🦆 Backyard Rascals

A comedic mischief auto-battler. Rival crews of neighborhood critters compete to cause the most CHAOS. Nobody fights — losers just get flustered and go home for a nap. Untitled-Goose-Game energy, Super-Auto-Pets brain.

Build a crew of five rascals, feed them suspicious sandwiches, equip them with whoopee cushions, and watch the Mischief-Off unfold while a deadpan announcer narrates: "The goose honked. Everyone involved regrets everything."

▶️ Play it right now

No install needed: 👉 https://redmeatboy.github.io/Backyard_Rascals/ 👈

Works in Chrome/Edge with mouse, keyboard, or an Xbox controller — every menu included. Nothing in the shop is timed, and every ability is readable from icons and numbers alone, so pre-readers can genuinely play.

🎮 How it works

• Shop phase (take your time): 10 Snacks a turn. Rascals cost 3, rolling the shop costs 1, treats vary. Freeze slots you want to keep. Sell for snacks. Order matters — the rightmost rascal is your FRONT.
• Get 3 copies of the same rascal and it LEVELS UP: bigger stats, better ability, and a bonus higher-tier rascal wanders into your shop.
• Mischief-Off: front rascals prank each other until one crew is entirely tuckered out (dizzy stars, dramatic flop, tiny "hmph"). Abilities trigger in Chaos order. Watch for the slow-mo on the final prank.
• Solo Run: 5 juice boxes, 10 wins to become Neighborhood Legends.
• 2-Player Versus: hot-seat, pass-the-controller, with a NO PEEKING curtain between shop turns (a goose supervises). First to 3 wins rules the backyard.
• Little Rascal Mode (per player): +2 snacks a turn and a sparkle on a recommended buy. No shame, only sparkles.
• Win battles to unlock HATS. Your whole crew wears them. Non-negotiable.

Controls

Action	Mouse	Keyboard	Xbox
Pick / place	click or drag	Enter	A
Put back / pause menu	—	Esc	B / Start
Sell rascal	—	Q	X
Freeze shop slot	—	F	Y
Roll shop	click 🎲	R	RB
Move cursor	hover	arrows / WASD	d-pad / stick
Mute	—	M	View

🦝 The cast

48 rascals across 6 tiers, each with a joke bio and an ability: the Goose (honks away composure and dignity), the Raccoon (steals the enemy's treat before the battle starts), the Pigeon (summons more pigeons when tuckered — there are always more pigeons), the Lawn Gnome (0 chaos, immense menace), the Drama Llama, the Whoopee Hedgehog, Grandma's Cat (holds every grudge), and the Angry Swan — a goose's final form.

Plus 19 treats (Juice Boxes, Mystery Sandwiches, Cardboard Box forts, Garden Rakes) and random neighborhood news between turns ("A farmers market opened. Treats cost 1 less." / "It rained. Everyone is slightly damp but fine.").

🛠️ Running locally & tech

git clone https://github.com/RedMeatBoy/Backyard_Rascals.git
cd Backyard_Rascals
npx serve        # or: python -m http.server

Vanilla JS + Canvas, zero dependencies, zero asset files — every critter is drawn in code with mandatory googly eyes. Battles are pure and deterministic (same teams + seed = same outcome), which powers the headless test suite and the balance simulator:

node tests/engine.mjs      # 42 engine assertions
node tests/ui-smoke.mjs    # every screen, headless
node tools/simulate.js 8000  # per-rascal win-rate balance report

Developer docs (how to add rascals/treats/announcer lines) in CLAUDE.md.

---

No violence, no reading required, no pigeons were harmed. They cannot be harmed. There are always more pigeons. 🕊️