Exit The Gungeon - Switch Review
Tight-knit, high-octane shoot-em-ups with an onslaught of action pooling out onto the screen are always a fun time, so it’s brilliant to see Exit the Gungeon delivering on its bullet-hell sales-pitch without disappointing.
Gameplay
To be quite frank, Exit the Gungeon’s entire selling point – the very reason you’ll nab this on your Nintendo Switch – is not the story. Don’t get me wrong, bullet hells can have eerie atmospheric overtones and beautifully written narratives, such as with Undertale, but this title is clearly all about the action. Its biggest pull, the hook that reels you in, is the unstoppable gun-slinging on-screen chaos that refuses to let you take a breather.
With it being designed for mobile devices, you’d expect it to have some heavy drawbacks, but it being touchscreen seems alien, as it works perfectly with a controller and translates spectacularly to the Switch. The controls are responsive and the gameplay is intuitive, as you simply roll or jump through obstacles whilst firing at the enemies, with varying difficulty coming from how much you have to manage at once and how much the enemies sponge attacks. It’s challenging, but it’s fair, which is ultimately what works best for experiences such as this.
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Boss fights are intrinsically designed and diverse in their aesthetics, guns are thrown to you at random as you gradually unlock more options and levels are small and bite-size but packed to the brim with platforms and enemies that waver in and out to give you a run for your money. All in all, Exit the Gungeon does what it sets out to and it’s an absolute blast.
Graphics / Art Direction
Without a shadow of a doubt, it can be said that Exit the Gungeon is a beaut, with stunning pixel-art visuals, fantastic effects that are simultaneously over-the-top whilst also being at the perfect level of energetic, atop of charming character designs and a wealth of exciting weaponry, forming an arsenal that the Doomslayer is likely jealous of.
The little details such as the plethora of particle effects, the screen shaking and the colourful fluid text all add up to make every scene explode outwards in a lively spectacle that makes Gungeon a treat to look at as well as a treat to play, which is handy given how much you have to pay attention to dodge the horde of bullets that are hurled your way.
Music / Sound Design
Exit the Gungeon’s score isn’t anything that stands out and it’s certainly not memorable, but it compliments the pumped-up, action-packed gameplay, and the sounds are crisp, punchy and unbelievably satisfying. From the gun that says ‘bullets’ as it shoots to the plump sounds of squishy enemies exploding, everything goes perfectly with the art direction.
Final Score: 80%
Exit the Gungeon gets a tad repetitive after a while and the story isn’t anything special. It’s an epilogue to the first game, and it’s a lot more compact, but it’s charming, entertaining, stylistic and works fantastically on the Switch. If you’re looking for something fun to relieve the anxiety of the current climate, then definitely give Exit the Gungeon a whirl.
Thank you for checking out our Exit the Gungeon Switch review, thank you to Powerup PR for the review code and thank you to our $5 and up Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
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