Xmas Squad is a co-op action adventure game set in a festive yet chaotic holiday world where players take on the role of cloned Santas. The premise involves Santa disappearing, leaving the team to deliver presents, raid houses for milk and cookies, and return to the village using a shared sleigh. Up to four players work together on PC in this indie casual title that blends exploration, physics-driven mayhem, and light combat against monsters.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on loading presents onto sleds, navigating yards and homes, and completing deliveries before heading back. Players fly the shared sleigh across a procedurally generated landscape filled with villages and houses. One player might steer while others handle unloading or clearing nearby buildings. Entry points include chimneys or forced entries through windows and doors, which trigger noise that alerts neighbors and draws in monsters.
Physics-based interactions drive much of the action. Santas climb walls and rooftops, haul sleds, and deal with unpredictable outcomes like shattering glass, flying furniture, or accidental fires. Chain reactions escalate quickly when noise spreads or items catch fire. Combat options include candy cane clubs for melee, candy grenades for throws, and reindeer dung mines for placement. Gear upgrades such as sleigh turbo boosts add variety during runs. Outfits from a wardrobe let players customize their Santas, while sleds and elf mail support the delivery tasks.
Exploration rewards player choice. Landing the sleigh in a yard or on a roof opens different approaches, and the endless procedural world ensures fresh streets and houses each session. The goal remains consistent: meet the delivery quota, collect loot, and extract before conditions worsen.
Game Modes
Xmas Squad focuses on cooperative play for up to four players sharing one sleigh and pooled loot. The experience unfolds in an endless procedurally generated world where the team decides landing spots and house targets. Sessions emphasize teamwork in deliveries and defense, with risks rising the longer players stay after quota completion.
Environmental hazards intensify over time. String lights dim progressively, villagers may steal delivered presents, blizzards arrive, and a large threat emerges when the second-to-last light fades. Success depends on at least one Santa returning with the haul; total failure means losing everything collected that night. The setup encourages repeated runs through new layouts rather than separate competitive or solo variants.
Holiday Chaos and Progression
Destruction and comedy define the tone. Windows break, doors detach, and furniture scatters during brawls or falls. Friends can intervene to rescue a teammate from Krampus's sack or prevent a knockout, though mishaps often lead to further disorder. Most villagers react positively with waves and recordings, but monsters provide aggressive opposition, including occasional lore elements like a Norse god appearance.
Upgrades and items expand options across runs. Candy-based weapons and mines offer creative ways to handle threats, while permanent-feeling gear improvements like boosts support longer survival. The wardrobe provides visual variety without altering core mechanics. Procedural generation keeps layouts unpredictable, rewarding experimentation with landing sites and house priorities.
Is It Worth Playing?
Xmas Squad suits players who enjoy co-op sessions built around shared objectives, physics interactions, and escalating disorder in a lighthearted holiday setting. The procedural world and delivery focus create repeatable runs where teamwork determines success or total loss of progress that night. Those drawn to casual action with adventure elements and destructible environments will find the shared sleigh mechanics and upgrade systems engaging for group play on PC.
The game appeals most to groups seeking short-to-medium sessions of chaotic cooperation rather than competitive rankings or solo campaigns. Its blend of exploration, combat, and extraction risk offers a distinct loop within the action and indie genres, particularly for fans of procedural worlds and humorous mishaps during deliveries.
