It's easy to feel like you're burnt out on the multiplayer scene. It feels like every game that has been coming out lately is trying to syphon as much money from your wallets as possible. Endless battle passes, hours upon hours of dedicated grind for a pixel-themed kitty cat gun skin. It's not my cup of tea by any means, nor is it my can of Fosters.

Instead, I'd rather spend some time walkin' here, screaming at the top of my lungs as a floppy wizard, or if I'm feeling more shooty? I can hop into large-scale battles with my friends to try and rewrite history. Small-scale indie teams are putting together some of the greatest multiplayer experiences I've had in recent years, and they deserve a chance to shine in a crowded scene.

Ayyyyyy, I’m Walkin’ Here! ‘Wise Guys’ Mixes Social Deduction With an Italian Flare

Get the guns. Get the gabagool. Try to survive. Wise Guys is the latest social deduction game that I've added to my collection, and I'm happy to say that I can finally live out my Soprano dreams in real life. Taking ideas from games like Among Us and Lockdown Protocol, there are a few things that help separate Wise Guys from the competition. First off is the visual language — objectives are clear, characters are easy to decipher, and the map is quite fun to explore.

There are also specific roles that are randomly assigned to each player at the start of the match. The Boss, as the name suggests, is the most important player on the map. They load into the round, holding a pistol with 6 rounds that they can use to end the life of a fuckin' rat. They're the watchful eye that keeps chaos low, or they throw oil directly onto the flames of chaos if they think that someone is working against them.

The titular Wise Guys, on the other hand, are the grunts of the mission. They're the ones that need to be doing the work. Grabbing the guns, the drugs, and dropping hands and feet into the sausage maker to keep business booming. Yes, you actually have to physically throw hands, feet, and fingers into a sausage maker as one of the tasks. It's disgusting, hilarious, and amazing. And then there's the Rat.

“Ayy! I’m Not the Fuckin’ Rat!”

The Rat is, in my opinion, the most fun class in Wise Guys. Being a grubby little goblin is part of my DNA. But if you find yourself in the shoes of the Rat, you'll need to ensure that you're being a sneaky little bastard. Put things away into specialized Rat stashes to reduce the timer, kill some of the Wise Guys, and don't get caught. With a packed lobby, this role is genuinely terrifying. Seeing as Lethal Kills have a cooldown timer, much like Among Us, you'll need to be strategic and plan your kills accordingly.

While it sounds like Wise Guys may be a serious crime drama, with the right group of people, it's anything but. It's a masterclass in chaos. I got the crew together for what we expected to be just a few rounds of the game to test it out and see how it worked, but it quickly turned into three uninterrupted hours of AYYYYY'ing and WHOAAAAAA'ing at each other and losing the small amount of trust we had in our fellow men. It's absolutely brilliant in that regard.

The Bones of ‘Wise Guys’ Are Incredibly Good, and With More Updates, It Could Be an All-Timer

If you're hoping to jump into the world of Wise Guys, there are a few things that you'll need to keep in mind. It's in Early Access, and it's taking full advantage of that. The game itself is beautifully rendered, runs fantastically, but the currently available content is a little light. As of this writing, there is only one map and one game mode available in Wise Guys. But even with just this, there is plenty of chaos waiting to be sewn. Betraying your friends is a blast, regardless of where you are.

Seeing as Wise Guys is being developed by a solo developer, patience is going to be key here. There are a few little issues that I've encountered during my playtime, but none were major enough to detract from knowing that we've got an incredibly solid multiplayer game here. Spectator cam is a little wonky, and there were some bugs and glitches that we all experienced. The biggest offenders are the lack of an "Ayyyy, I'm walkin' here!" or any mention of Gabagool, but I know with time. We'll get there.

'Wise Guys' With a Group is an Excellent Time

Do you have a group of friends who are willing to dive headfirst into a visually stunning, interesting, and hilarious social deduction game? Well then, you've found your next obsession. As long as they understand that this is a passion project brought to life by a solo developer, they'll be in for the time of their lives. StonieDude has put together something special here, and I'm very excited to see what the future of Wise Guys is going to offer.

