I generally find it quite frustrating how limited the medium of games insists on being when it comes to engaging in a wide breadth of genres. One particular genre that its filmmaking cousin frequently utilises but is rarely seen within games is comedy. Sure, occasionally a game makes an attempt at telling a joke within a cutscene (failing more often than not (comedy’s hard!)), but rarely is it a genre mechanically. So I’m quite pleased to learn of Send in the Clown, a turn-based RPG where you play as a clown that has to save a 12 year old’s birthday party… and it only has one turn.
In Send in the Clown, you play as Pockets, a horrendously sad name for a clown. He has been hired to perform at Miranda’s birthday party, except it’s being ruined by her shitty brother Tad. Your goal, then, is to save the day by saving the party by, uh, fighting a child! That’s Tad, to be clear. The problem is, Tad is a dirty trickster, and despite you being a literal adult, isn’t easy to take down. Your solution to that is by trying to make friends with everyone and anyone at the party.
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That involves playing a range of minigames. There’s a single dad who wants to impress with his dance moves but has two left feet, so you teach him through a rhythm game. There’s an exhausted mum who you help give a “much-needed break from parenting with Uncharted-style quick time events.” And there’s an awkward shy kid who you have to hype up a bit to get him involved. After befriending them, they essentially get added to your party (the RPG kind) and can be used to take down Tad; I’m particularly fond of the mum’s incredibly powerful attack where she throws her newborn baby.
It’s not just about making friends, there are a range of secrets to unlock and discover that can aid you in taking down Tad. Eventually all of this culminates in a single battle, and yes, an entire battle system was developed just for this one battle. That’s commitment! It’s just the bulk of the game is in the delightfully silly prep work you have to do. Best of all, it’s not trying to outstay its welcome; the game is only an hour long, so it doesn’t sound like any grinding will be necessary. I also greatly appreciate this note on the Steam page: “No artificial intelligence, or intelligence of any kind, was used in the making of this game.”
If any of this sounds up your alley, you can try out a demo, or just shoot it a wishlist, on its Steam page.