“How Many Dudes? is a roguelike dudebuilder that’s all about game-breaking synergies and simulated chaos. Welcome to the Dude Ranch, where you recruit and manage your ever-expanding army of Dudes. Choose from a wild cast of 42 Unique Dudes across 6 Dude Families: Undead Dudes, Employed Dudes, Warrior Dudes, Fantasy Dudes, Sci-Fi Dudes, and Action Dudes. Setup your Team to mix and match Dude Types and form ridiculous synergies – like Zombie Dudes who explode when struck by enemies, Ninja Dudes who throw a barrage of Shurikens, or Cowboy dudes who lasso other Dudes out of danger. More than 850,000 Team compositions means there’s tons of strategies and overpowered combos to discover.” – Steam Description

The terms “roguelike” and “roguelite” are used a little too casually. Yes, technically, How Many Dudes? does fall into this category as you start out a run fresh to see how far you can get. There is also the loop of unlocking as much meta progression as possible to make subsequent runs easier. That is, however, as far as the game gets in that aspect. Compared to other games I’ve played, this is closer to an auto-battler like “Teamfight Tactics” or “Mechabellum” only this is entirely single player. You build up a team of combatants with a focus on type and synergy. The game progresses in stages that, by default, range from 1 to 105 across 6 “Acts.” At round 105 you fight a boss and the game ends there or gives you the option to go to endless mode to see how far your team can make it in comparison to your other runs.

The gameplay loop is oddly satisfying for a game that really doesn’t require you to pay a ton of attention to the combat itself. The core game is a series of battles with various rewards at the end. In the first few rounds you compose your core team. You get a “Regular Dude” to start you off and will start to get rewarded with “Flyers” to recruit Dude types. Your team will consist of 5 Dude types that fall with in “Families” (i.e.: Undead, Action, Science, Fantasy, etc.). The Families dictate which “Relics” you can find or purchase throughout the runs. Relics are passive upgrades that can apply to single Dude types, your entire roster of Dudes, or Dudes in a specific position within your Roster.

Your rewards after a round will always include a choice between two Dudes that already make up your team and you can sometimes be rewarded with free consumable items or even a free Regular Dude. Other rewards can include the choice of a Relic, a shop, or other opportunities to boost your economy. Each round you are given the choice between two fights. The basic fight is relatively easy but there is also a harder fight, with more dangerous or higher quantities of enemies, for more money.

The Dudes themselves fall into RPG roles of tanks, healers, dps, and support. They all feel unique and can sometimes even shift their role in your party depending on their unique relics and how much you invest into that particular Dude type. The game is actually surprisingly flexible and seems to have more of a focus on synergies between Dudes and with relics than filling the traditional roles. At one point I was watching Shockandawh make a team that had no traditional healer and instead used the Agent Dude providing massive temporary HP shields for protection and supplementing with consumables. The game really rewards experimentation.

• Graphics– Graphically the game is quirky and cute. The individual dudes have their own personalities, the enemies are distinct and even in the chaos of a later stage combat, you can actually focus on individual aspects of things easily on slower speeds. The addition of a dark mode and the ability to change the “Toddler” enemy type to “Teddy Bear” are both nice touches.
• Gameplay– The gameplay is fantastic. At the surface level, you’re only navigating menus but the deeper aspect of selecting Dudes for synergies, choosing items to buff your Dude types with and using consumable items in game. It’s equal parts easy to get into and more in depth when you start to figure things out. You can click on a Dude’s description to get an individual breakdown of what exactly key words are and click on their stats to see the specifics on what they mean. It’s easy to build a team and any Dude can shine if you build around them. If I had to ding the game for anything it’s that you can’t get a more in-depth look a the enemies other than a unique modifier they might have.
• Sound– The sound of the game is also noteworthy. It’s not completely blowing me away with the soundtrack or direction audio but the sounds a crisp and distinct. You always know what’s happening when you hear a sound cue and, most importantly, the music in the game doesn’t get old. I’m 11 hours into the game and I still haven’t had the urge to mute everything and play my own music.
• Controls– The controls are very basic. Point and click. The game does slow down when using consumables that have to be placed which makes things a lot easier. If anything, once in a while the game does struggle a bit to distinguish between opening details of a Dude type and selecting them to move them around the roster.
• Story– Other than a few funny quips now and then about an item or a Dude, there is no story in this game. We’re just trying to find out the answer to those age old questions like: “How many dudes does it take to take down a gorilla?” or, “Would you rather fight 10 horse sized ducks or 1 duck sized horse?”. I’m giving an “N/A” for this category.