KEEP GAMBLING: Hostile Friendslop for Lotto ticket victories

KEEP GAMBLING is another entry to the recently coined Friendslop subgenre of multiplayer games, often played by live streamers or small groups of friends in calls. In this particular case, the moniker of “slop” appears to fit better than ever. 

While some may find the simplicity on show here conducive to a more cooperative “expedition”, does it actually work to the experience’s detriment? And a more pertinent question, “What were they thinking?” Let’s find out what we can about this “game” and elaborate on why exactly it exists in the first place.  

What is KEEP GAMBLING?

KEEP GAMBLING is a multiplayer game in which you and your friends’ time is mostly spent attempting to win big on scratch cards. All of which are bought and redeemed at the counter of the store in which the game takes place. You can choose to work together to meet your deadlines, or you can cheat your friends to save your own hide. At least this is what the game’s description alludes to, as its features are currently somewhat unclear.

What we do know is that the game will feature up to 4-player lobbies, a heart rate mechanic (annoyingly displayed on the screen at all times), and most likely have other small interactions within the store. We can only assume this is the case, as the KEEP GAMBLING trailer does little to show much else in the game, other than the characters running around, chucking boxes at each other.

While other methods are mentioned in the steam description, KEEP GAMBLING’s… gambling appears to be mostly done through scratch cards, of which the player is able to “realistically” scratch as they see fit. The steam description does state that the heart-rate mechanic directly correlates to luck; however, it is unclear as to how this will translate in-game. While the balancing of heart rate to the possibility of actual death may provide an interesting conflict, we doubt it will be too hard to manage.

When is KEEP GAMBLING coming out?

KEEP GAMBLING’s announcement was not met with fanfare, as it appears very few have heard of it. With the game set to release on December 16th, one would think the team behind the game would release some kind of teaser, given its imminent release. However, looking through the Steam page, details are noticeably absent. 

In almost “ghost town” esque emptiness, the only place in which this game is getting any kind of mention is the discussion page on Steam, with KEEP GAMBLING‘s news tabs being completely vacant. And even then, most of the discussion is simply about how non-functioning the game is, or confusion as to how people are even playing it in the first place, as no demo is available at this time. 

As well as this, KEEP GAMBLING’s price is currently unknown; however, we would advise against purchasing if you are not able to convince people to play it with you.

Who’s developing KEEP GAMBLING?

KEEP GAMBLING’s developers are a team known as WIRED FEELINGS. Much like most of what can be said about this game, we can only assume they are a team, as information about them is very hard to find. We spent a considerable amount of time searching for details on the background behind this game, only to come up with nothing. The team has no social media presence, has no previous games listed on Steam and is noticeably absent from any browser search. 

Suffice to say, this does not fill us with hope, as at this point, this game is starting to look more and more like the video game equivalent of a “rug pull”. This is further emphasised when you examine the game’s description on Steam. Using models obviously “inspired” by Animal Crossing, with their character designs put over it, and game features emboldened with emoji. 

This all makes it feel like the game is the brainchild of some kind of dystopian supercomputer, with its sole purpose being to burn a hole in your wallet and waste your time.

How does KEEP GAMBLING compare to other Friendslop games?

As the game is currently unreleased, it is difficult to say how it compares to others in this genre; however, there are some apparent issues that we feel are worth mentioning. In concept, this game is already flawed, with an apparent reliance on scratch cards; KEEP GAMBLING’s gameplay already looks samey from the trailer alone. Alongside some shockingly outdated design choices, this game borders on offensive levels of gratuitousness. 

Whereas in a world like that of something like GTA, which is an obvious satire, this game has some uncomfortable designs. The most egregious of these is the only female character in the game, who is a scantily clad, large-breasted woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. The other character models are not much better, falling back into more stereotypes. Paired with the complete anonymity of the developers, it made us a little uncomfortable every time we saw these models on display.

While this game, like most others in the genre, may supply maybe an hour or two of fun, is that worth the price of admission? One must remember that when developers create these games, they are hoping that one sale will actually result in several, as a player would need their friends to buy the game to truly get the most out of it. It feels like a form of video game clickbait, attempting to be as outwardly obtrusive as possible in an effort to garner even a molecule of attention. 

We ask that you consider that when purchasing this game, as with at least other Friendslop games, such as Lethal Company or Among Us, it has a high concept. Meanwhile, this appears almost like a vacuum of fun, where you could achieve the same level of enjoyment, or possibly even more, by simply talking to your friends.