Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim Review

3 days ago 2

Published Feb 9, 2026, 11:39 AM EST

Usama Mehmood is a writer who has done extensive work for previous publications, including Ranking Lists, Reviews, and even Featured Pieces. This allowed him to quickly pursue a position as an Editor during his former tenure, managing different teams and their content delivery whilst continuing to provide further expertise from his own written work.

He specializes in a variety of AAA and multiplayer titles; from spending countless hours with Sam and BB in Death Stranding to plowing through the latest raid boss with his clan mates in Destiny 2, there's a lot for him to enjoy about the gaming industry.

Having grown up in a family where I constantly admired the love and sheer effort put in by the various women in it, from my mother and cousins to my youngest aunt, who aptly became my sworn sister at my birth, since I was an only child after all. They were the founding pillar of my undying adoration for female protagonists in media, or for stories that resonate deeply with female audiences. I'd probably be the only guy in my friend circle who loved Greta Gerwig's Barbie for the narrative representation instead of drooling all over Ryan Gosling's aura like my squad.

Needless to say, my friends would often deadeye me for even talking about a recent chick flick or anything feminine-related I consumed, but hey, I'm glad I was blessed with them for being understanding rather than judgmental after all the years we've been through.

Classic Games That Can Read Your Game Files

But what's the point of being so personal right off the bat, you ask? Well, because you'll be the first ones to hear about Dead Pets from me before I yap it to someone else. It's a game I went in for the punk rock music only; instead, I came out with a feels trip. The game mishmashes life-sim, management-sim, rhythm, and mini-games, but how well does it stick the landing? Let's find out.

Oh, and one more thing, the game is very pro-feminism and for good reason, might I add, so if the very idea of that somehow irks you, now's the time to turn back because Dead Pets conveys that in high regard here.

A Punk Rockstar's Sea of Midlife Crisis

As someone who, quite honestly, finds himself in that situation, having to constantly hear from every grown-up or loved one that our mid-to-late 20s are the most important stage of our lives is never easy. And with Gordy, our main character and leader of the Dead Pets music band, you'll often see a reflection of yourself at one point or another in her daily life, and that aforementioned statement.

Because Dead Pets is a game inspired by shows like BoJack Horseman, it's quite evident in the art style, honestly. But even more so, the way the storytelling sort of branches into the depths of accepting adulthood and its responsibilities, or growing familiar with changes in your life, is all too oddly similar to a tragicomedy serial.

You'll possibly say, I'm a guy, what could I possibly know about Gordy and her periods? Truthfully, I don't, but that's exactly what this game is so good at telling, even if part of that is through the absurd quality of mini-games, which we'll get into a bit. But aside from that point, the key story details about Gordy and her everyday life just seem relatable, as much as they do about how she's different from us.

No, it's not because she's an anthropomorphic demon or anything. From the first two episodes, you get the basic gist of how Gordy is a self-destructive individual, a feeling that I'm unfortunately familiar with. Her run-ins with people around New Void City, whether it be her boss at the Diner, her nosy landlords, or her loveable band of BFFs, bring out so many traits at once. Especially with her parents, which we realize is another relationship that's a mixed bag.

You'll often see a reflection of yourself at one point or another in her daily life

The episodic storytelling base is great, though the life-sim aspect is more linear than expected. Each episode or week in Gordy's uphill battle to get her band big is composed of four days, each more chaotic or slightly less frantic than the next. And what happens on each of those days as we guide Gordy down a path of either going broke or mentally fatigued? Let's talk about it.

What is this, a Mini-Games Galore Episode?

If you think this kind of game lets you autopilot through the narrative, well, you got one thing wrong. Dead Pets loves to make you trickle through its assortment of minor yet charming mini-games. Some'll have you rushing a diner all helter-skelter, while in another, you're just doing creepy 9-5 office wage work by...solving math equations.

The focal point is how these mini-games tend to play right into the current occurrence of Gordy and her mindscape, especially with recurring mini-games like the Diner job, which, by the way, is a mini-game that will slowly ramp up in difficulty to truly test your reflexes.

Having second thoughts about going to the Dentist? That'll come into play during your shift, as every customer will turn into a tooth-ordering devil. Either that or the very thought of having kids will have the next shift for dear waitress Gordy, managing a horde of crying babies. It honestly is a brilliant display of how some major occurrences in our lives, or just things bothering us, tend to impact other parts, such as our taxing workload, and boy, does that suck.

On the other hand, you've got a mini-game at one point that'll resemble a uterus, where you need to hatch a single egg. Now, look, some of you might think it is the silliest thing ever, and that's fine. However, this mini-game highlights a critical point: in their 30s, women often get hit with tons of remarks about starting a family. Instead, it shouldn't be up to society to decide whether a woman should have kids or not. It's their body part, and they should have the free will to do what they want with it, simple as that.