It already shows great promise, and these words come straight from the Don himself. That's me, I'm the Don in this situation. Even with the limited amount of content, we never once got bored playing Wise Guys, and I think that speaks volumes about the game itself. Finding creative ways to brush out the Rat, or dispose of the Boss, is a riot. Oh, and the details sprinkled into the game? They're worth experiencing for yourself. I'll give you one hint, at least — do yourself a solid and beat the shit out of someone on your team. You'll thank me later. Oh, and StonieDude? Add in a "FUGGADIABOUTIT", and my soul is yours.

‘YAPYAP’, on the Other Hand, Is a Game All About Chaos, and How You Can Create It Anywhere You Are

Friendslop is a word that gets thrown around without much care nowadays. Games like PEAK and R.E.P.O are designed with a simple goal in mind — get a group of friends together and complete some tasks for under $10. They excel at it quite wonderfully, as well. Some of the best gaming memories that I've had over the past few years have been because of games like this, and I'm glad to add YAPYAP to the weekend rotation at this point. The premise alone is enough to sell the game, but let me do my part to try to explain the game.

Wands that piss on enemies. That should be enough to sell the game, right? But seriously, it's a game that takes the formula popularized by games like Lethal Company and flips it on its head. Rather than gathering items into a specific area and trying to extract, YAPYAP wants you to put on your best Fred Durst impersonation and break shit. How do you break shit, though? But screaming spells into your microphone, causing chaos, and defeating enemies. Or killing your friends in the process.

Different Strokes for Different Folks, Perhaps?

At the start of a round of YAPYAP, players can break a branch off a tree to gain access to some simple spells. AERO can be used to shoot forth a gust of wind, perfect for breaking objects or pushing an enemy back. TEMPEST can be used to create a whirlwind that can trap friends and foes alike within its blustering walls. Or there's UPDOG. Yes, you have to scream UPDOG into your microphone, and if you do, you'll be rewarded with a boost upward that works perfectly when trying to get something off of a high shelf.

YAPYAP, if you couldn't tell by its presentation, is a game that doesn't take itself seriously by any means. It's a game all about goofs and gaffs. Piss inside of a container, use a different wand to send it flying at an enemy, and coat them in pee. It's goofy fun, and causing unmitigated and unmonitored chaos with your friends is a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

It Feels Like the ‘YAPYAP’ Devs Knew My Issues With the Genre and Found a Way To Fix Them

Even if you're not a fan of immature potty humor, there's a lot to enjoy with YAPYAP. While it's incredibly silly and goofy and full of what I like to call "ha ha funni" moments, it's a genuinely well-polished experience. Character models are full of vibrant little details, and levels are packed with things to interact with. There are also plenty of moments that had my friends and I buckled over in laughter. It feels like an experience that has been tailor-made to me, even if it detects that I'm saying AERO when I'm not and blasting my friends off a ledge.

The little selfie camera is perfect for chases, and the option to switch between camera perspectives is something I wish every game in the genre had. But it also counters things like reviving your teammates with interesting gimmicks. Rather than dying and having to sit out the entire round? You can find a resurrection altar and bring your dead teammates back to life. Or use a wand with a special spell to reanimate their corpses. It's a little demonic, but hey. We fuck with that around here.

Most importantly, ‘YAPYAP’ Doesn’t Punish Me for being a Gremlin

I think my biggest praise for YAPYAP isn't because of the level design or anything like that. It's that it rewards me for being an absolute gremlin toward my friends and toward enemies. Want to turn your best buddy into a fish and ride him around while he screams like one of the Chipmunks? You can make it happen. Or, you could help out your team and turn an enemy into a fish and throw it off the side of a cliff. Regardless of what you do, it's bound to be effective in one way or another.

