Slugging for Punishment
by Kaegan Stogsdill
The PlayStation Vita is a struggling system but it's still managed to be the home to a few indie darlings such as Hotline Miami and Terraria. Gunslugs,
the side-scrolling shooter developed by Abstraction Games (The original game by OrangePixel) , has now joined this small circle of great indie games.
- Story:
The story in this game is bare bones. At the start of every
level the player is given a small description regarding the stage. The player
is then tasked with destroy some towers throughout the level usually amounting
to the three towers until finally facing a boss. This isn’t necessarily a bad
thing because it allows players to get into the action.
+ Gameplay:
Gunslugs’ core mechanics revolve around running and gunning.
The player parachutes into the level and the ultimate goal is to get back to
the helicopter at the end of the level. In between, the gunslinger is faced
with fighting off enemies ranging from flamethrowers, tanks and giant mechs reminiscent of those from War of the Worlds. Players can acquire different weapons
throughout, but that isn't enough to prepare for the onslaught. This game is
brutally hard. Making it through levels is incredibly satisfying but it can be
frustrating how much time players can spend grinding through levels, only to be frequently met with death.
That said, I always wanted to come back for more and it currently is taking up
a lot of my time on Vita.
+ Visuals
Gunslugs' art style is retro and pleasing. The game always
has multiple things happening on screen at once but sometimes it can get cluttered leading
to an untimely death. Bullets are always flying and there is typically always a
flamethrower-wielding maniac behind you. Bosses are somewhat generic
looking which is a disappointment. There are various environments and that
helps break up the monotony of enemies.
+ Multiplayer:
There is no multiplayer per se in Gunslugs but there are leader boards that provide plenty of healthy competition. Every kill garners points and players can compete either
globally or with friends on the leader board. I always felt like I could do
better if I just gave it another try.
Final word:
Gunslugs is simply fun. For the price, it’s a great pick-up-and-play game with plenty of challenge. Overall, I would easily
recommend this game to anyone with patience and a Vita.
Score 7.5/10
You’ll like this game if you like: Contra style shooters
You’ll hate this game if you: Don’t like hard games.
This game was reviewed with early access review code provided by Abstraction Games.
Images and trailer provided by Abstraction Games
This game was reviewed with early access review code provided by Abstraction Games.
Images and trailer provided by Abstraction Games
