As I’ve noted many times before, the volume of middling to outright bad local multiplayer games I’ve subjected my family to over the years could have put me at risk of being visited by CPS at times. Whether the issues are with wonky controls, horrible graphics, or most often just lackluster generic gameplay, it feels like developers just crank many of these games out without much thought about whether they’re going to be any fun at all. The free-to-play Royal Vermin is the latest that we’ve tried out, and while it may not have been enough to get everyone excited, the addition of its Beyond the Waste DLC at least adds another dimension of variety to help it be more playable.

On the whole this is a pretty simple affair mechanically, with you being able to move and jump around, grab items, and then throw them at one another. If you manage to knock one of your foes off the screen they’ll be eliminated, but reminiscent of Smash Bros, determined foes can stubbornly stay in the game, or at least shoot at the remaining players for their amusement as an agent of added chaos. If you hold the button down to charge your throw you’ll have more power, but aiming can be difficult in many of these trash-filled arenas because their layout can almost always be in flux. The main selling point here is the fact that with some effort you can generally get parts of the different stages falling over and crashing down, creating the potential for strategic opportunities if you’ve got a plan and the determination to make it happen.

With the addition of the Beyond the Waste DLC, that base chaos will then be supplemented by loads of new and different stages, additional cosmetics for dressing your critter up in silly outfits, and most crucially some new game modes that change up the action. There’s no question that with more variety the value proposition does increase, but it may be best to start with the base game for free first and see how you like it. If everyone is having a good time, then putting the DLC in your cart should make sense given that it just expands the fun in new directions to help extend your enjoyment. If you’re just looking for some chaotic and accessible fun, there are many choices out there, but given the free initial buy-in and some reasonable variety this is a decent option.