Roguelike FPS? Ok.
I had actually never heard of Heavy Bullets until I was told I would be reviewing the game. Just coming off Early Access, this small indie game actually took me by surprise.
Taking on the role of a worker for a strange wildlife hunting ground, players are tasked with returning order to the place after a malfunction occurs and turns the place into a dangerous Jurassic Park, where not only the animals will try to kill them, but also the malfunctioning turrets that have been placed in each area.
Platforms: PC
MSPR: $9.99
Price I’d pay: $9.99
Multiplayer: N/A
The game is a rogue-like first person shooter. Now, that is a strange combination, but it actually works. Players move from level to level trying to find items to help them survive while trying not to get killed by the dangerous animals and haywire security. The unique concept of having limited ammo that players can retrieve after firing makes this a pretty different experience. Players start off with six bullets for their revolver and must pick them back up after shooting them. The last thing anyone needs is to be in here without any ammo.
Make every item count.
Each kill will offer up money that can be spent at vending machines for character upgrades like more health, extra bullets and bombs and even life insurance that carries over money to the next run when players die. Along the way, items can be found that offer up passive effects, or usable items that can help out in a pinch, and there is a good amount to find and use.
The game is very methodical. Players can’t just rush in guns blazing. The enemies and environment are deadly, and death is unavoidable. Luckily, progression can be somewhat saved by using the aforementioned life insurance or last will. These allow players to carry over money and items to the next play through. There is also a bank where players can deposit items and money for the next time they die.
The presentation is a bit strange, yet intriguing at the same time. Everything from the environments to the items and enemies are rendered with simplistic polygons with a rather colorful scheme. The sound effects sound like they were ripped from an old 8-bit game, and the overall tone is borderline childish, but remains dark in many aspects.
I know this song and dance.
With a rogue-like game, players will have to get used to seeing some of the same things. Granted, the level layouts change with every play through and there are many secrets to find throughout the levels. On top of that, each level adds new types of enemies and a few bosses that can offer up a huge challenge, but after a while, it will get repetitive.
The look of this game is definitely…unique.
One other thing that wasn’t helping me out much was the very ambiguous item descriptions. Yes, I know what some of these items are, but knowing what they do is a different story. Many times, I ended up just using them just to see what would happen. In a rogue-like, this is not very helpful.
Even with each death and seeing the same things over and over, I couldn’t help myself from becoming a bit addicted to Heavy Bullets. It is a unique game that can be quite challenging and at the same time fun. The more methodical players out there will have a good time with it, and for only $10, can get a good 6-7 hours out of it. If you’re looking for something a little different, and don’t mind a bit of repetition, give Heavy Bullets a shot. Just remember to pick up your bullets after firing.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
