Silly Polly Beast is a Stunning Survival Horror That Will Challenge Even the Most Experienced Player

I’ve been following Silly Polly Beast for a little while now and I’ve been really looking forward to its release. The game is from developer Andrei Chernyshov and publishing Top Hat Studios, Inc. and has players fighting off many different kinds of enemies and beasts in this story rich horror. 

In the game you play as Polly, a mute orphan who is trying to escape her current lifestyle with her best friend Alice. When Alice doesn’t show up at the spot they’d agreed to meet, Polly goes looking for her only to fall into purgatory. A strange corpse-like person requests that she kill three demons in order to open the locks confining them and help Polly in return. From there, Polly gets involved with other entities in the area, a rebel group fighting against what they simply call “the fog,” a dangerous and lethal enemy. 

Silly Polly Beast has a unique design wherein players in some areas can move freely around, investigating and picking up items that Polly can use. In other areas, there are fixed camera angles where Polly can only move from left to right. It’s a real cinematic way of doing things and it’s something that impressed me early on. The more players explore the more they’ll uncover secret pathways, shortcuts and more. Exploration is highly encouraged especially when resources can be quite limited. 

The game’s combat is where I first began to feel a bit frustrated. The first weapon she’ll equip is a skateboard which can be used as a melee weapon. Players will also pick up guns including the very first, a handgun with six bullets in the barrel. The weapon uses light to reload so you’ll have to find a lightsource in order to gain back your bullets. Polly also has a stamina bar that players will have to pay close attention to. Near the beginning when only one or two enemies attack Polly at a time, it’s not hard to manage your stamina, but against 5 or 6 enemies, which players will encounter later on, this becomes genuinely annoying. It feels as though Polly can only swing her skateboard a few times before you’re forced to wait for your stamina bar to refill and, while you can upgrade your stamina later, it makes the start of the game a bit of a slog. 

My biggest issues with the game came during times when I was low on ammo and health. You’ll be able to grab resources around the area if you explore, but oftentimes, you’ll be faced with waves of enemies and very little to help you. There was a particular time where stealth was clearly required, but the enemy found me multiple times forcing me to try and fight back and I failed to do so, and had to start the entire section over. This difficulty spike felt like it came out of nowhere and left me feeling unprepared and frustrated. 

I really love the style and story in Silly Polly Beast. I think players that like a challenge will find it more to their taste than it was to mine. Coming up against enemies one on one is simple enough, but later on when you’re faced with many, these battles simply aren’t fun. But, it is a very unique game that blends a great story with an eerie horror atmosphere that some will find charming and enjoyable. 

Silly Polly Beast is available now on Steam.