4 different guns in my pocket and they were all running out of ammo. Just a little bit more and the great Dragun will be vanquished. The only thing that could save me was the superhuman reflex to dodge the crazy amount of bullets filling up my screen. Good thing I had a gun that can deflect bullets, the Great Dragun didn't stand a chance against my bullet-deflecting lightsaber rifle. And that was how the Dragun met its demise.
It's been a while since the last time I played a game, let alone review one. What triggered my impulse to write one again, is this particularly goofy bullet hell game that I've got quite a while ago.
Enter the Gungeon let you choose from 8 gungeoneers—4 of which are secret characters that must first be found—each with their own set of starting weapons and special abilities that are very crucial for your gungeoning. With no levelling system, you will you run, dodge, and gun down everything on your path in the procedurally generated gungeons filled with guns, creatively designed enemies, more guns, bullets, and even more guns.
The Gunplay. You're Gunna Love It!
8 characters, 2 starting items, and a whole lot of guns. Make your way through the 5 main levels of the gungeons and find more guns and utility items along the way, and several secret gungeons. This game may be all about gun, but you're not going to simply 'run n gun'.
Oh no. The game won't let you play that way until you're balls deep in boredom within 5 minutes, as rolling is not simply dodging bullets, because you might acquire items that'll make you reload by rolling, slow-mo by rolling, shoot by rolling, even throw bombs by rolling.
These little extra blasts that the devs put on a simple movement add hours-long addiction to that specific ability which made me can't help but think what a good idea that I never expected to be so good that is.
When I said creatively-designed enemies, I didn't mean the appearance only, but also the attack patterns and how they are programmed to be able to outwit you or at least try to. Need some cover? Flip those tables and hide behind them. Cool, right? Wanna know what's cooler, though? The enemies can do that too. If you think that's neat, wait until you ragequitted when one a-hole tricks you into rolling toward his bullet.
From the regular stuff like Thompson and AK-47, to laser rifles alike, to the obvious Mega Man's Mega Buster, Doom's BFG, and Super Meat Boy gun, to literal joke like the Microtransaction Gun, a direct mock to EA Games. Shots fired.
When I thought the buttload of weapon choices is the main aspect of what makes Enter the Gungeon fun, I was proven wrong by the NPCs I met along the way.
The Goofy Design
As you roll and gun your way into the gungeon to "kill the past" of your chosen gungeoneer, you'll encounter many NPCs that you can interact with, rescue, and even play mini-games with.
These NPCs will be available in the safe area called the Breach, a castle-looking building which I presume a reference to the castle in the old Ninja Gaiden main menu. They can sell guns and provide unique gungeoning experience that extends the game's replayability.
Okay, I said guns like 50 times already, I should stop joking, right? Except I'm not. EVERYTHING about this game is GUN. You play as a gungeoneer, entering the gungeon where you'll come across a mage called Gunjurer, who bring skeleton minions called Shelleton, that you must defeat to get to the boss room where you'll fight a giant snake with guns attached to its body. Guess what it's called? Ammoconda. Then pull out your paper-crafted gun from Japan called Origuni.
"A good cardboard box is a soldier's best friend, having one handy can mean the difference between life and death."
And if you think those are amusing, you're going to like what the items have to say in their flavour texts. They don't sound like they were written deliberately to seek originality, but more like written by some dorky movie enthusiast who game a lot that actually wants to tell a joke.
Is it Good?
If you like an absolutely fun roguelike bullet hell and expect Enter the Gungeon will give you that, it'll give you more than simply dodging bullets. The only downside for me is the story that is not so engaging--maybe not at all--but they are a good enough piece of the brick that builds the whole reason why these characters delve into the fast bullet hell journey.
Quirky game filled with guns as quirky as the NPCs, crazy bullet hell, secrets and unlockables that makes you want to come back for more, catchy soundtrack, and out of control references. This game is absolutely recommended, if you ask me, especially for those who love roguelikes and bullet hells. So grab your referential BFG, prepare your reflexes, and enter the gungeon!
Thanks for your time to read my review, and also thanks a bunch to @ahmadmanga for the game. I’ll see you on the next one!
Commission
I'm open for commission. I make 3d rendered stylized character portraits for your icon, portrait, wallpaper, etc. And I make logo too! Click the buttons below to see the terms and conditions.
If you’re interested, you can contact me on:
Discord: Rain#9999
Twitter: @ProbablyRainite
Email: careforacoffee@gmail.com
Coming soon:
Combining Commissioned Characters
Stylized Game-Ready Weapons
Stylized Game-Ready Character
Stylized 3d Print-Ready Character
©2019 Adam Rainite Lawsone