At this point in time, YAPYAP may be one of my personal favorite "friendslop" games that I've played in a hot minute. It doesn't matter if I'm playing with a group I know well or a group of randoms that I got invited to play with. Pissing on things and hucking it at enemies is a universal language. Plus, being able to tackle these dungeons with a big group or just a few pals? It's priceless. Just give me more wands in the future, and I'm a YAPYAP stan for life.

And for Something Completely Different: ‘Easy Red 2’ Is a Masterclass in Mil-Sim Multiplayer Mayhem

It's a little jarring to jump from cartoony chaos simulators and Gabagool hijinx to a military simulator. But I need to take a moment to bring Easy Red 2 to your attention. I initially got this game in a bundle from either Humble Bundle or Fanatical — one of those sites that offers a ton of games for not a ton of money. I was curious about it, as the early Call of Duty games were some of the best multiplayer experiences I ever had. After sinking hours into the game at this point, I can easily say that Easy Red 2 is one of the most impressive games I've ever seen.

Let me set the scene for you. Massive battlegrounds. Hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies on screen. Historically accurate battlegrounds and weaponry. PVP and PVE experiences. That's what sets Easy Red 2 apart from the competition at this point. It doesn't rely on Battle Passes or WaCkY skins to draw in players. It brings historical accuracy to the foreground, giving each character a name and a reason to fight. Nothing can prepare you for the first time your character is clipped by a stray bullet. And the impact is felt every time someone loses a life.

I Don’t Understand How the Dev Only Charges $10 for This Game

The sheer amount of things to do in Easy Red 2 is mindblowing. There are campaign scenarios that you can play through on your own. Aerial and ground warfare that does it better than the big dogs. Realistic gun physics that feel great to experience. And it's all available for under $10. To be fair, there are a plethora of DLC story expansions, but at this point? I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is and support the developer however I can. Easy Red 2 is an incredibly impressive game, and I'm even more impressed to see that this is a passion project of a solo developer.

From the sands of Normandy to map and mission editors, it seriously feels like you could never run out of content in this game. All without the developer trying to nickel and dime you to unlock a ghillie suit or a new weapon to take onto the battlefield. I'm a big fan of passion over profit when it comes to games, and Easy Red 2 may now be the face of that particular movement.

‘Easy Red 2’ Shows That Historical Accuracy on the Battlefield Can Still Be a Blast

Military simulators, or "Mil-Sims", can be a hard sell to some. The idea of having to micromanage specifics while in the middle of a raging battle may not be for everyone. But if you've been craving the feeling of a true WW2 game, something that we all felt rather burnt out of during the early 2000s? This may be exactly what you've been searching for. The sheer amount of variety here is astounding, and two battles will never play out the same. And hey, if you want a real challenge, pick the "losing" side and try to rewrite history. Here, the world is your oyster, and you can do things however you'd like.

Easy Red 2 has some jank overall, especially when it comes to third-person character movement. But I was so incredibly impressed with the detailed retelling of these historical battles that something that trivial just feels like nitpicking. It's been a while since I've been this obsessed with a first-person shooter that isn't filled to the brim with memes and BRAZIL, but here we are. It's great to return to what feels like the introduction of the military shooter and not need to worry about getting 360 no-scoped by Nicki Minaj.

Look Outside Your Traditional Franchises To Find Beautifully Built Multiplayer Experiences

I see many, many people saying that they're losing their passion for gaming. It's easy to see why some folks may feel that way. Traditional AAA multiplayer games seem to care more about your wallet than whether you're actually having a good time. Not only are all of the games discussed here incredibly affordable, but they also offer something else in return to the player. A good, old-fashioned bout of fun. Every game listed here retails for less than $10. There are no cosmetic purchases in the game. You don't need to buy 12 different packs to catch up to players who no-life the game. It's just a cheap entry price and a ton of fun along the way.

I know I express my love for indie games every single week. But it's games like these that bring me joy. No $70 pricetag, paired with an extra $300 of launch day DLC. Just an incredibly solid base, with developers who want feedback to grow and evolve their game into something everyone will love. That's the indie spirit, and that's why these games need to be a part of your life.