The Holy Gosh Darn Review

A surprisingly enjoyable romp that is decidedly deep, dynamic and hilarious in whatever time-travelled order you wish to put those things...

Comedy in videogames rarely ever succeeds. Handfuls of *exceptions to this unwritten-but-definitely-accepted sentiment exist, though most are from a bygone era, and all almost exclusively live in the realms of Click & Point Adventure games, such as classics like Sam & Max, Grim Fandango and, of course, the Monkey Island series (among others). We’ve had more modern games stand up, but the key titles to do that here are almost all DoubleFine joints with the likes of Psychonauts 1 and 2 and the one game this writer desperately wants to see revived again in some fashion -- Brutal Legend. But Tim Shafer and co can’t be the sole bearers of interactive punch lines (funnily enough, he also wrote the aforementioned Grim Fandango), and while many games employ comedic elements, few that use it as an entire narrative, loop and endgame base manage to get it right.

Enter The Holy Gosh Darn.

An indie title from Perfectly Paranormal, this entirely comedy-based game takes religion, paganism, science fiction and geekism to hilarious heights thanks to a (w)hol(l)y clever gameplay loop centred around a spin on the Groundhog Day setup, but where time-travel helps manipulation of segments of the day, rather than exclusively living out its entirety on repeat. What makes this even more genius is the devs have been hyper aware of what constant rewinding and fast-forwarding of events means from a dialogue perspective, as well as how often trial and error will come into play with such mechanics. And so the game serves up a dynamically-charged response system to almost all of your movements which, in and of itself, is an incredible feat. But, alongside the aforementioned dynamism and against the size and breadth of narrative here (once all’s actually said and done -- and there’s a lot), The Holy Gosh Darn becomes a “holy cow, that was amazing, how the God-damn did they do it?!” experience, and one you won’t soon forget.

*Check out our "Would you like to know more?" box outs for... MORE!

The Holy Gosh Darn

Genre: Comedy-Adventure

Developer: Perfectly Paranormal

Publisher: Yogscast Games

Release Date: October 9, 2024

Classification: M15+

Author: Stephen Farrelly

Date: October 28, 2024

Humans Suck, Dogs Rule

We mentioned “trial and error” above, which for many a player can be the bane of their gaming existence, especially when games truncate them with hardfail walls requiring nothing but a Checkpoint reset, or even a reload of a saved game sometimes a ways back from where they failed at all. But The Holy Gosh Darn leans into it as a part of its loop and its charm. This is because the game’s main protagonist, the lazy Cassiel of Celerity -- a very, very tweaked version of an angel and/or celestial being from various texts and mythos -- who finds themselves tasked with saving Heaven from an invasion of “Phantoms”, is perhaps as impatient as the average teen on the Internet these days, and isn’t afraid to share her “God damn” thoughts on all proceedings.

"There’s no afterlife for the afterlife, right?"

You see, Heaven itself is essentially only home to dogs in The Holy Gosh Darn because humans invariably find themselves in hell, and nothing else is as pure as dogs. Natch. This means the oncoming swarm of Phantoms is not only unexpected, but really, really bad because their mere presence in Heaven means everyone and everything in so-called “Eternity” will be wiped out once and for all -- we mean, there’s no afterlife for the afterlife, right?

So in steps Azrael or, Death, who confesses to likely being the reason things are going to happen the way they are, but whom also has a piece of bling Flavor Flav would pay a year’s worth of royalties for that can rewind time, allowing Cass and Death to travel back in time in increments of 15 minutes to attempt to right the good ship Heaven and keep everyone else alive. So far, so simple, right?

Would you like to know more?

*Obviously there are many games that employ comedic elements. The GTA series alone with its tongue-in-cheek social commentary and counterculture writing is up there, while other indie efforts also exist such as Cult of the Lamb, Anger Foot, the South Park suite of games and more, but few rely almost exclusively on moment-to-moment comedy to carry them, which is why The Holy Gosh Darn just stands out amongst a crowd, a wannabe crowd and a crowd of actual pretenders... this joint is the real deal.

Of Graffiti and Bent Golden Gates

The game starts off with some light-hearted humour that at first doesn’t sell what’s to come, but it doesn’t take long for the jokes to start coming in thick and fast thanks to the game's dynamic response system and for it all to gel and become either a laugh out loud experience at max, or a chuckle out loud one at minimum. The whole The Holy Gosh Darn is presented in side-scrolling 2D form, but there are branching paths and different destinations you’ll find yourself at. Heaven itself is fairly robust in the scheme of each area’s size, and is a rundown mess of a place. Graffiti everywhere, piled up rubbish, broken glass, unfinished construction… the works. And the game also continually paints God -- conspicuously absent for… reasons -- as a bit of an asshole, which is a sentiment all and sundry in the game hold as an unrelenting truth.

Good on them.

"You’ll also definitely visit a comedy store operated by dragons, blow up helicopters with alcohol, or record a diss-track for one of the game’s 24 Elders you need to seek out and insult..."

