Buzz Blog

Last year, the group behind tinyBuild Games hit a home run with the murderous strategy game Party Hard. The game gained massive appeal when Twitch and YouTube gamers took the title and recorded speed runs to see who could complete the game the quickest, or at the very least the bloodiest. The popularity of the indie title has kept it a fan favorite on Steam for well over a year, and that run looks like it's about to continue with the latest addition of DLC content called "High Crimes."


If you haven't had a chance to take on Party Hard, we warn you that it isn't for the timid strategy player. The basics of the game put you in the position of a serial killer looking to put an end to a night of fun by killing off all the guests. You can straight up stab them at close range, or use a variety of items at your disposal in the area to let them die "accidentally." Throughout the night, more people will arrive and hang out, making the task even harder to accomplish, as if it wasn't hard already with dozens of witnesses seeing your every move. Once you've totally eliminated all the guests from one area, you'll hitch a ride to the next massive party and continue your country-wide killing spree.


There is no right or wrong way to play this game, other than the objective of not getting caught, which adds to the suspense as the numbers dwindle and you're forced to strategize where to make the next kill. Sometimes hazards can be more beneficial than you may suspect, like starting fires to get the fire department to arrive, only to kill off more guests in another room while they're occupied. But the guests are only drunk and partying half the time; the rest of the night, they're quite vigilant, and have no issues calling the cops about anything that may look suspicious.


The best thing for the new DLC in Party Hard is changing locations, and the new Twitch interactive feature. An addition to the storyline takes you to new locations, including a police station run by crooked cops, a ghetto gathering and a crime syndicate headquarters. And unlike the previous kill-at-all-costs missions, these are story-centric and require you to obtain objectives. The Twitch integration adds a grand level of difficulty for those playing the game live, as the viewing audience controls the actions of the NPC characters in the game, leaving you with few options of strategy when the people you're trying to kill can hear and see every move you intend to make.


Party Hard was already an awesome title before the "High Crimes" DLC dropped last week, so it was interesting to see how they intended to freshen up the gameplay beyond the basic concept. The new additions work well within the confines of the strategy, and only enhance the challenge for players. I highly encourage anyone with a Twitch stream to take advantage of the new interactive option and attempt to outsmart the crowd. Worst case for you: You now have to become slightly smarter than the game.