Developer: Vile Monarch
Publisher: Good Shepherd Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile
Rating: T for Teen
Price: $2.99 (Steam, Xbox One, PS4), $2.49 (Android, iOS)
Now that fighting games have gone from casual bouts with friends on a Friday night to incredibly technical advanced eSports-focused matches for those who believe they need to prove something, a different approach has come along for the casuals of fighting games. These fights are not all about fisticuffs and grapples. These are fights without bloodshed. Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator is not about the sticks and stones that may hurt, but the words you spew out on the playground.
Content Guide
Violence: There is no actual violence shown in The Insult Simulator; there is only reference. One stage shows a deceased man upon where a cup of tea rests in each hand. There is a small of blood on his chest from where he was shot, and he has a gun in his lap. Characters recoil at a rude insult that touches on their weakness. In one scenario, a liver is the source of contention.
Sexual Content: The final level of tournament is heaven, and in the background there are numerous rear ends tooting trumpets. One verb section of an insult can include the phrase “pose(s) nude for” e.g. “Your mother poses nude for…” or can be silly like “Your hovercraft poses nude for…” The lewdness of your insult varies by rounds and sometimes these phrases will not appear at all.
Drug/Alcohol Use: There are references to drugs in the game, but I personally did not come across any in my time with the game. There is a reference to partying so hard that a new liver is needed in one of the stages regardless of which mode you play the stage in.
Language/Crude Humor: The entire premise of the game revolves around insults which can be crude in nature as noted above. Farting on others is mentioned. There is coarse language as well, but I have not ran into any in my hours playing. There are so many different insults in this game, that there may be many that I did not encounter.
Spiritual: In tournament mode, the final fight is against God himself (referred to as “Father” in-game). Father can be unlocked as a playable fighter as well, who has a weakness for insults regarding family members. This is troubling considering you are insulting not just God the Father, but also Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is outright blasphemy, and is unsettling to say the least.
Review
Oh…Sir! The Insult Simulator is a special type of fighting game based on the Parrot sketch from Monty Python’s The Flying Circus. In this game, you fight your opponent by taking turns constructing insults to each other until one participant can no longer continue. These insults are listed in the middle of the screen for each combatant to pick from. There are multiple characters to choose from, each with their own weakness to certain insults. Sir Knight is weak to insults related to keeping up with the times; Nigel does not like hearing about his weight and so on.
Given that The Insult Simulator is based on a Monty Python sketch, it is given there will be references to the legendary comedy troupe. Achievements/Trophies require you to construct insults based upon famous quotes from their movies and sketches. You are able to make insults such as “Your father was a hamster,” and “Your mother smells of elderberries.” Of course, all of these would not be complete without them being delivered in a British accent. Having these insults in your arsenal are great to unleash on your opponent and even better when you and your friend sitting next to you can bust a gut over it.
There are two ways to play: insult a human and insult the CPU. Insult a human can be played either in a local multiplayer session in two player or online against somebody else. Playing online with the Steam version can allow you to play against those who own it on mobile devices. In CPU, you can play the tutorial, enter and instant argument and play tournament. In tournament, you go against five different opponents ending with an insult fight against God himself.
Oh…Sir! The Insult Simulator is a rather amusing fighting game. It knows how to make you laugh at silly things people would possibly say in an argument over a dead parrot, a first class seat on the train, or over who deserves a liver more. There is plenty to enjoy about The Insult Simulator. The characters are unique and delightful, the situations you are in are usually silly, and telling others about how their country still uses Windows Vista is hilarious. It is just a shame that the charm of the game wears off after a few hours or so. There is also the whole other ordeal of blasphemy too. With a limited replay value and a dose of disrespect to God Almighty, you may want to find somewhere else to spend your $3 and find hilarious banter among two people unless you plan to skip tournament mode altogether.
The Bottom Line