On the second day of PAX West, I stopped by the Polish Games Booth to play House Fighters: Total Mess from Revulo Games. The cartoon-style PvE aerial arcade shooter features classic airplanes flying in every day environments. The nine-person developer team has spent three years working on the game. One dev told me they took inspiration from Nintendo games in terms of their art and play style, and I can confirm this game feels like it should be on the Switch. The game also draws heavy inspiration from the film Toy Story in that the toys “come alive” when the humans are away.

“We want to bring people’s childhood memories back,” a dev explained, noting that the game is for everyone, not just children. As I played through the 20-minute demo, I loved how the dialogue and action scenes felt just like how I played out scenes with my toys as a child; from cheesy one-liners that mimicked a kid’s interpretation of heroic characters or damsels in distress, to over-the-top explosions as players fly down the hallway in their toy plane, the game carries the joy of our early years.

I asked the team about their use of a sub title (Total Mess) for the game; they explained that while the game is the first of its kind, they foresee it becoming a franchise with multiple entries. For example, while this game takes place in a house, perhaps a sequel could take place in the garden or some other normal life space. The game is incredibly charming, and I can really see the vision the devs have for future games, not just because the visuals are so delightful, but also because the gameplay is a blast.

For my demo experience, I completed a tutorial which helped me learn to fly, fight, and pick up items. I highly recommend that new users complete the demo because the controls can take some getting used to. Once you are comfortable (or perhaps if you play a lot of aerial combat games), you can transition pretty easily into the main single-player campaign. (The game technically has a PvP option, but that is still being worked on and will likely be the topic of future DLC or updates.)

After the tutorial, my first mission was to stop an invasion of enemy toy airplanes and anti-aircraft guns. I had so much fun engaging in a World War II style dogfight inside of a house, weaving in and out of household clutter and over furniture. It’s as surreal as it is entertaining.

Next, I had to help bake a cake for the family birthday party—yes, you read that correctly! I zipped around the kitchen airspace, collecting items and “bombing” them into a mixing bowl to prepare the cake mix. Finally, I blasted the oven with my guns and got that sweet dessert served up! I ran out of time before the final demo mission, but I can definitely say that I enjoyed every moment with this game.

The developer team anticipates a Steam release by the end of 2025, with a goal of releasing on consoles at a later date. The narrative campaign is all wrapped up, but the team still needs to put the polish on a few visuals and to swap out some 2-D assets, but they don’t believe fans will have to wait much longer.

To add House Fighters: Total Mess to your Steam Wishlist, click here.

Tell us what you think! Will you be getting House Fighters: Total Mess when it releases? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured Image: Revulo Games