I Am Your Beast is an instant classic of wacky speed-revenge proportions

Every now and then, an action game comes along that achieves the perfect gameplay loop — think Hotline Miami or Superhot. I Am Your Beast has the honor of joining that prestigious gallery. The latest title from Strange Scaffold is an instant action classic, the kind of game that demands your attention and rewards it with that sweet, sweet serotonin. 

I Am Your Beast — which was released on Sept. 10 on PC — is the story of Alphonse Harding, a former secret agent who has retired to live a peaceful life as a hermit in the woods. The government comes knocking with an offer for one last job, and Harding says no. Unfortunately, you don’t get to say no to the government and keep a peaceful life in this world, and so the Covert Operations Initiative set up shop in his woods with the aim of either converting or killing Harding.

There are 27 levels in the main campaign. I listen to a series of audio tapes of Harding in which he’s either monologuing for his own diary or having a terse exchange with the COI’s brass, and then jump into a mission. The forest is Harding’s turf; he’s built a network of hatches and tunnels. So, each level is nicely compartmentalized; as Harding, the player pops out of a hatch, gets to work on an objective like tapping laptops or killing COI agents, and then ducks back into the tunnels. 

Cleaning up COI agents as Harding is deeply satisfying. I climb trees, slide under logs and laser beams, and sprint through openings. When I’m unarmed, I can fistfight agents and then steal their weapons. Each weapon, even melee ones like combat knives, break after a few hits. Out of necessity, I’m always juggling weapons. I might grab a chunk of tree bark and throw it at an unsuspecting guard, which allows me to grab their pistol and nail a few headshots. One of his fellows approaches with a shotgun, so I throw the empty pistol at him. In his shock, he tosses the shotgun up in the air, and I snatch it. 

The cycle of tossing one weapon at a bad guy and grabbing their fresh gun out of the air was delightful in Superhot, and it’s just as fun in I Am Your Beast. Occasionally, I can even steal some of the COI hardware in the area, like a bear trap, claymore mine, or explosive RPG. Harding also has the home turf advantage, which means he can do some Looney Tunes tricks like shooting a hornet’s nest and letting the bees sting his enemies to death, or scaling an inconspicuous tree and leaping from it to Goomba stomp a guy.

The faster you complete a given objective, the higher you score; some stages last well under a minute. Upon completing a level for the first time, you’ll unlock bonus objectives, encouraging you to run through again, maybe this time aiming to kill people via throwing knives or melee only. Some levels in the campaign are locked behind achievements like getting a certain number of A-rankings or completing enough bonus objectives. 

It’s highly entertaining to run through a stage and again, shaving seconds off each run. There are no global leaderboards, which I enjoy — I’m only competing against myself. I have no doubt that I Am Your Beast is going to build a community of sickos who are able to rock these levels out in record time, and while I’ll watch their work and applaud from afar, I still like the experience of beating my own records.

I Am Your Beast has a visual style that is very clear and distinctive. The COI goons wear big red goggles that highlight them in snow and rain. Whenever Harding scores a headshot, there’s a big, vivid, red “X” that appears over the victim’s head — a clear indicator that you’re safe to move on. If they’re merely incapacitated, goons will lie on their back and roll side to side — a perfect opportunity for a stomp kill. The exaggerated, cartoony visuals are super clear, which is great when every second counts.

The narrative of I Am Your Beast is clearly inspired by revenge films and spy thrillers, and it is largely carried by Harding’s narration. The voice actor for Harding does fantastic work; a less subtle take may have come across as cheesy. Instead, he comes across as resigned, stubborn, and absolutely committed to his cause. It’s a great contrast to the COI characters, who range from terrified minions to the cold-hearted colonel.
The only thing in I Am Your Beast that I can’t praise is the music, which is serviceable, but failed to get my heart pumping. Some of the tracks feel like they would be equally at home in a Super Monkey Ball or Sonic Adventure game, which doesn’t quite line up with the high-octane action and dark, bloody nature of the gameplay.

I Am Your Beast is a game I can heartily recommend, especially for people who enjoy titles like the aforementioned Hotline Miami and Superhot. The game is small, but mighty — it may end up being my personal game of the year. There’s no part of I Am Your Beast that feels unnecessary or awkward; the entire experience is focused on getting revenge and making it feel good.

I Am Your Beast was released on Sept. 10 on Windows PC. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Strange Scaffold. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.