Charlie Murder

Charlie Murder is a beat-'em-up RPG hybrid from Ska Studios (Salt and Sanctuary, Dishwasher) and was originally released in 2013 on Xbox 360 before reaching Steam. The premise is appropriately ridiculous: it's a punk rock apocalypse, and the embattled punk band Charlie Murder is the world's best chance against rival death metal band Gore Quaffer and their legions of evil.

Up to four players form the band — five playable characters in total, each a member of the group. Combat is street brawler at heart, with the depth and progression of an action RPG layered on top. Loot drops constantly from defeated enemies; gear buffs your stats and makes your character look excellent simultaneously. Fans, earned by impressing the world with your performance, unlock powerful finishers and team-up moves.

The game's signature systems are appropriately on-brand. Tattoos channel Anar-Chi — a punk-flavored chi system that lets the band call on supernatural abilities. Mysterious relics of modern myth hide across the levels for players who want to dig deeper into the world's specific brand of mythology. The visual style is Ska Studios' familiar inkbrush aesthetic, dialed up to punk-flier energy.

The game is short, dense and aggressively committed to its tone. For anyone who came up on Castle Crashers, Streets of Rage or the harder edge of the indie beat-'em-up scene, Charlie Murder occupies the genre's specific intersection of fun coop combat and tight character-building. The number of enemies on screen scales with party size, so the chaos genuinely grows with friends joining.