For those who find the phrase “beat ’em up meets psychological horror” more likely to raise an eyebrow than an eyebrow-raising moment, the announcement of Brokensides might initially read as genre shorthand rather than a reason to celebrate. But the game from developer juicce — the studio behind the FUNKYHEART series — is doing something more than merely combining two genres. Set in a desolate, surreal world, the title casts players as a violent sea bunny recently freed from imprisonment after committing a so-called Cardinal Crime, and it turns that premise into a brutal, glass-shattering brawl now available on Steam.
At its core, Brokensides is a fighting game, but one that leans into the absurdity of its own concept. The player takes on the role of a sea bunny — a small, gelatinous marine creature — who has been released from confinement and is now looking to settle scores. The world around them is deliberately strange: landscapes that blend old-school wireframe 3D with improperly rendered models in odd colours and scattered ASCII art, all coalescing into a barren, open expanse populated by two-dimensional characters of varying existence. As the initial footage reveals, the environments are filled with “nasty creatures” who will “talk to you even if you stink,” while the desolate terrain is littered with glass bodies meant to be grappled and broken.
A Brawl Built on Suplexes and Shattered Glass
With only a single trailer released to date, the precise feel of the combat remains somewhat elusive, but the available footage suggests a design that echoes Slowclap’s Absolver, though with a tighter focus on streetbrawling-style fighting. The standout mechanic is the way enemies shatter into chunky, crystalline fragments on a well-timed hit, with a cascade of pieces flying across the screen. The game also embraces the full vocabulary of the genre, allowing players to dropkick and suplex their foes — a design choice that, in the words of the source material, gives the title the “juice” it needs.
“While you explore you can pose and sit wherever you like!! Even if you don’t deserve it!!”
Brokensides Steam page
Beyond the violence, the game injects a layer of dark comedy into its presentation. The Steam listing, for instance, cheekily notes that players are free to pose and sit wherever they like during exploration — a line that leans into the game’s willingness to be unapologetically strange. The combination of horror-tinged atmosphere, surreal visuals, and over-the-top combat gives Brokensides a distinct identity that sets it apart from more conventional entries in the genre.
Looking Ahead
Brokensides was only just announced, and as such it remains firmly in its early days. There is no release date to speak of — not even a release window or a year — meaning that concrete details about the game’s development schedule are still scarce. For players interested in the project, the path forward is straightforward: head over to the game’s Steam page and add it to your wishlist to be notified when it becomes available.
For now, Brokensides stands as a curious and charming entry into the beat ’em up space, one that dares to pair psychological horror with cartoonish violence and a cast of talking sea bunnies. Whether it will hold up as more than a novelty remains to be seen, but its bold concept and distinctive visual style make it worth keeping an eye on as the studio continues to develop the title.
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