not. A cafe stocks bits and pieces to keep you going, and you can also stock up on masks to unlock new areas, and also some really interesting abilities that include being able to fly, but it’s not as easy as you think, and will definitely require trial and error.
Silly Polly Beast is primarily an action game, though the story in itself is a good one and will have you pretty much invested. Consider it an award for some really testing gameplay, but not Ninja Gaiden level rage quitting. I originally played the demo on PC and loved it. The review code supplied was for the PS5, and while platforms shouldn’t really be so dividing, I much preferred playing this on the telly than hunched at my desk. That said, if you have a PC, download the demo now to see why it’s so damn cool.
