Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch is a nostalgic beat-’em-up

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During GDC 2025 at the Day of the Devs event, I had an unexpected encounter while playing the alpha version of Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch. As I progressed through my 20-minute gameplay, people around me would pause and express their admiration for the game’s striking hand-drawn artwork. Interestingly enough, many were unaware that a new Jay and Silent Bob game was in development. Unbeknownst to them, this beat-’em-up project by Interabang Entertainment has been underway for nearly a decade! In fact, back in 2016, the game successfully reached its $400,000 crowdfunding goal on Fig. It’s only within the past year or so that a playable demo has become available at gaming events. Groovy, dude.

“Are you even supposed to be here today?”

The demo starts in the streets of Jersey, where Jay and Silent Bob are grooving near a portable radio, perfectly positioned outside Quick Stop Convenience Store. Fans of the “Clerks” and “Jay and Silent Bob” film universe (commonly known as the “View Askewniverse”) will undoubtedly spot and enjoy the familiar references, especially the specific locations and shop names dotted around the game. Once they step into their preferred convenience store, they notice something amiss and find themselves battling hostile street hockey players and zombie-like individuals absorbed in their mobile devices. They eventually uncover a mysterious new shopping mall that has suddenly appeared and is causing a bizarre effect on the town, which requires them to intervene.

In the tradition of iconic brawler games such as Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and even The Simpsons, Chronic Blunt Punch carries on the legacy. Characters Jay and Silent Bob possess a variety of attacks – light ones that can be combined for combos, and heavy ones that pack a powerful punch, albeit slower. They also boast a dash move to swiftly cover ground, and a block to ward off enemy blows. Fans of Marvel vs. Capcom may spot some familiar powerful abilities; for instance, Jay transforming into a Mega Man-like robot, similar to the way Silent Bob spins like M. Bison’s Psycho Crusher. Certain moves consume a portion of their blue energy meter, which accumulates by gathering nugs dropped by enemies.

“Ergo, you find yourself in a very actionable position.”

It’s no surprise that Jay and Silent Bob function optimally as a duo in cooperative play. When I controlled Jay, I assisted a random player controlling Silent Bob by defending him when he was surrounded by adversaries, and I also indicated any health boosts that popped up after I opened a trash can. Although we didn’t always synchronize well, the characters have a powerful tag-team move that can deal massive damage, especially saving it for boss battles like the giant hockey player at the end of level one. For those playing alone, there’s an option to quickly switch between Jay and Silent Bob, so playing without a second person shouldn’t be too challenging.

In due course, both characters acquire the ability to utilize assists, similar to how they function in Marvel vs. Capcom. Performing multiple strike sequences fills up the assist gauge, which can then be expended to summon characters predominantly from the films, opening the door for potential future appearances of these characters. The actors Jason Mewes (Jay) and Kevin Smith (Silent Bob) have contributed some of their voice talent in the form of grunts and catchphrases that may occasionally resonate throughout the gameplay.

The game “Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch” is planned for release on Steam for PC in 2025, and the developers are considering releasing it on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch as well.

This sneak peek is derived from an early version demo given by the publisher at the Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition event, which took place during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2025.

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2025-03-22 20:01