While my family has absolutely gotten pretty jaded over the last 8 years, acting as my guinea pigs for local multiplayer titles of all sorts, there are definitely times when we encounter games that make it all worthwhile. There’s certainly some appeal in titles that emphasize solid teamwork, and in general we’ve learned to delegate tasks quickly while providing assistance as needed on the fly. Sometimes there are competitive titles that manage to include mechanics that take us by surprise. But I think my favorites are the ones that simply make us laugh and periodically shout out “WTF was that?” That made Esophaguys a pretty great time for us.

While it absolutely has elements that reminded us of other silly physics-based co-op games we’ve played like Heave-Ho, there’s just something about the bizarre characters and personality this game has that we continue to find amusing. With your characters bedecked in their work clothes, goofy mustaches, and truly malleable necks, the humor kicks in pretty quickly. Match that with the constant twang of a mouth harp acting as the game’s musical track, the positively bizarre sound effects that are almost all vocalized in some way, and a steady stream of ridiculous moments the game’s mechanics invite, and if you don’t mind things getting silly there’s a lot of entertainment to be had.

The thing is, while you could assume the game is a bit of a one-trick pony, with all gameplay geared in a single direction, you’d be wrong. Whether you’re tackling the silly story mode solo or with friends, the co-op mode, the competitive mini games, or more brutal options available, it’s surprising how much variety they’ve packed into this budget-friendly package. Now, that isn’t to say that it all works equally well, or that there won’t be some frustrations at times, but this isn’t a situation where you can fault the game’s lack of ambition. It seems like the developers had a very specific and weird vision for the game they wanted, and have executed it with loads of oddball flair. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but it manages to pair its silliness with generally sound play, something that doesn’t always happen.