There are two videogame genres that have really flourished in the past 10 years, Metroidvanias and Rogue-likes, this one being the latter, and they usually mix either genre with another one, in this case, bullet-hell. You play as any of five different characters, you can change which character you play as on each run, as you try to go deeper and deeper inside the Gungeon, while shooting your way through and avoiding painful curtains of enemy bullets. Basic shootouts are manageable, most of the time, but its the bosses at the end of every floor, or sub-bosses if you're lucky(or unlucky) enough to randomly spawn one that will really test your bullet-dodging skills.
The game is styled after twin-stick shooters, the left stick moves you around and the right stick allows you to aim your guns. You also get a dodge with generous invincibility frames, very limited blue bullets that can be used to clear the screen of enemy bullets as well as dozens of guns to help you through. Defeating bosses nets you a special currency that can be used before each run to permanently unlock new weapons, passive items or usable items. Mind you, everything in the game is randomized, so unlocking something means it MIGHT spawn on your next run, or it might not, it simply enters the pool of possible rewards.
It's its randomized nature that makes it so much fun. While every floor has its own set theme, its layout and the rewards you might find are completely random, and there are even different possible end-floor bosses per floor! Heck, there are a ton of specialty rooms that might or might not spawn. Compounding this are a lot of secrets, and going down the Gungeon means you might find and rescue NPCs that will either grant you new benefits for future runs or simply allow for a new type of specialty room to spawn, maybe, on another run.
Alright, so, I have a tiny gripe with the game, and that's that most guns seem to be more funny than useful. Some guns are useful, some are funny and some are a mixture of both, but it seems most guns fall into the funny category. So if you are terrible at bullet hell games, like me, how far you make it on each run might depend on how lucky you are with the guns that you find, which is the nature of the beast I suppose, but I kinda wish more guns were just straight up useful.
All that aside, the game very solid and simple gameplay that make it very easy to pick up and play, even after months having gone by without playing it, something I can attest to. As disappointed as I sometimes am when I get a useless gun, I do believe that making the game have so many random elements actually works in its favor to make keep things fresh and interesting.
Enter the Gungeon is a very brief game, but it will probably be a while before you can beat it, and even a longer while for you to really see everything that the game has to offer. It's also super addictive, with that 'one more run' sensation so many games wish they could generate this effectively.
8.0
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