After the events of Enter the Gungeon, the titular dungeon has begun to collapse in on itself, and the gungeoneers have decided to evacuate. Problem is, the entrance has been blocked so the only way out is through the elevator system, and the dungeon’s denizens are going to carry out their duty to the bitter end.
The lobby’s atmosphere is pretty calm, considering the circumstances.
Exit the Gungeon is a side–scroller action game with a name as straightforward as they come. Your objective is to exit the Gungeon. Simple. The stories of the characters and the Gungeon itself were already explained in Enter the Gungeon, to which Exit is just a light sequel. The gameplay doesn’t go deeper in terms of complexity either, with the main attraction being the difficult bullet hell action that doesn’t leave you with any time to think about stories anyway. The playing area is very limited and often comes with some added difficulty in the form of moving, shooting, or disappearing platforms, while enemies constantly spawn around you. Each playable character, of which there are seven, has their own route and unique types of floors to climb through, so you won’t get bored of the vistas too fast.
Pew pew
To add to the challenge, your gun keeps changing forms constantly without your control, and you’ll never know when your laser rifle will turn into a dinky pistol all of a sudden. On the contrary, it might also turn into a cannon that annihilates the entire room with one shot. The transformation is not entirely random though, for the longer you can remain without taking damage, the better the weapons you’ll get are. This is also where one of Gungeon’s greatest strengths comes into play – the arsenal. The game has an immense pool of different weapons to throw at you, from bog standard rifles to fantastical weapons like the Crown of Guns that rapidly shoots in each direction simultaneously. The weapons are also a treasure trove of pop-culture references from movies to games to comics, and you’re prone to recognize at least something no matter your level of knowledge on the subject.
Can’t miss if you shoot everywhere.
Exit the Gungeon is not nearly as polished and filled with content as its predecessor, but it’s not supposed to. The game was primarily designed for handheld consoles and mobile gaming, so the controls and menus had to be made a certain way. This is by no means a critique, as the game is loads of fun and holds up on PC, even if it feels a bit simplistic, but for an indie production that’ll cost you less than 10€, it’s a damn good game.
If you want fast action and a level of difficulty that ensures you’ll be buying a new keyboard soon, Exit the Gungeon is for you. However, mentioning it’s older sibling, Enter the Gungeon, is a must, since every single hour of Enter will make you appreciate Exit all the more. It is a spin-off but can proudly stand on its own and is sure to give you many hectic hours of gameplay.
Screenshots were taken by the author.
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developers: Dodge Roll, Singlecore, Singlecore Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, iOS, tvOS, Mac OS
Release Date: 19.9.2019
Genres: Adventure, Action, Platformer, Arcade
PEGI 7
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