review
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POSTED 20/2/14


GUNSLUGS

Abstraction Games/OrangePixel



Real heroes don’t die, they just replay...

Imagine Green Beret crossed with Wonder Boy in Monster Land. Dealing death while running rightwards, gunning, commandeering vehicles and annihilating bosses – but being several shades of cute about it - and popping into stores for breaks to trade hard-earned coins for goods and services, or to kick back with a retro arcade game within a retro arcade game.

You could imagine, or you could just drop a measly few bucks and buy this little gem for your Vita.

You start your mission as either of two tough-as-nails 1980s action throwbacks – one chick, one bloke - and hit the randomly-assembled airfields, jungles and more to disable beacons then get the fuck out of there thanks to chopper support. Killing’s optional – but advisable, otherwise you’ll be pixel soup before you can yelp, “Huh?!?!???!!!” More wonderfully ’80s-inspired playable characters will unlock as you stumble across them, and even better if you subsequently play with them, you’ll start from the level they originated in.

That last bit’s more important than it might seem, for you’ve got one life, baby. One. Life. Well, unless you luck into a rare popup store that’s flogging continues AND you’ve pocketed enough coinage. If you haven’t absorbed the memo yet, Gunslugs kicks it old school so hard that you can almost see Doc Martens marks on your Vita screen – and it’s a joy for it, as unlike some similar outings, it’s super-fun to play, and most frustrations are brought on solely by your own stupiditude.

Gunslugs is pure run-and-gun joy that gets how an ’80s-inspired game should be, marred only somewhat by those aforementioned games-within-games, many of which border on incomprehensible, despite obvious inspirations.

Regardless, we pity the fool that doesn’t drop a couple of bucks for this chipper chunk of retro dynamite.

take me back to the start...

 



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ALL WRITTEN CONTENT COPYRIGHT © AMY FLOWER 2008-2018. GAME IMAGES COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE GAMES COMPANIES.