Developer: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Publisher: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Reviewed On: PC
Available On: PC, Mobile
Release Date: July 30, 2026
As gamers, we tend to optimize the way we play in every aspect of our favorite games, be it wanting to become more proficient in a shooter or wanting to create the most efficient loops in a simulator game. How about a game that’s all about micromanaging and taking bets on hypotheticals inside highly controlled environments? That’s pretty much how I would describe How Many Dudes? That, and the crushing feeling that the great idea you thought you had wasn’t as good as you thought it was.
How Many Dudes? is a roguelike deckbuilder autobattler centering around game-breaking synergies and simulated chaos. Players take command of an ever-growing roster of dudes as they go up against a menagerie of ever more dangerous creatures. The entire reason for running this “dude ranch” is to answer the philosophical question: “How many dudes does it take to down X?” But that’s not all this game is about. Spend enough time in it, and you will learn that relics, team synergies, and Toughness matter just as much as numbers do.
The game may start off simple enough: You begin with one “Regular Dude,” and you make him go against 10 toddlers. When he inevitably wins the simulation, you go to the next round and to the next, recruiting new dude types through flyers until you have a team with 5 distinct dude types. The dude types specialize in DPS, healing, and damage mitigation, and those types are further separated into “Dude families,” each revolving around themes such as Fantasy and Sci-Fi. The goal is to build up a team, earn money per round, and spend that money on items and relics, all in the hopes of challenging the big bad boss at the end of 100+ rounds across 6 acts.
The enemies you’ll face every round range from toddlers all the way to satanic goats. Each enemy type is as varied as the dudes that fight in your name. Some enemies are good at inflicting burst damage while others are only a threat in great numbers. But you don’t know true despair until you realize you are a split second too late in applying a health potion against 500 seagulls. I’m more cautious during those rounds than I would be if I were going up against a gang of gorillas. The gorillas may be tough, but they can’t cut your boys down as quickly as hundreds of bees would. Trust me.
How Many Dudes? features a handful of game modes specifically to cater to the kind of chaos you wish to indulge in that day. There is Standard Mode where you post flyers, assemble your team, and defeat bosses across 6 acts within 3 different tiers of difficulty. This is the main game that’s considered the “pure” experience. Ensemble Mode allows you to hand-pick a set number of dude types from the get-go. You only have access to a couple of flyer slots when you first unlock the mode, and you unlock more slots by getting a lot of gold stars in the different tiers. And finally, we have the Daily Dude Mode. In this game mode, you get a predetermined team of dudes that changes daily, and it is your job to somehow make it work. There’s also the Rematch Mode, but that only matters to those who can’t seem to accept a loss and move on.
This is the part where we talk about the Tiers. No matter what game mode you choose, you still run the gauntlet to get to the final boss. The diabolical part is that you need to clear the lower tiers first for a Dude type to be usable in higher tiers. That may seem excessive, but considering the higher tiers introduce deadlier enemies, longer gauntlets, and new mutators, it might be worth the hassle of knowing which team composition works and which ones don’t.
One of the things that surprised me the most about the release is how much has been expanded on since the demo. You now have more tactical options on certain rounds with the addition of Trinkets and Food buffs. Knowing which buffs to apply to which dude at the right time is as much a tactical choice as knowing when to use Dude Juice as opposed to letting your fighters recover. There are more opportunities to get more advantages with Underground Fights and Smuggler’s Goods. As the difficulty ramps up, the margin for error becomes razor thin. I appreciate the fact that the game wants me to refine my team setups, despite already being familiar with half the current roster.
There is a bit of planning and foresight that goes into building up your roster. I like to compare it with coaching a basketball team. In this case, you need a well-balanced team that keeps itself alive long enough for your DPS to become stupidly overpowered. Of course, there will be bad breaks like early knockouts due to unfortunate starting positions. But everything after that is your responsibility to make work. That includes knowing when to use the right item at the right time.
You have builds that immediately jump out as being overpowered – like giving the Taser Trinket to a Dude type can cover great distances in an instant, like the Samurai or the Agent Dude with Cool Shades along with the Alien Dude’s Tractor Beam. That was a fun one. There’s also the never-ending resurrection loop using Skeleton dudes and the Bean Burrito Relic.
And then there are the builds I had no idea were so utterly broken. It took me a long while to figure out that the Cowboy Dude was indeed the best at controlling the battlefield, as their lassos can not only pull other Dudes closer to them but, with the right relics, they can pull enemies out of position and into a group of your own Dudes. I really hope the game gets more content so I can discover more of these game breakers.
I mentioned earlier that a lot of the RNG can be mitigated with planning and foresight. Still, there are times when you have to take something “in faith”. This often means surrendering Relics to get more relics after a set number of rounds. It can be very risky, especially if that one relic is the engine that a Dude type relies on the most. If it works out after 13 or so rounds, you can say that it was worth it. Otherwise, lesson learned. The same also applies to investment opportunities. Doubling your money may seem great, but you may need that money now rather than later.
One of the things that irks me about this game is how reliant we are still on RPG setups. No matter what, you need a DPS class, healers, tanks to draw agro, and a buff/debuff class to give you the extra edge. You can opt out of using a debuff class or go for off-tanks and DPS healers, but the margin for error is a lot more unforgiving if you don’t already possess all the “must-haves” for those classes. Case in point: everyone’s gangster until they have to face 500 birds/bees. Even the most broken of DPS lineups need a second to get going, and I’m afraid 500 of anything will not give you that chance, unless you have healers and a dedicated tank.
My biggest criticism with the game is that the reward structure isn’t all that great. Completing entire categories rewards you with some more starting money and extra items like dice and dude juice. The best rewards per tier seem to be poster slots that allow you to further refine your dude lineup. That’s good if you have a specific team composition in mind and you don’t want to rely on dice rolls. The problem is that those rewards are unlocked after earning the majority of gold items per tier.
The game’s visuals may only consist of cartoon sprites and frames for idle, attacking, and downed states; it’s the constant bouncing of the sprites on screen and the attacking going off that makes everything come to life. Remove that, and the game doesn’t feel nearly alive. The same somewhat applies to the blood spats, but that’ll depend on who is asking and why. The instrumentals have an upbeat loop to them, but good luck hearing any of it through the chaos of powers going off and bodies being flung around. The game surprisingly holds up very well on my mid-range PC despite all the on-screen chaos. I don’t know how the developers managed to optimize it so well, but I suspect it has something to do with having a mobile version.
How Many Dudes? is one of those games you can’t seem to put down until you’ve seen a run through to whatever end. When everything snowballs in your favor, you can’t help but feel pride for putting together such a glorious ensemble. Conversely, the moment you realize your team composition isn’t destined to make the cut, you feel obliged to witness its inevitable demise. If you have even a remote interest in auto-battlers or games that include pop culture references, then you have little reason to skip out on this game.
How Many Dudes? Review (PC)
How Many Dudes? is one of those games you can't seem to put down until you've seen a run through to whatever end. When everything snowballs in your favor, you can't help but feel pride for putting together such a glorious ensemble. Conversely, the moment you realize your team composition isn't destined to make the cut, you feel obliged to witness its inevitable demise.
The Good
- Surprisingly deep and vast in terms of strategic variety
- A supreme sense of satisfaction when everything goes well above expectations
- Chaotic fun
- Runs well on PC despite everything happening on screen
The Bad
- The rewards aren't all that exciting
- There are only 3 unique bosses; the rest are stronger versions of base enemies
- Sound effects are so overpowering they drown out all other sound
- Mostly reliant on RPG setups
