So by now, I’m sure we all get the idea when it comes to rogue like games; they’ve
got randomly generated levels, one life, no continues, they’re hard as hell, but for
some reason- they can also be amazingly addictive.
It probably has something to with the fact that each and every play through is that little
bit different from the last.
The variety and randomness that each attempt can bring, means that you have to adapt based
upon the tools that you’re given.
Sometimes a boss can be hard.
Sometimes he can be easy.
Enter the Gungeon is all about the quest to reach the end of a castle and obtain a legendary
gun, that can kill the past… whatever that may mean.
From the outset you can see that the graphics here are a colorful mix of pixels and cartoony
characters.
I like the attention to detail, like the books that are scattered around.
The screen is always kept interesting…
but it doesn’t go so far that can’t keep track of what’s going on.
It’s the little things like, when you kill one of the enemy bosses, called the Gatling
Gull… a bunch of crows come down to take away his body.
Or when you fire the barrel gun, fish come out, so quite literally it’s like shooting
fish in a barrel.
As I said, it’s minor things, but it’s a nice touch.
When you begin, the first thing that I recommend you do is the training.
Ha, nice to see someone’s having a good time!
This isn’t just your basic twin stick shooter.
There are a few cool little moves, which you’re gonna have to learn if you want to get good
at the game.
So, first off, you can kick over tables to create cover.
It’s a handy way to provide you with just enough breathing space so that you can reload.
But remember- wooden tables don’t last long against a barrage of bullets, so be quick.
Your second trick is the diving roll.
This makes you invulnerable for the brief second that you’re in the air, vital if
you want to dodge enemy attacks and pass through bullets unharmed.
And your final tactical, for when things really hit the fan, is to fire off a blank shot.
Clicking in both the analogue sticks at the same time will shoot a blank, which basically
does the job of removing all bullets from the screen.
And trust me, sometimes you’re definitely gonna need it.
There are four different characters to choose from.
There’s the marine, the pilot, the convict and the hunter.
They all come with their own initial gun or guns, and they also have a few personal items
to help get you started.
Unfortunately though, they are nowhere near as unique as say, the characters in Nuclear
Throne.
In that game, whoever you chose, you’d be given you a whole new set of moves to play
about with, making each of them feel like a completely different experience.
Whereas here, the differences come mainly down to a few minor skills or perks, like
being able to lock pick for example, or get a discount from the shops, or a photograph
of someone.
I guess the hunter does get a pretty cool dog, but other than that- nothing too noteworthy.
Instead of characters then, variety in Enter the Gungeon has its sights clearly focused
on the guns.
Yep, it’s all about the guns.
It’s almost got as many as a Borderlands game.
Well, OK, maybe not THAT many, but it’s still got a lot.
Even the Ghosts have Tommy guns.
In fact, half the enemies are themselves…
actually bullets!
So to demonstrate the best of the best - here we go, this is A’s GAMING moments’ Top
5 favourite guns in Enter the Gungeon… that I’ve found so far.
Number 5: Want the enemies to chill out a bit?
Then try out the handy Snowballer- just check it for rocks first.
Number 4: Next up, what’s the opposite of ice?
Fire of course.
Only this time it’s shot straight for your hand, like a Kamehameha or a…Hadouken!
Number 3: The English lower case r looks like a gun, right?
Right?
Yeah, this gun’s weird.
But it’s handy if you ever forget what it is exactly that you’re shooting!
Number 2: Ah, the proton pack.
Great for taking out all those paranormal worries.
Just be careful not to cross the streams.
And Number 1: Remember the game Super Meat Boy, and how much it kicked your ass?
Well now you get to turn the power of the meat against your enemies with this devastating,
whirligig shooting, nightmare.
Hell yeah!
Along the way, you run into a few different characters that need saving, which then can
provide some facilities back at base.
These include a shop, where you can unlock new guns, working a lot like the diamond system
from Crypt Of The Necrodancer.
What I think helps make this game great, are all the little things that help keep everything
running smoothly.
Things like for example, when you clear out a room of all the bad guys, all the money
that they dropped is sucked towards you, so that you don’t have to waste your time running
around collecting it all.
Or that, when you enter a combat room, the map in the corner fades away, so that you’ve
got the maximum amount of screen to see what you’re doing.
Or the fact that you can teleport, whenever you’re not in a fight, to any of the plentiful
teleport pads scattered across the level.
This removes any sort of backtracking, and means that you can go and pick up anything
you might have left almost instantly.
So in conclusion I’d say this- if you like what you see here, then I definitely recommend
this one.
And if you do pick it up, then let me know what you think in the comments below and I
look forward to reading them.
Thanks for watching!
And for more video game reviews, be sure to check out A’s GAMING moments!