What is Dead Pets?
Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice of Life Sim is a feminist, management-lite, minigame-heavy narrative rhythm game developed by Triple Topping and published by Akupara Games. You play as Gordy, a 30-year-old punk bassist living in the demon-filled streets of New Void City, juggling a diner job she shows up to hungover, a band that has been stuck in the same standing for years, and a personal life that is, generously speaking, a disaster.
The game has you managing Gordy’s finances, mental health, social relationships, and her band’s future while playing through rhythm game sequences and a constant stream of wildly inventive minigames in between. It has a colorful, surreal world that feels like Bojack Horseman, mixed with Scott Pilgrim.
This is a niche game. It has a very specific sense of humor, a very specific perspective, and a story that doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to mental health, misogyny, and the emotional cost of chasing your dreams into your 30s. It’s not going to be for everyone. But for those who vibe with its specific frequency, Dead Pets is exactly the game it set out to be.
Developer: Triple Topping | Publisher: Akupara Games
Platform: PC
Release Date: February 6, 2026
MSRP: $14.99
Presentation & Soundtrack — A Distinct Visual and Audio Treat
- Dead Pets has a distinct visual identity that feels like a love letter to the surreal worlds of Bojack Horseman and Scott Pilgrim.
- Gordy’s inner-monologue cutaways are a standout touch that do more for characterization than pages of dialogue ever could.
- The punk rock soundtrack is solid from start to finish, with earworms that linger with you after the credits roll.
Visually, Dead Pets feels like it crawled straight out of an Adult Swim fever dream. The art style is vibrant and bold, with character designs that pop and a color palette that always feels alive and a little unhinged. Think Bojack Horseman meets Scott Pilgrim. The world of New Void City has a personality all its own.
The standout visual touch is Gordy’s recurring inner-monologue cutaways, where the art style shifts entirely, and you get a glimpse into whatever chaotic thought is running through her head at that moment. It’s almost always hilarious and does more for characterization than pages of dialogue ever could. It really drives home the Adult Swim feel of the game, and it’s the kind of creative flourish that makes Dead Pets feel like more than the sum of its parts.
The soundtrack matches the visual energy beat for beat. Punk rock isn’t always my go-to genre, but the songs here are genuinely catchy, and I caught myself humming Taste My Fist and Don’t Let The Fire Die well after a session ended. The background music is also an enjoyable listen while navigating New Void City and matches the vibes perfectly. For a game with a focus on music, Dead Pets delivers on that front in spades.
Narrative — A Punk Rock Coming of Age
- Dead Pets tells the coming-of-age story of Gordy, a loveable but incorrigible 30-year-old bassist who finally decides to get serious about making her band succeed—but at what cost?
- The game dives unflinchingly into mental health, misogyny, and the real cost of chasing your dreams in an industry that doesn’t always want you there.
Gordy is a mess. She shows up to her diner job hungover more often than not, borrows more money than she makes, and is a terrible decision-maker. She’s incorrigible, but she’s also magnetic—the kind of character you root for despite yourself. At its core, Dead Pets is a coming-of-age story about growing up without killing your inner punk. It’s also a story about the cost of fame and success: how much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice or lose to make it?
The writing gets dark, though. The game goes deep into the hardships of being a female artist—how easily they can be looked down upon and taken advantage of. The band’s manager, Dale, casts a long shadow over Gordy’s narrative. He gets Dead Pets real opportunities: a show, their first EP, and a slot at a major punk festival. But what he does to Gordy makes it nearly impossible for her to enjoy any of it. The game doesn’t flinch from that complexity. It’s often very funny, but it earns its darker moments. As a guy, I’ll say that the feminist message never felt preachy or forced. It’s baked into the characters and story naturally and with tact.
A Lack of Voice Acting
The one thing that could have taken this to another level is voice acting. The writing and characters are strong enough that hearing these performances brought to life would have been a significant upgrade. The dialogue has so much personality on the page—it’s hard not to imagine how much more it would land with the right voices behind it.
Characters — A Band of Misfits
- The bandmates feel like real people navigating the messy realities of their 30s, each carrying their own baggage that pushes and pulls against Gordy and the band’s future.
- The side cast is just as well-drawn, fleshing out New Void City into a world full of complicated, funny, and genuinely human people.
Her bandmates are equally well-realized characters. Jay, her childhood friend and lead guitarist, is the responsible one who is slowly pulling away from the band because adult life demands it. Vel, the lead singer, is in a relationship with Jay and dealing with baby fever. She has conflicts about settling down at the cost of the band. Brian, the drummer, just got out of a rough breakup and is starting to spiral in ways that create real friction with Gordy. Some of the best moments in the game are quieter ones between bandmates, like Gordy and Jay sitting down to rewrite a song they first wrote as kids. It hits surprisingly hard.
The side cast does a lot to make New Void City feel fully lived in. Robert, Gordy’s manager at the diner, is a timid, perpetually stressed pushover who gives Gordy far more leeway than she deserves. Lago, Gordy’s ex and the yoga instructor she and Vel frequent, initially comes off as cold toward Gordy (a combination of bad blood from the breakup and the fact that Gordy never pays for classes). But as he witnesses how much she’s going through, he softens and even offers advice and support when Gordy needs it most.
