Los Angeles-based independent game studio Mad Herons has released a playable demo for Send In The Clown, an upcoming comedy role-playing game that puts players in charge of rescuing a disastrous children’s birthday party. The demo arrives ahead of Steam Next Fest in October 2026, introducing the game’s unconventional humor, character interactions, and collection of minigames.
Developed by a team with backgrounds in television comedy, engineering, and education, Send In The Clown follows a struggling birthday clown named Pockets as he attempts to restore order to a chaotic celebration.
Send In The Clown Brings Comedy RPG Gameplay to Steam
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — October 7, 2026 — Mad Herons, a newly established independent game studio founded by Jacques Mouledoux, Karen Park, and Nick Park, has confirmed that its debut title, Send In The Clown, will participate in October’s Steam Next Fest.
The studio has made a standalone playable demo available ahead of the event, allowing PC players to experience the game’s comedic storytelling and role-playing mechanics.
The development team includes a former writer for Nickelodeon’s iCarly, a SpaceX engineer, and a university professor, bringing together experience from entertainment, technology, and academia.
The upcoming game is designed as an approximately hour-long comedy RPG featuring interactive conversations, unusual challenges, and character-driven humor.
Players take control of Pockets, a struggling professional clown hired to entertain guests at the birthday party of a 12-year-old girl named Miranda.
However, the celebration quickly becomes a series of problems that Pockets must resolve through social interactions, minigames, and newly unlocked clown abilities.
Playable Demo Introduces Miranda’s Chaotic Birthday Party
The Send In The Clown demo serves as a comedic prologue to the main game, introducing its central mechanics through a self-contained adventure.
Pockets arrives early at Miranda’s birthday celebration, only to discover that the party is already falling apart.
Guests are unhappy, the food remains uncooked, and Miranda’s troublesome younger brother, Tad, has stolen the propane tank needed to operate the grill.
Restoring the celebration requires players to complete several objectives while interacting with the party’s unusual guests.
Players Must Defeat Tad in a Satirical Arcade Game
One of the demo’s primary objectives involves recovering the stolen propane tank from Tad.
To convince him to return it, players must beat his high score in America Shoots Guns At The World, a fictional arcade game featured within Send In The Clown.
The minigame takes the form of a satirical bullet-hell shoot-’em-up, requiring players to navigate incoming attacks while attempting to achieve a higher score.
The challenge reflects the game’s broader approach to comedy, using exaggerated situations and references to familiar video game genres.
Character Relationships and Minigames Drive Progression
Beyond confronting Tad, players must develop relationships with guests attending Miranda’s birthday party.
The demo includes three available characters who can be befriended by completing their individual challenges.
Each interaction introduces a different activity, encouraging players to explore the party and learn more about its participants.
Rhythm-Based Dancing Challenge Features Single Dad Ned
One example involves Ned, a single father attending the celebration.
To become friends with Ned, players must teach him how to dance through a rhythm-based minigame inspired by Guitar Hero.
The sequence introduces music-driven gameplay into the RPG’s broader collection of interactive activities.
Other guests have their own challenges, although the studio has not provided complete details about every available minigame.
The emphasis on building friendships gives players an alternative objective beyond simply fixing the party’s immediate problems.
Demo Includes Ratings, Hidden Secrets and Replay Opportunities
The standalone demo also introduces a performance-rating system connected to player progression.
At the end of the experience, players receive a rating based on the number of guests they successfully befriended and the secrets they discovered.
This system encourages players to revisit conversations, investigate their surroundings, and experiment with different approaches.
The full game will expand on these mechanics with additional characters, minigames, and hidden content.
Developers Promise More Characters and Comedy in Full Release
Jacques Mouledoux, the game’s lead writer, described the demo as an introduction to the studio’s larger creative plans.
“We made this game to be a fun, silly treat for players, and this preview is just a taste,” said Jacques Mouledoux, the game’s lead writer. “The full game has more characters, more minigames, more secrets, and a proper story with heart and lots of extremely stupid jokes.”
The studio intends to combine its comedic approach with a more developed narrative, giving players additional opportunities to interact with the birthday party’s characters.
Full Game Features a Turn-Based RPG Battle Against Tad
Although Send In The Clown incorporates role-playing elements throughout its adventure, the developers have also created a traditional turn-based combat system.
However, the mechanic is reserved for a single encounter during the game’s conclusion.
According to co-director Nick Park, the system appears only during the final confrontation with Tad.
“We even created a full-on, turn-based RPG battle system that is used literally once, in the game’s final battle against Tad. We couldn’t think of a more fitting ending to Miranda’s birthday party than fighting a child.”
The unusual design decision reflects the studio’s willingness to use established RPG conventions primarily for comedic effect.
Send In The Clown Demo Available Ahead of Steam Next Fest
The playable Send In The Clown demo is now available on Steam ahead of the October 2026 Steam Next Fest event.
The preview introduces the game’s central characters, minigames, friendship mechanics, and performance-rating system.
While the studio has not announced a specific release date for the complete game, the demo provides an early look at its approach to interactive comedy.
With its combination of absurd humor, unconventional RPG mechanics, and character-focused challenges, Send In The Clown aims to offer PC players a short comedy adventure built around the increasingly complicated task of saving a child’s birthday party.
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