Now switching gears for a second, I really want to highlight the rhythm gameplay of Dead Pets because that's truly something I adore. Ever since my teenage years, I've been obsessed with the likes of MCR, Paramore, and Avril Lavigne, and while those are fairly mainstream, it's just a really guilty pleasure of mine for the whole Punk Rock music scene.

The episodic storytelling base is great, though the life-sim aspect is more linear than expected.

And I'm very pleased to just say that Dead Pets' soundtrack wholeheartedly embodies the heart of that Punk Rock scene, but more importantly, wears the Riot Grrrl movement on its sleeve. Almost every single day in Gordy's week will have you performing a song with your band, and the range of available tracks is fantastic. Although the rhythm gameplay itself could've used some tweaks since some notes I felt just weren't accurate, at least on the medium difficulty, but I digress.

Even when you're not jamming to the wonderfully licensed tracks of this game, just vibing around New Void City alone has such a cathartic ring to it that truly encapsulates each area. Whether it be the antique opera playing at Gordy's parents' house or the most typical loud and brash track at the local clubs, you never feel a dull moment in this game.

Never Too Late to Catch the Train to Adulthood

I want to touch base once again with the storytelling presentation. And this time, it's mainly about how the game portrays Gordy's inner psyche in pivotal story moments and other scenarios. Dead Pets contextualizes many aspects of this game through its cutaways. These cutaways are often just satire or gag frames that showcase the absurd lengths to which Gordy imagines a given scenario.

Whether it be her talk show host cutaway that'll have you second-guessing about what's bothering her or anything that makes her overly exaggerate the situation, they're fun, harmless drawings that really make each scene a joy to witness without any drab or dull factor.

Speaking of joy, and what a feeling it is to see Gordy interact with her band members. From spending heartfelt time composing a brand-new song with her childhood best friend Jay to the weird yet enigmatic Brian spouting nonsense about trombones to ruin a feel-good moment. It accurately portrays how your friend circle would act in the 30s or late 20s, even though you'd all barely cling on to each other.

The constant balancing act of the dialogue choices that align with your preferences is also worth noting, because you won't have total freedom to make them. Gordy's social sim aspect is divided into her social points and Gordy points—represented by the values in the top-left of the HUD, just above the band gauge, which you can safely ignore for the most part, since they never reached zero on most occasions.

If you run out of either one of these points before the day ends, chances are that you'll have the odds of making a single choice. Each narrative choice throughout the day will deduct points. Even beyond these life-sim values, you'll also need to manage Gordy's allowance effectively because there are one too many points where she can go broke or even get into debt.

These cutaways are often just satire or gag frames that showcase the absurd lengths to which Gordy imagines a given scenario.

And without spoiling much of anything else, if I have, I'd also like to applaud how this game depicts an extremely critical act of sexual harassment, one that'll also give you a warning in advance should you feel too uncomfortable to witness it yourself.

But despite even that moment happening, I'm glad this game targets that and many other imperative cases, ones that especially make us think that despite everything life throws at us, we somehow will try to live another day, even if most of that is filled with us being an unemployed, mentally unstable, and alcoholic middle-aged woman. In the heat of each moment in Dead Pets, Gordy will probably be the most miserable character ever, but with all things considered, she still tends to walk on like it's another ordinary day in hell.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go jam to Don't Let the Fire Die and My Healing Potion as I pour one out for Gordy and her crew of misfits in the Dead Pets.

Dead Pets is a messy, loud, yet deeply sincere indie experience that wears its heart on its ripped denim jacket. What initially feels like a quirky mashup of life-sim choice-driven chaos and rhythm-driven rebellion slowly reveals itself as an empathetic, often uncomfortable reflection on adulthood, identity, and the pressures uniquely placed on women. Through Gordy’s self-destruction, absurdist mini-games, and riot grrrl-fueled soundtrack, Dead Pets tackles feminism, mental health, and societal expectations with surprising nuance and bite. It doesn’t always stick to every gameplay note in my eyes, but emotionally, Dead Pets lands hard—proving that even on the worst days, there’s still music to play and jam to, friends to lean on, and another morning to stumble into headstrong after being a drunken mess.

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Systems

Released February 6, 2026

Number of Players Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility Unknown

Pros & Cons

Heartful storytelling that tackles feminism, mental health, and adulthood with sincerity
Riot Grrrl?inspired punk rock soundtrack that fits the game?s identity perfectly
Strong character interactions that realistically capture messy adult friendships
Charming art style and expressive cutaway gags that keep the narrative engaging