Grandma No! is Hilarious Slapstick Sandbox Fun - Next Fest Demo Preview

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Grandma No! is pretty creative as far as video game names go. We have probably said that to our grandparents. I know I have, and now we can do it in a game! I’ve been trying out the demo of Grandma No! For Steam Next Fest, and it is the kind of silly fun I've been looking for.

Grandma No! is developed by Wallride, and the slapstick humor oozes from the start. This is a very short gameplay demo to showcase its features, including Octodad-esque controls. However, the appeal comes from the hilarity of the mechanics, with cheesy music and visuals to boot.

From the very start, Grandma’s lying in her bedroom in what I can only imagine to be a gin-induced stupor. Once you get up, the son phones up with some lovely news: he and his wife are on vacation, and we’re looking after the baby because the babysitter was killed.

The demo ends if you fail within a specific time frame, which brings you face to face with your lovely pet bird, who has some very Sauron-esque desires to conquer the world. So, the first message of the game is simple: do not fall over if you cannot get back up in time!

Like Octodad: Deadliest Catch, Grandma No! is built around mundane tasks and little mini-games. These involve cheerful objectives such as watering shriveled-up plants, catching and sorting mail, answering doors, etc. They are all dull things in a parody of what older people are likely to do, which is a crying shame. Where is the Steam Deck in their living room? Where is the rocket-powered car?

Despite the ‘boring’ quest objectives, the gameplay is engaging. Grandma stumbling about her tiny house, you can struggle to grasp objects. This resulted in what would have been a fatal accident if this was real life, since I accidentally set fire to the house with a grenade, electrocuted myself by pouring water on electronics instead of my happy plants, and face-planted off a ledge onto my face. There are side objectives, such as breaking all the vases and electrocuting yourself, so all the collateral damage is worth it. I saw no positive net for completing them, but sometimes, a good laugh is all you need.

The game recommends using a controller at startup, which is good news for the Steam Deck. Playing with a keyboard is doable, but there were no ways to change settings in the current demo, and the game only shows controller prompts.

The Steam Deck's performance feels solid. I had no problems controlling the wayward grandmother during my escapades, and despite the lack of graphical options, it played well on the Steam Deck’s default settings.

From such a short demo experience, it is challenging to consider what I like and what I hope will improve with Grandma No! I spent most of my time cracking up with laughter as my character messed up an easy task in a catastrophic fashion, all while the cheery music cantered away in the background. The visual design is out of a 3D kid’s show with bright colors, which helps sell the message the game is going for.

I hope Wallride includes more options in its menu and keybind support, and I wonder how substantial the full game will be. The Store page implies a small scope for Grandma No!, and there is a limit to how much a simple mechanic can take a game. Regardless, I have thoroughly enjoyed the demo and will watch the game’s full launch!

You can try the demo for yourself on Steam before Next Fest ends.

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