Stick It to the Stickman Demo: Office Brawls and Roguelite Mayhem

6 minutes Kevin Leye

Stick It to the Stickman’s demo is a chaotic cocktail of office satire, side-scrolling beat ’em up action, and roguelite progression. In a brisk loop of floor-by-floor brawls, you punch your way from expendable temp to terrifying exec, unlocking promotions, goofy gadgets, and bigger headaches with every win. It’s fast, funny, and surprisingly tactical, setting a promising foundation for early access.

If you’ve ever wanted to climb the corporate ladder by drop-kicking your way through HR, this demo gets the vibe exactly right. It’s a 2D brawler at heart—snappy, readable, and packed with slapstick physics—but the roguelite spine turns every run into a new whack-a-boss challenge. You’ll exit a rough first attempt with enough cash and unlocks to make your next office uprising feel different, more dangerous, and a little more unhinged.

How a run works

  • You start as a bottom-rung employee with a modest move set.
  • Each cleared room offers a promotion: a brand-new ability or an upgrade to something you already have.
  • Promotions stack into a build, reshaping your approach: quick jabs into whirlwind combos, projectile spam, weird status effects, and more.
  • Clear enough floors and you’ll face a manager or executive—oversized caricatures with larger-than-life attacks and punchline payoffs.

The combat lands because it’s both immediate and expressive. Hits thwack with impact, enemies ragdoll across desks, and office props become hazards you’ll learn to use or avoid. Crowd control and positioning matter: funneling mobs through doorways, launching foes into one another, or isolating the stun-stick brute before they flatten your health bar. At first you’ll mash your way through interns and clipboard carriers; soon, you’re threading a combo through a dozen bodies while scanning for the next threat and saving a dash or defensive skill for the nasty one in the back.

Promotions and buildcraft This is where the demo really sings. Every few rooms you’re faced with those delicious roguelite decisions:

  • Do you diversify? Pick up a ranged tool to pop threats before they swarm you.
  • Do you specialize? Double down on your power move so it melts elites later.
  • Do you go utility? Grab a movement trick or a panic button for boss phases.

Some of my favorite synergies:

  • Sticky into smash: a gooey crowd-control upgrade that holds enemies long enough for a flying kick or spinning strike to clean house.
  • Paper cuts add up: small, fast projectiles that seem harmless until you stack upgrades and watch rooms evaporate.
  • Coffee-fueled chaos: speed and attack boosts turn you into a blur, if you can keep control long enough to avoid face-tanking a baton.

None of it is overly complex—this isn’t a spreadsheet build sim—but there’s enough variety that each run feels like a new flavor of violence. You’ll get the “oh no, this is busted” glow when a combination clicks, and that’s exactly what you want out of a roguelite demo.

Bosses and balancing Executive encounters are theatrical spikes in difficulty. Attacks telegraph clearly, but there’s enough punch to keep you honest: one greedy combo, one mistimed dodge, and you’re slurping office carpet. The best part is how your build changes the fight’s tempo. Ranged-focused runs kite and chip, mobility builds weave in and out for big punishes, while heavy hitters gamble on short, devastating windows. It creates a satisfying sense that you’re solving a different little combat puzzle each time.

Between runs and meta progression Even failed attempts feed the machine. You gather currency to expand your options and unlock fresh nonsense for the tower: new floors, new combat toys, and the occasional side activity that leans into the game’s corporate absurdism. There’s even a driving lesson bit with delightfully wobbly handling that functions as both comedic palate cleanser and skill check, prepping you for the more open shenanigans you can stumble into between climbs. It’s not massive in scope, but as a demo hub it does a great job resetting your brain between beatdowns.

Tone and humor The game’s satire hits that sweet spot between eye-roll and cackle. Skill names, enemy types, and managerial threats all riff on office life without getting bogged down in cynicism. The mascot-like “helpful assistant” who constantly nudges you to invest in more workplace “improvements” is a running gag that doubles as menu tutorial. It’s classic “late-stage capitalism, but make it slapstick,” and it kept me grinning even when a run went sideways.

How it feels to play

  • Controls: Snappy and readable. The window between “I pressed it” and “I kicked someone into the photocopier” is satisfyingly short.
  • Difficulty: Fair but spiky. Mistakes cost you, and the game expects you to learn enemy priorities and handle mixed packs.
  • Length: The demo offers a couple of hours before you’ve seen most of its tricks, but it stays lively thanks to build variance.
  • Performance: Smooth on my end, with chunky hit effects and clean silhouettes that make busy rooms easier to parse.

Tips for new temps

  • Don’t overextend. Keep a defensive option in your pocket for the last enemy in a pack or the elite that always spawns late.
  • Prioritize synergy over novelty. Two upgrades that feed each other beat three random toys.
  • Elevate a staple. Upgrading your bread-and-butter attack can be more valuable than chasing one flashy finisher.
  • Manage spacing. Doorways and corners are your friends; funnels make mobs manageable.
  • Take a movement perk. A dash, blink, or leap will save your run more than once.

Why this demo works Plenty of roguelite brawlers exist, but Stick It to the Stickman feels distinct because it commits to silliness without sacrificing clarity. Each promotion visibly changes your kit, each room teaches a micro-lesson, and each boss amplifies the tone while testing the build you’ve concocted. It’s a short loop with long legs, and it nails that “one more climb” itch that drives the genre.

Early access outlook Obviously, a demo can’t answer questions about long-term variety or meta balance. Will the humor maintain its spark across dozens of hours? Will late-game promotions introduce fresh strategies instead of just bigger numbers? That’s the tightrope ahead. But based on what’s playable now, the foundation is rock solid: a crisp combat core, a smart upgrade cadence, and a world that’s relentlessly, delightfully hostile to anyone holding a business card.

Verdict If you’re curious whether Stick It to the Stickman is more than a visual gag, the demo makes a strong case. It’s a breezy, bouncy beat ’em up with roguelite brains, routinely erupting into the kind of water-cooler stories only a good run can create. Clock out early, pour a virtual espresso, and take a swing at upper management—you might not make VP, but you’ll definitely make a scene.