Welcome to the surprise of the Nindie-Direct, or Indie Showcase if you will; the sequel to Enter the Gungeon – Exit the Gungeon! Which makes total sense because if one enters something, one must also .. exit.
For those unfamiliar with what the whole Gungeon series is about, a small recap about the first entry:
Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler following a band of misfits seeking to shoot, loot, dodge roll and table-flip their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary Gungeon’s ultimate treasure: the gun that can kill the past. Select a hero [or team up in co-op] and battle your way to the bottom of the Gungeon by surviving a challenging and evolving series of floors filled with the dangerously adorable Gundead and fearsome Gungeon bosses armed to the teeth. Gather precious loot, discover hidden secrets, and chat with opportunistic merchants and shopkeepers to purchase powerful items to gain an edge.
The Gungeon:
Without spoiling too much of the plot of the first installment, you messed up big time (pun intended). The Gungeon is collapsin’, and the Gungeon’s minions plague the elevator outwards. You’ll be fine, probably. So lock and load since there’s much more surface area to shoot at. You’re fighting many of the same enemies as when you Entered, with familiar firing patters and all. Each enemy resembles a bullet or gun in a way. The only exception to this is the bosses, who are ranging from cats to mythological beings. It’s a more arcadey affair than last time, by which I mean it’s a bit less thoughtful. A key difference is that you only have one gun at a time, and automatically swap whenever you walk over a new one or will change after the five-second interval (give or take) with the blessing of your gun. The higher the combo of killing, the better your peashooter will become. To provide you with an idea, the weapons range from an Elephant Gun, Laser Gun, Brick Gun (Mario Style), Ice guns.. etc. You thought Borderlands had many guns? Think again.
Gameplay:
So, Enter the Gungeon gave you a constantly evolving bullet hell fortress that elegantly blends meticulously hand-designed rooms within a procedurally-generated labyrinth bent on destroying all that enter its walls. Exit the Gungeon gives you Elevators, wrapped inside a paradox. It’s not that big in the worldly sense and is more room-to-room then Enter the Gungeon. So roll, dodge and put on hats, and make your way out of the dungeon. Then pick between one of several unlikely heroes, ranging from the Convict, the Pilot, the Marine, and the Hunter. Each hero comes with a unique item that inflicts more damage or picks up the scraps. Filled with equal parts courage and desperation, these adventurers won’t hesitate to dive across flaming walls, roll through a wall of bullets, or take cover behind whatever is around to make it to their goal alive!
Additions & Flaws:
Next to adding elevators, hats, and an arcade feel, Exit the Gungeon adds a lot of new weapons and items and bosses. I already mentioned some guns, but here are some more (with official names): Minecart Shotgun Kin, Bullet Cardinal, and Flying Fungun. According to the rolling devs’, this revamped Gungeon adds new Rooms and Elevators. The rooms may have increased size, but most of my playthroughs lasted a maximum of 15 minutes. There should be a massive change in how the game spawns and places enemies. I was bugged by the way enemies spawned. They often appeared at the end of my roll, which messed up my combo.
Another problem I encountered was the enemies. I always thought Enter The Gungeon’s minions could soak up a few too many bullets, and yep, same problem here. Sure, there’s an increased challenge level to match what veteran Gungeoneers have come to expect, but to people who are a little bit gun-rusty, this works on my nerves. So get better and play more? Yes, that’s probably the best way to go. An overhauled combo system yields better guns faster and throws down more money to reward Gungeoneers for fantastic combo runs. Oh, and hats. Look sharp with new character-specific hats as you tackle redesigned minigames and chat up a host of NPCs with new interactions and quests.
Gunclusion:
So, what do you get? Well – Enter the Gungeon is a revamped jacket. It’s Enter the Gungeon backward, with improved weapons, an arcade sticker slapped on the back and some fun new storyline in which you fight against a paradox. Does this mean it’s terrible? No, on the contrary. It’s better to play this game in handheld since I played a few games in docked mode and wanted to throw my Pro Controller against the wall after dying a few times too many. Aiming with the right control stick needs a bit of getting used also, so take some time and effort to get comfortable with the controls and a character you enjoy playing. I had the most fun (and luck) with the marine, going all Masterchief on them. Oh, and no, I did not finish the game; since I probably will take over 100+ hours to do so, since I’m getting old and my reaction speed is deteriorating. Nevertheless, this Apple Arcade exclusive gone Steam-Switchie is solid.
