Switch City, Vol. 4: Enter the Gungeon

Bienvenidos a Switch City, everybody! For the person out there anxiously awaiting this blog, I apologize once again for the lateness. Between my normal duties and a crippling addiction to XCOM 2, I just haven't had time to get into something new on the Switch. It was only a few days ago that I picked up my next game, Enter the Gungeon. Given the short time I've spent with it, and the nature of the game, this blog will probably be a shorter one. But enough of that, let's get to it!

Enter the Gungeon was a game I overlooked when it first came out. Even back then, I was getting a little tired of the indie-pixel-roguelike shtick that still hasn't gone out of style. Perhaps dismissive of me, but Gungeon didn't seem to have a strong hook. As I've found during this blog, my appetite for games is pretty different on a portable system. When I can pop out a run wherever is convenient, a roguelike like Gungeon is a lot more appealing. Plus, the developers just pushed out a big update for the game. While I have no idea what's changed, this seemed like a great time to check it out.

My assumptions weren't incorrect, per se. Enter the Gungeon shares a lot of DNA with other games in the genre. Most prominently, its structure is basically the same as The Binding of Isaac. Every run, you explore a procedurally generated dungeon, clearing rooms full of enemies and finding random loot until clearing the floor's boss and unlocking items for future runs. And thinking about it, that's not bad, or anything. I mean, aren't all platformers about a guy running to the right and jumping? As long as the game brings something creative to the table, that should be more than enough for me.

The obvious thing about Gungeon is that the people in this world are really up on their second amendment rights. Not only does everyone have guns, a lot of people are guns. Or bullets, which is close enough. Unlike Isaac's unsettling eldritch horrors, headless fetuses, and poop, Gungeon's enemies are nice to look at. The image of a bullet shooting a gun is novel, and you'll even see different types of bullets denoting which patterns they fire in. Some bosses are a little underwhelming so far ,but there is a literal Vulcan Raven, which is pretty rad.

I like the art style in a broader sense, too. While part of me is still weary whenever I see another pixel art game, it's done well here. The lighting is very nice and gives the Gungeon a sense of depth that would otherwise be lost.

I have barely scratched the surface of the game's inventory of guns, but I'm impressed at the variety I've seen so far. Each, combined with multiple characters, mix up the strategy of each floor. You also unlock NPCs in the lobby which will provide you with new objectives for your future runs.

But would it really be a roguelike if you didn't die all the time? As of yet, I've struggled to make a run last longer than 15 minutes, and I've yet to make it past the second boss. Even then, I had the feeling that there were hidden depths to this game. Some sneaky secrets that the man doesn't want you to know about. And once again, I was right.

There's a whole wiki dedicated to the game, and briefly looking at it I was seriously impressed at what's here. I learned about mechanics I had no idea existed. I felt like I got a peek behind the curtain, and I'm not sure if I want to rip it all the way open or save some of the mystery for myself.

I was surprised how fun I found Enter the Gungeon. How much time I'll commit to it, I'm not sure (Especially if I keep sucking at the game). However, seeing all the resources available for players of all skill levels was a very encouraging sign. I won't marathon through it like Mario or XCOM. But every once in a while, I can see myself firing up the Gungeon for another run.

I'd like to leave you with the game's kickass theme song:

And with that, I'll see you on the next blog post.