What The Walking Vegetables is
The Walking Vegetables is a top-down twin-stick shooter set in the 1980s, where an alien race has turned vegetables into hostile creatures. You join Department Radical, a police force fighting its way from city to city toward the alien headquarters and the Mothership. Along the way you loot buildings and suburbs for guns, gadgets, goodies and gold, and take on Vegetable Kingpins to earn Radrocks, which unlock dozens of guns, gadgets and melee weapons. The cast is not just vegetables: the Alien Vegeneration Ray also hit fruits and mushrooms, so over 20 different enemy types are out to get you, plus several boss fights along the route.
Playing it together
The game supports couch co-op, so a second player can back you up on the same screen. The Steam features also list Remote Play Together, which lets a friend join over the internet as if they were sitting next to you. Split Screen is among the tags as well. Runs are built from randomized buildings, sections, enemies, bosses, weapons and items, so two people going through together will see a different layout and enemy mix each time.
Before you start
This is a roguelite: each run is short, fast and built around what you find and pick up, and the randomized pools mean no two playthroughs line up the same way. You build your character by choosing from more than 20 skills such as Big Game Hunter, Pulpinator, Akimbo and Tongue of Steel, and stacking them creates strong effect combinations. Skills and unlockable goodies carry over between runs, so early attempts are mostly about learning the enemy patterns and which weapon types suit how you play. Expect a steady stream of enemies rather than slow, careful encounters, and expect bosses to punish sloppy movement. The tone is bright and over the top, with pixel graphics, a 1980s look and a soundtrack tagged as a highlight.