Outside of Heaven, you’ll also find yourself on Earth, in Helheim and actual Hell, with events and characters in each all needing different levels of engagement or help with puzzle-solving, or setting you up for your own brain-scratchers. You might hotwire a bus in one area, or play a D&D-like game of “Florple” in another. You’ll also definitely visit a comedy store operated by dragons, blow up helicopters with alcohol, or record a diss-track for one of the game’s 24 Elders you need to seek out and insult, amidst all of your given or discovered tasks. You might even Halo jump to Earth and play a mini game where you attempt to avoid all of the ascending dogs who turn into puppy vapour if you hit them (genuine tears… Every. Damn. Time) or cause an old lady to die only to have her playing both lookout for you while you break the law, and then act as your getaway driver when you’re caught. It's all very involved.

All of the above goes toward the game’s key goal, which is to find a relic called “The Holy Gosh Darn” which is apparently the only thing that can prevent the Phantoms from entering Heaven. But as you’d expect this is no easy task and the game sets you on a fetch-quest for the ages where paying attention and truly leaning into the ability to rewind time is the only way to actually progress.

Yehyehyehyeh!

We also mentioned above that the game delivers a dynamic response system and, honestly, it might be among one of our favourite aspects of its overall presentation. You’ll find yourself constantly on the receiving end of long-winded conversations as you seek information, but remember that time is literally of the (end of) essence here. But this also means you can sit through these (which are always very funny), then rewind time and hurry them along now that Cass knows when to interject and speed up proceedings. This, however, can cause problems because many of the game’s inhabitants don’t stand for rudeness, so you need to know when to push and when to listen. And often these moments are tied very specifically to an event on the game’s six hour timeline.

"Events like this transpire all over the game-world, but how you think about time manipulation and your own busy hands is how you manage to make your way through..."

An example of the above is that an Elder in charge of access to a Vault needs coffee. Without coffee he passes out on the dot of 3pm, no matter what. The thing is, even if you bring him his coffee (which takes two hours to brew), he needs to work up a thirst for it, so you’re in a precarious position, because added to all of the above is that access to his area is locked behind a heavy door that also eats up time to open, but when you finally get it all sorted… well, he decides he needs to also make you coffee, which means you either work out how to bring two coffees with you and get in there just ahead of the 3pm pass out event, or get in there with enough time both coffees can be made (or at least one). And events like this transpire all over the game-world, but how you think about time manipulation and your own busy hands is how you manage to make your way through them.

And, pleasingly, not every solution is locked in stone. So you do get to exercise outside-the-box thinking which the game, often through dialogue, happily rewards.

Would you like to know more?

Cassiel of Celerity -- the games main protagonist can be best put alongside Mount Olympus' Hermes in terms of them being a swift angel capable of 'delivering' (something) swiftly. In antiquity and through text and other forms of handed-down information, they appear across numerous cultures, beliefs and mythology. In The Holy Gosh Darn, they're simply a hapless courier intent on not dying, but probably, largely, most definitely, are in proceedings for themselves, which is kind of perfect in the face of everything the game offers...

Brokk and Sindre, Here?

While The Holy Gosh Darn definitely pokes fun at religion and scripture and other cultural beliefs, it’s not at all philosophical. There’s no grandstanding, and no aspect or subject of the game's setup is entirely safe from being roasted (it’s a little bit South Park in this way), which helps its comedic cause immeasurably. There are shoutouts to knowledge of theology and mythology and folklore, as well as digs at human advancement and science, but it’s all done for the sake of the punchline. That dogs are the only critters getting into Heaven is about as highbrow as it all gets, and we’re on board with that. Well, that and you can get your time-piece upgraded by the legendary dwarves, Brokk and Sindre, among other choice run-ins, which is equally cool.

"Completionists will love what else they can do, other than God’s work for them, the lazy sod.."

The rest of the game is a wonderful romp of deduction and manipulation and progression that is essentially marred only by some of the jumping/platforming mechanics and some lite repetition in conversational aspects (you can rewind to a repeated convo here and there and Cass doesn’t react, which doesn’t gel with the otherwise normally brilliant dynamic response system), but not a single thing mentioned above hurts the game.

It’s also a deep and extensive journey that doesn’t end as quickly as you think and even has heaps and heaps of side quests to solve, which the game itself pokes fun at. These unravel more deeply based on your accrued abilities, and so completionists will love what else they can do, other than God’s work for them, the lazy sod.

The Holy Gosh Darn is a breath of absolute comedic air tailored around how you play and how the game’s systems work against its narrative. It is an Adventure title, but it’s unique and charming and has just blown us away. Play it, and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to puppy Heaven.

What’s Boss?

A hilarious adventure that is so much deeper than it ever lets on
Pokes fun at all of its subject matter, with no apologies
Layered in ways no 2D adventure game has a right to be
Amazing voice-acting and script-writing
The game's dynamic response-system is simply second-to-none

Not Boss Enough?

Some of the jumping mechanics even when fully kitted out, are still not great
Some of the UI displays over other information at inopportune times, which can be distracting
Some interactive parts of the world *cough* wires to cut *cough* needed a bigger hit box for interactivity

A game in which you play as an angel in Heaven tasked with stopping an invasion of beings that will wipe out all (after)life. This is done through a series of events, puzzles and communicative exchanges thanks to your trusty time-travel device given to you by Death that allows you to make incremental changes and on-the-fly decisions in a very well thout out game-world and narrative setup.

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly

Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport under his belt. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms but particularly street and tattoo culture, and is the director of Swear Jar...

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The Holy Gosh Darn Review