Rob reviews Wildcat Gun Machine on Xbox Series X...
Long time readers of this blog and my reviews over at Rapid Reviews UK will know that I've played my fair share of roguelites. I've dabbled with everything from Deadcells, and Hades, to Ember Knights, and Heroes of Hammerwatch. What appeals to me about the genre is simplistic - yet challenging gameplay that's often coupled with either a deep and expansive narrative, or in some cases - no plot at all.
Wildcat Gun Machine is a roguelite that asks its gameplay to tell its story rather than an overarching plot. From launching into the game you're thrown straight into the thick of it with no understanding as to the who, what, where, and why. It's a relentless bullet-hell dungeon crawler that's thick on gunplay, but very thin on substance. So, strap on that body armour as we head into what Wildcat Gun Machine has to offer.
As I mentioned above, when it comes to Wildcat Gun Machine there's no story or any form of narrative. Instead, you're left to interpret the events as you see fit. While it's not necessarily an issue with these sorts of games, I would have liked at least a basic premise even if it was contained to a single title scrawl. Either way, you're thrown straight into a literal maze as you traverse through various rooms of all shapes and sizes whilst battling hundreds of enemies. To keep the gameplay loop fresh there are also plenty of guns to collect, multiple areas to explore, and lots of boss encounters.
When it comes to the actual map itself, Wildcat Gun Machine takes quite a linear approach. Much like the gameplay seen within DOOM, you'll collect keys of various colours which will dictate what path you'll next have to explore. Again while this is fine, these predetermined routes take a lot of the exploration away from the player. If anything these elements make Wildcat Gun Machine feel like an adventure game rather than a bullet-hell roguelite.
While its progression is a little linear, how you upgrade your pint-sized character is up to you. What the game does well is with the sheer amount of variation within its arsenal. While the weapons don't get as crazy as those seen within Borderlands, they get pretty close. As the game cranks up its difficulty, so does the power of its weapons. This not only keeps everything balanced, it then gives you a potential new toy to play with. Whether it is an assault rifle, shotgun, or something more exotic - there's plenty of killing to be had, and it's pretty good blasting the undead. Naturally, each weapon has its pros and cons with each being more suitable in certain situations than others. While a rocket launcher is great to use against a slow-moving boss, it's not that effective against the fast-moving flaming heads.
With any roguelite game, death is part of the parcel and Wildcat Gun Machine follows the same basic premise as another roguelite. Once your character has died and you've used up the set of extra lives you'll be sent back to the central room to try your run again. To keep this endless cycle of groundhog day from going stale, at the beginning of each run you can also upgrade your character's stats. This is an essential tool in your arsenal as without upgrading your skills and weapons you'll eventually hit a wall where the game becomes too difficult. To earn these upgrades you need to kill enemies and collect their bones. It's these bones that act as your currency when it comes to buying upgrades. Each tier then costs more bones, which then requires you to venture further into the dungeon. Naturally, this style will feel instantly familiar to any roguelite/like fan.
Controls are fairly simple with the game utilising a twin-stick shooter configuration, with abilities being mapped to the face and trigger buttons. It's a welcome addition to the game and manages to keep the combat and movement flowing smoothly, and with everything in reach, you're not fumbling to hit a certain action.
When it comes to presentation Wildcat Gun Machine is a bit of a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, the game is gorgeous to look at and its simple cartoony graphics are colourful and leap from the page. Character design also fits well into this ascetic, with each pint-sized character and enemy looking cute - but extremely deadly. My only niggle is that while it's nice to look at, I couldn't help feeling like I was playing an upmarket browser game. It's probably just me, but it's a feeling I can't quite put my finger to.
The soundtrack also matches this style well and while the score does get very repetitive, it's often drowned out by the relentless action going on around you. I did end up playing through Wildcat Gun Machine with my Spotify playlist on in the background which made for a much more enjoyable experience.
Would I recommend Wildcat Gun Machine?
Well even after the issues I seem to have with the game, it's still an overall positive experience. While the map's linear layout ferries you from one encounter to the next, how you face it is the real choice. There's a great variety of different weapons and skills which makes each playthrough different and gives the game a lot of replay value. Throw in a few gargantuan bosses, and plenty of enemies to kill, and Wildcat Gun Machine is a great addition to the ever-growing roguelite genre.
Rating 7/10
A code was kindly provided for this review.
Wildcat Gun Machine is out now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.
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