Parents' Guide to

Conan Chop Chop

By David Chapman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Tongue-in-cheek co-op hack 'n' slash is better with friends.

Game Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows 2022
Conan Chop Chop poster image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What’s It About?

CONAN CHOP CHOP takes the epic journey of Conan the Barbarian in a brand new and hilariously warped direction. When the sorcerer Thoth-Amon enacts his latest scheme, resurrecting the evil wizard Xaltotun to bring about a new age of darkness, things don't go quite as he expects. In order to complete the resurrection, Xaltotun needs a new body, preferably one that's a bit more buff and battle tested. So the dastardly duo concoct a plan to stage a fake tournament looking for the greatest warrior in the land. With that sort of fame and fortune on the line, Conan and his band of allies answer the call and enter the tournament, each determined to prove his or her mettle on the field of battle. You'll go solo or team up with up to three friends in local or online multiplayer, then set out to send the undead back to their graves in an over the top adventure filled with both action and comedy. Prove you're the greatest warrior, collect your riches, earn the respect and adulation of the people, and maybe, if you can spare the time, save the world in the process.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Sometimes what starts off as a joke ends up getting a life of its own. Conan Chop Chop is a prime example of this. When the game was first "announced" as an April Fool's Day joke, complete with "12K 360-degree Virtual Virtual Reality" and a two thousand player Eye of the Storm battle royale mode, it was obviously a prank. But in response to fan reactions, it's now seeing the light of day as a complete game … though it's standard definition and co-op play has been trimmed just a bit from two thousand to up to four. While it should come as no surprise that this is a tongue-in-cheek punchline to what began as a silly joke, Conan Chop Chop still offers some quirky fun to gamers, but with a few gripes and groans along the way.

Right from the opening cutscene, the cheesy voice acting and stick figure art style let players know that this isn't a game that takes itself seriously. Once the action starts, characters happily skip and bounce around the screen, gleefully hacking and pummeling anything in sight. The controls have been improved from the days of Early Access, giving players a full 360-degree range of attack with the right thumbstick and a way to quickly switch from melee to ranged with the left trigger. This makes a world of difference in when you're under attack from all sides. The gameplay still has some quirks though. For example, it's relatively easy to block enemy attacks, but to parry those attacks requires more precise timing. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if the enemy attacks weren't a bit off in their timing. Also, even though there is a Tutorial to play through, it doesn't help with anything more than the bare basics of controls, leaving a lot of the mechanics of the game for players to discover on their own. It can make for occasionally brutal runs with very little progress. Things improve somewhat if you can grab a few friends to play with, each of you covering the others' backs. And with online play added to the mix, it's a lot easier to grab a few friends for either local couch or online co-op play.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in entertainment. Is the impact of the violence in Conan Chop Chop affected by the visual art style? Does the over-the-top exaggeration of content reduce the impact of the violence at all? Would the impact be intensified if the visuals were more realistic?

  • How can certain side projects based on better known properties and franchises wind up developing a life, and a following, of their own? How do these types of projects add to the value of the main source?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate