Novelty physics games are a dime a dozen on Steam, but sometimes I see one that I can't resist. Poop On 2020 Simulator is a game about hurling shit at a year that has been mostly a write-off, and honestly, that sounded pretty cathartic. So I spent $2 on it, and I threw crap at the numbers 2020—rendered as a sparkly Vegas casino sign—for ten minutes. And for the briefest of moments, my gaze was averted from the abyss.
Poop On 2020 Simulator is obviously a very stupid game, but it at least feels kinda polished and considered, unlike a lot of cheaply made physics games. Turns out you can polish a turd simulator. Although I must admit, the turds aren't very turdy. They look the part, but they jiggle like they're made of gelatin. That criticism aside, the ten minutes I spent catapulting bum eggs at the year 2020 was enjoyable in a very base way.
And if you think you've overdone it with the shit flinging, you can unleash a thick jet of very yellow piss (the player character needs to drink more water) and clean them off. I can't believe I'm typing these words, but then again, I am the guy who wrote an entire feature about virtual toilets. Toilet humour is the lowest hanging fruit, but sometimes on a Friday afternoon you just wanna switch your brain off and lob some dumplings.
There are some secrets in the game too. Hit the escape key and a disco ball will descend from the ceiling and illuminate the ghastly Jackson Pollock you've created. And at one point a UFO flew past, which I pinged with crud and unlocked a very tongue-in-cheek developer commentary in the process. It's clear some thought went into this thing, which is more than I can say for a lot of low-rent comedy games on Steam.
Was this worth $2? I truly don't know. All I know is that I was briefly amused by it, and maybe that's enough in these trying times. I'm not above laughing at toilet humour. No one truly is. It's laughing at bodily waste, but interactive. And the music is nice. A serene, peaceful piano soundtrack is not what I would expect from a throwaway novelty videogame like this, but it gives it a curious elegiac quality. Yes, I did use the word 'elegiac' to describe a game about throwing shit.
The achievements are incredible too.
