Wildcat Gun Machine Has A Better Gun Collection Than You
If you’ve arrived at this Wildcat Gun Machine review expecting a story-driven opus, exit now and eff up my bounce rate to save yourself the time. Read on if you’re after a satisfying twin-stick shooter that’s crisper than that packet of prawn cocktail crisps sitting on your desk (or lap).
Developed by Chunkybox Games and published by Daedalic Entertainment, Wildcat Gun Machine is a casual shooter with dungeon-crawling roots. I say ‘casual’ as you can easily play one-handed and continue to chat up that hottie on ICQ – this game is super easy.
Yes, I’m being facetious, but the first act (there are four) is a doddle. Gameplay is like a pushy parent wanting you to socialise at a party: pushing you into the action, abandoning you almost immediately for your independence and working things out for yourself. It’s not complicated. The controls are standard for a twin-stick; left for movement, right for aiming, a trigger to shoot, a dash option, grenade, and then a special.
Samantha is our protagonist. I don’t know if that’s her actual name, as that pushy parent hasn’t given you any background before jumping in. That said, there are no cutscenes, dialogue options or even one of those montages that insinuate a loose story. It’s completely void of one other than going through each area and beating a beast boss variant. Say ten times fast.
That’s not a bad thing, and despite my ties with narrative-driven stories, it’s not entirely missed. Instead, you’ll run through corridors into numerous rooms that will close off until you defeat everything inside. Samantha will gun down all these baddies, filling up her Gun Machine gauge. Once full, a button will trigger a temporary rampage session of invulnerability and lots and lots of bullets.
Anyway, there are two weapons slots in Wildcat Gun Machine. The primary can be purchased at a checkpoint, listing a damage meter and unique attribute, i.e. piercing ammo, oversized bullets or homing missiles. The secondary is much better, but where the first gun has infinite ammo, the latter is limited. Additionally, there are so many guns in the game that you’ll be changing them up as if playing Borderlands. However, if there’s a gun you prefer, you can change your loadout at a checkpoint.
Checkpoints save your progress, but they’re also where you’ll upgrade your bits. The currency in the game is bones, and these are awarded through kills and random skeletons found in the corridors. Upgrade options include a dash with reduced cooldowns, grenades, and additional retries for when you die. Death isn’t so bad as you will respawn in the last room. If you run out of lives entirely, the game will deduct some bones from your supplies.
Getting back to that earlier casual remark, for a while I felt Wildcat Gun Machine was too easy. It’s pretty slow, and even when the bullet-hell characteristics are introduced, it’s easy to weave in and out without being clipped. However, the antes are upped when more and more enemies seep through. It gets to the point where you’re overwhelmed and relying on your dash to get out of the way.
Presentation-wise, it’s very sharp, and I liked the character illustrations – notably the main boss variants. Samantha was a little ‘meh’, mainly because we know nothing about her. As for tunes, they start well but get a little repetitive over time.
When we get to Act Three, Wildcat Gun Machine kicks off; deaths will be as familiar as your PIN. There are mid-bosses or ‘pre’ bosses that are challenging enough but shouldn’t make you break too much of a sweat. But then we’re introduced to the one-hit-kill main bosses, and it’s a call to the GP about raised blood pressure. Note that you can’t increase your health or earn the Gun Machine option during a boss fight, so expect some brutal battles.
The verdict? I liked Wildcat Gun Machine quite a bit, but the lack of story and connection with the protagonist made it hard to add Samantha to my friends list. Additionally, the balancing can seem a bit off, and a handful of rooms will test your patience to the point that you’ll be practising mindfulness – as the GP recommended. It’s a good-looking game and a decent debut with a heap of weapons that make this indie well worth the money but be wary of erratic, challenging gameplay.