Conan Chop Chop was announced on April 1, 2019, the day from an online game developer Friv2Online make joke announcements of non-existent games. It soon became clear that the project was real, but its development was delayed, and the release was delayed several times. Finally, the brainchild of Funcom is ready to see the light of day, and we will tell you in the review whether the wait was worth it.

The game meets us with a very simple story line: a certain villain resurrects an ancient deity - but not completely. To complete the ritual, he needs the body of Hyboria's finest hero. Since it will take a long time to find the brave warriors, the antagonist decides to make them come to him by arranging a great competition. This is how the adventures of the players in Conan Chop Chop begin.

Before the fighters get to the main test, they need to sequentially overcome four large areas and defeat four bosses. Each location consists of a series of randomly generated rooms, where different enemies live, chests with loot and traps are placed. It is here that the heroes gain experience and strength, stock up on gold and find (or buy from merchants) the best equipment, after which they enter the boss's lair. And the central hub serves as a place to return to, restock, and buy new items.

Conan and his companions are arming themselves with more than they can. There are four heroes to choose from, each with a unique feature. All the same Barbarian Conan, for example, jumps up and attacks the enemy with fury, and the warrior Valeria makes a powerful leap forward, causing damage to everyone who gets in her way.

Later, other abilities are unlocked, such as Conan's Barbarian's Rage, which boosts his stats, or Pallantide's Dragon's Roar, which stuns nearby enemies. They are pumped from the mentor in the hub; there you can permanently improve passive skills: for example, add a "heart" of health, take an additional cell for amulets, and so on.

While the abilities for all heroes differ, weapons are common to all: you can take at least a sword, even a hammer, even a spear. A shield lies in the second hand, a bow behind his back, and the armor will protect the warrior. The further the adventurers go, the better equipment they get: weapons gain elemental damage, chain mail gives vitality, and a shield can stun an enemy with a well-timed block. As a result, you are constantly changing the loot: you will hardly want to go from beginning to end with a starting sword in your hands.

Finally, characters can be equipped with amulets that provide additional passive bonuses. For example, the ability to summon a helper chicken that will peck monsters painfully, or speed up the accumulation of rage at a low level of health.

You can buy equipment and amulets for coins and crystals. The first "burn out" after the death of the hero and return to the starting point of the adventure. The second ones accumulate, so in a successful campaign you can collect a lot of crystals and even if you lose, you can secure a good initial bonus for the next race. Skill points are also accumulated, so that the characters gradually become stronger. Soon, the journey through the first location will not cause problems, and the bosses will start to click like nuts - at least until you meet an enemy that is too tough for you yet.

As you already understood, Conan Chop Chop is a “roguelite”, a game in which a loss throws players back to the starting point, but at the same time does not entail the loss of everything acquired, which gives a feeling of progress, albeit small, and smoothes out negative emotions from defeat.

The project is designed for cooperative passage, and gamers can team up with four to challenge the villains. Team interaction, however, is minimal, each player has his own wallet, but amulets and skill points are shared (at least in a local friv game), so you need to “share” if you play with friends.

Designed for short co-op runs, Conan Chop Chop doesn't take up much of the players' time: each area is an "in and out, 20 minute adventure". Ordinary enemies do not offer serious resistance, especially if you actively use a block that not only protects against incoming damage, but also allows you to reflect it at the enemy, thereby injuring or stunning him. But you have to tinker with the bosses: they are not very dangerous, but they are too thick-skinned, so the battles drag on and feel boring.

Announced as an April Fool's joke, the friv game looks the same - hilariously brutal cartoon characters, accompanied by funny pets, fight bizarre monsters. The picture is colorful, so the action can be quite chaotic: in a pile of effects and animations, you can skip the attack.

Summing up, it is completely incomprehensible why the development of Conan Chop Chop took so long. The friv game does not have enough stars from the sky, although it feels like a very pleasant cooperative entertainment in which you can have great fun with friends. For solo players, it will probably seem rather boring, but for those who like to spend time in the company, it will be just right!