Disclosure: The Illuminerdi received a free review copy of Gummy Dummy Battles from Game.Press.
Gummy Dummy Battles gives players exactly what they would expect: silly, borderline-dumb ragdoll action that can quickly devolve into pure mayhem. It’s a new entry into the subgenre of simulation games that puts a fun twist on the tactics-based gameplay, like its predecessors, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator.
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Unfortunately, unlike those previously mentioned, Gummy Dummy Battles doesn’t offer much, choosing a “for the memes” approach to the battle sim. That isn’t necessarily a negative aspect, as the game still provides hours’ worth of fun, but a convoluted tutorial and lackluster missions hold it back from being a great installment.
The Game’s Tutorial Misses the Mark
My biggest gripe with Gummy Dummy Battles is the self-proclaimed “shortest tutorial ever.” The image above is what the game gives you to learn the mechanics, and as you can see, it’s just walls of text that will only confuse anyone interested in playing the game. The information itself isn’t that difficult to understand, but the method that developers Insane Dreamers elected to go with leaves plenty to be desired and only causes more confusion when you get to the game’s later levels.
Instead, I would’ve liked to see the devs lean into a more playable tutorial, using Gummy Dummy Battles’ early levels to introduce the game’s core mechanics. As it currently stands, those levels more or less go to waste, as you can purchase a fighter jet to eviscerate the few foot soldiers poised against you.
The Two Game Modes Work Well
Given the flaws of the tutorial, it’s easy to load into Gummy Dummy Battles more confused than anything, but once you get the hang of it, the game offers a good bit of fun. There are two game modes: Missions, where you assemble your troops against predetermined enemies, and Sandbox, where you fully control both sides of the action.
In Missions, you assemble a team against enemies that get more difficult as you progress. Gummy Dummy Battles gives you a finite amount of money to purchase anything from ordinary foot soldiers to tanks and everything in between. There are also plenty of fun options that lean into the meme side of things, like giant gingerbread men and historical political figures.
After completing a level, you’re given one to three stars depending on your performance, and I actually really liked this gameplay. The missions weren’t necessarily difficult, but I’m a sucker for getting three stars on every mission. However, I would love to see Insane Dreamers add a feature to speed up combat, as I found that battles would drag on more often than not, leaving me waiting to see a painfully clear outcome.
Gummy Dummy Battles truly shines in the Sandbox game mode, giving players free rein to explore their wildest combat fantasies. You have unlimited resources to assemble the craziest armies you can imagine, pitting the likes of Bill Clinton and an army of scooter knights versus Abraham Lincoln and hundreds of orcs.
It’s pure chaos and an excellent source of entertainment, opening the door for an infinite amount of dummy battles. I only played alone, but the game feels perfect for your friends’ next hangout. All I could think about was booting up Gummy Dummy Battles with my friends and making the most heinous drinking game based on the outcome of these simulated conflicts.
You wouldn’t think a game like Gummy Dummy Battles innovates the simulation genre, but that’s precisely what it does with its camera-switching feature. If playing from a bird’s eye view isn’t your style, the game allows users to take control of any tower on the battlefield, switching to third-person. You can fly around as a jet or maneuver a tank through the chaos, and it’s an incredibly cool feature that I’d love to see used in other genre titles.
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I enjoyed my time with Gummy Dummy Battles, even if the gameplay loop became a bit stale after so many battles. Naturally, there are improvements I’d love to see Insane Dreamers make. Still, as indie developers, Gummy Dummy Battles is a worthy addition to the simulation genre and an excellent avenue for relaxing simplistic fun.
About Gummy Dummy Battles
Release Date: January 24, 2023
Developer: Insane Dreamers
Publisher: Insane Dreamers
Platforms: PC (Steam & Epic Games)
Genre: Simulation
Synopsis: Gummy Dummy Battles is the craziest battle simulator in the history of video games! Once the fight begins, you can stand and watch as a spectator or take the field and fight in the first or third person. Although the units are quite unconventional, each has its own strategic role: to dominate the enemy, you must discover their strengths and weaknesses.
What do you think about Gummy Dummy Battles? Will you be picking it up on PC? Do you enjoy for-fun battle simulators? Let us know your thoughts on social media, and keep following The Illuminerdi for more content like this. We’re always watching.
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