A Band of Misfits – Continued
Then there’s Kela, Gordy’s friend who works at the hot dog place. They are dealing with a lot (arguably more than Gordy), and there are several moments where they need Gordy to actually show up and be a friend instead of just a drinking buddy. Whether Gordy rises to that or not says a lot about where you’ve been steering her.
Not everyone in New Void City is in Gordy’s corner. Stiffy is a great and affordable instrument mechanic, which would be more useful if he weren’t such a textbook creep. He’s made offhand comments about how Gordy should smile more because she’d look prettier, and manages to sneak a “your thighs look great” into the middle of an otherwise normal conversation. The studio engineers Dale brings in to record Dead Pets’ EP aren’t much better. They constantly patronize Gordy, mansplaining her own gear and asking if she knows what she’s doing. And then there’s Dale himself, the final boss of the douchebags who come into Gordy’s life. Getting into the specifics would reach into spoiler territory, but trust me that you should hate him, too.
Rhythm Gameplay — Two Lanes of Punk Rock Chaos
- The rhythm game segments are visually inventive and fun, with creative “enemy” encounters that keep things fresh.
- It’s not the most demanding rhythm game for veterans, but Medium and Hard can get intense, and Easy mode makes the story accessible to anyone.
The rhythm sections in Dead Pets are a genuine highlight. Rather than just having you hit notes against a static background, each segment frames itself as a confrontation—whether it’s a bad date you may or may not have sent a box of angry bees to, a creepy, misogynistic instrument mechanic, or the studio owners you owe rent to.
It’s a two-lane system that won’t trip up a seasoned rhythm game player on Medium but ramp it up to Hard, and it earns its keep. Easy mode is a solid option for anyone who just wants to experience the story without too much friction. There’s also a Jukebox on the main menu where you can replay songs for higher scores, including tracks from other Akupara-published games, which is a nice bonus for rhythm game enthusiasts.
Management & Minigames — Where Dead Pets Truly Shines
- The management layer has you balancing Gordy’s finances, mental health, social life, and band standing — and the choices are rarely clean.
- The minigames are inventive, wacky, and consistently hilarious.
The management system asks you to constantly juggle Gordy’s money, her mental state, her social relationships, and the band’s stability. Most choices come with trade-offs: staying late to help your manager at the diner might earn you cash and a social point, but cost you band progress. It creates a satisfying tension that reflects the actual messiness of the story. I spent a good chunk of my playthrough in debt because I stubbornly tried to make Gordy more independent and refused to borrow from her parents.
The debt put me into some tight spots. At one point, I found myself owing Stiffy a favor because Gordy couldn’t afford to fix her bass before a big performance, which felt like exactly the kind of lose-lose situation Gordy would find herself in.
The one structural gripe here is that New Void City’s map, while charming, doesn’t give you much freedom. Most locations are locked at any given time, and when you do have choices, you can often do them all anyway without consequence. A little more meaningful agency in how you spend Gordy’s time would’ve gone a long way.
But the minigames? That’s where Dead Pets is at its absolute best. Triple Topping is constantly throwing something new and unexpected at you. From pulling a diner shift to catching tampons mid-performance to playing what can only be described as Uterus Pinball. It’s absurd, it’s sometimes gross, and it’s almost always a good time.
Speaking of the diner minigame specifically, it’s fun but punishing. Seating guests, taking orders, running food, collecting payment: the timing windows are brutally narrow, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t crack a 5-star rating on any level. For the occasional perfectionist that I am, it still haunts me.
Conclusion — A Niche Game That Nails What It’s Going For
Dead Pets is not a game for everyone, and it knows it. It’s raunchy, it’s weird, and it’s uncompromising in its feminist perspective. But for those willing to meet it on its own terms, it’s a rewarding experience—funny, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant. Gordy is a genuinely flawed but lovable protagonist, and her bandmates are fleshed out with their own stories as well.
The rhythm game is a blast, the minigames are consistently inventive, and the Adult Swim-style humor lands more often than not. The game has some minor bugs, and adding voice acting could have elevated the experience tremendously. The map also feels more restrictive than it should. But these are minor complaints against a game that succeeds at what it sets out to do. Triple Topping has created a unique experience that deserves to find its audience.
Final Score: 8/10
Pros:
- Gordy’s a well-written, flawed, and hilarious protagonist
- Sharp, well-crafted writing with great humor and genuine emotionality
- Feminist themes that feel organic and earned, not forced
- Inventive and hilarious minigames that keep the experience fresh
- Great punk rock soundtrack with memorable songs
- The management system creates meaningful tension that mirrors the story
- Distinct Adult Swim-esque visual identity that drips with personality
- Inner-monologue cutaways are a creative and hilarious standout
- Strong supporting cast with real emotional arcs
Cons:
- Map exploration is too restricted — limited meaningful player agency
- Rhythm sections won’t challenge veteran fans
- The diner minigame is too punishing to perfect
- Voice acting could have significantly elevated the experience
- Minor bugs
