If you’ve missed out on the strange (yet fascinating) title Duck Game, you may be missing one of the more unique titles on Steam that brings with it a few echoes of Fusion Frenzy, Move or Die, and Stick Fight.
Released mid-2015, Duck Game is published by Adult Swim Games and offers a single-screen competitive foray with strange weapons and tasks players with successfully murdering each other.
The title makes ready use of the Remote Play Together functionality that Steam introduced late in 2019 to bring a slew of friends together to play on one screen; meaning that only one friend will need to actually own the title for three others to join him.
That is, until the 1.5 update that dropped yesterday (November 13, 2020); now, up to eight players can all join into the absolute mayhem and anarchy on screen, with levels being modified to support eight players at once. This means everything from spawn points to power-up drops, so don’t be too surprised to note a few alterations in your favorite stomping grounds.
A spectating mode similarly comes as a new feature that can support four spectators (which doesn’t count towards the eight-person limit) that can sip Melon Soda and chat with each other while they watch the mayhem unfold.
The biggest Duck Game update ever has landed on Steam just in time for the #AdultSwimFestival! 🦆
Yes, it includes 8-duck multiplayer. Yes, it includes new weapons. Yes, it's free.
Thanks to everyone for the incredible support over the years. This update is for you. pic.twitter.com/fc7giuzsdW
— [adult swim] games (@adultswimgames) November 14, 2020
It might seem like an odd feature, but spectators can host a dedicated server and simply commentate on the action as it unfolds which could make for an interesting means of content on some streaming sites.
A slew of maps have been added, new mechanics (such as Duct Tape to combine two weapons) and weapons promise to inject some variety into the constant mayhem, and more bug fixes than one could possibly shake a shotgun at (including a hopeful fix for alt-tabbing) makes the 1.5 update, as developer Landon Podbielski states, that largest content update for Duck Game yet,
Add on a current sale lasting for the next twelve hours that knocks 40% off of the asking price, and you may find yourself quickly running out of excuses not to at least look in the general direction of feathers and weaponry.
For a title that is five years old, the fact that the servers still tend to boast a higher population than a more modern title, such as Marvel’s Avengers, speaks volumes about the quality that Duck Game can readily offer a group of friends looking for a few clutches with only an occasional argument.
Sure, Duck Game doesn’t offer sweeping story arcs nor bleeding-edge graphics built by arguable slave-labor that will have you mesmerized to the point that you forget about reported developer conditions, but it does have ducks and the futuristic year of 1984. What more could you want?
