EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER season one wraps up with Hope

One part visual novel, one part anti-fascist flesh-mech brawler EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER has released its sixth episode, Hope, wrapping up season one and providing a hell of a tease for the future second season. Questions are answered, questions are raised, and there’s plenty of teeth-gritted, fists-clenched optimism.

If you haven’t yet entered the friendly hell desert of MEATPUNKS it’s a game about “four gay disasters beating up neonazis in giant robots made of meat.” It’s funny and heartbreaking, rough around the edges and beautiful, and has a killer soundtrack. There's body horror, friendly roadside eldrich creatures, the claustrophobic sense of always being on the run, adorable crushes, existential dread, and, seriously, you have to hear the soundtrack. It’s easily one of my favourite games of the year.

I played the final episode last night, and it’s left me with a lot of lingering thoughts about trauma, exhaustion, and the rise of the global right. But it’s also left behind a lot to ponder about resilience, friendship, and that excellent use of the ‘there was only one bed’ trope. MEATPUNKS is that sort of game, through and through. The final episode is not an exception – in fact, it probably holds these two seemingly contradictory moods best of all.

If you were waiting for the whole season to be out before jumping on board, now’s the time. The six-episode bundle is available on itch.io for $10.