Enter the Gungeon is a fun little twin stick shooter rogue-like thing indie game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver. Like most games that Devlover puts out it has charm, it’s fun, it’s hard as nails and most of all it’s addictive. Now I’ve played a substantial amount of Gungeon back on the PS4 but the reason why I never “beat” it or went the lengths I usually go in a rogue-like is because of the fact that it was on the PS4. Rogue-Likes to me are the ultimate time sink and what better way to sink time into a never ending game than on a toilet with my Nintendo Switch.
I think it is common knowledge now that the Switch is an absolutely fantastic console and probably one of my favorite things ever as of right now. So the one thing that I thought the Switch needed was a crap load of awesome Rogue-Likes to keep me playing forever and Gungeon certainly is a good start.
Everyone who’s already played Gungeon knows what the whole deal is. First, you pick from a small cast of characters who start off with different items, weapons and special traits, but if you for anything but the Marine you’re dumb and I hate you. Then you go into a big stanky dungeon and shoot up cute enemies that look like ammunition. Along the way you pick up tons of different upgrades and guns. Guns, guns, guns this is what the whole game is pretty much about and I gotta say they never fail to surprise me with the wacky and fun types of guns you can end up picking up. They can range from just a regular ass Tommy Gun to a crown made out of guns that shoots at every direction.
While you’re out killing things and going deeper into the dungeon you meet some characters that begin to offer permanent upgrades to the overall game like one in particular that allows you to skip floors in the Gungeon after you bring him a ludicrous combination of items, and the storekeeper lady who after you save will offer guns at the hub area which after being purchased will have a chance to show up back in the Gungeon.
I think my main gripe with Gungeon is that it’s way too slow to start off on. It feels like you’re gonna have to put in a good 5-10 hours before you start getting to the really crazy stuff and you’ll find yourself grinding more specific things rather than actually just trying to get to the bottom. I wish it was a little more fast paced and the shooting also felt a tad better but other than that the game is solid and once again, due to the portability of the Switch, will keep you invested for a much longer time than on any home console.
There is a Co-Op mode on the Switch and I can’t really recall if there was back when I played it on the PS4 but I guess this is a welcome addition that you’ll play for maybe like 30 minutes. Trying to play this mode with just one small Joy-Con is kind of a nightmare since aiming requires using the gyro and it ain’t pleasant. The buttons are mapped weirdly and is overall just a one and done kind of thing unless you can play with actual controllers.
Speaking of controls I think the game has really well mapped controls but they just don’t feel comfortable on the Switch especially in handheld mode. Maybe that’s just me but I’m at least glad that they give you the option to extensively remap your controls.
One thing I’ve noticed and I believe plenty of other people have as well is that one the Switch this game is noticeably easier. By that I mean you get better drops most of the time and the dodge mechanic is a lot more forgiving and the biggest thing you’ll notice is the increase in aim assist and bullet magnetism. I know those are terms used for big FPS games like Halo and CoD but there is not better way I can describe it. It just feels like you’re getting a helping hand and it has been noted by the developers that this will soon come to other platforms as well in the form of an update.
All in all I think Enter the Gungeon is a great addition to the Switches growing library of games, although it does have some problems when it comes to how the hardware feels when playing the game. It’s that same hardware that keeps me coming back to have one more go at the Gungeon.
I give Enter the Gungeon for the Switch a 7/10