Exit the Gungeon (2020)

I am a big fan of Enter the Gungeon. It was the first roguelike I fell for hard. I spent a good sixty to eighty hours in the Gungeon before I successfully finished a run. Then I spent another forty hours in the Gungeon playing as other characters or trying out some of the wacky post game options.

So I was excited when this game got announced, and it really was just a matter of waiting for a sale for me to get it.

And then four hours later, I beat it.

I was trying to explain it to my wife who doesn't care at all about video games. It would be like if they made a sequel to Das Boot called "Das Boot 2: An Even Bigger Boot!" but it was only twenty minutes long.* I guess I'd be excited for more Boot, but you must understand I was expecting more Boot than the Boot I got!

THAT'S BASICALLY THE REVIEW BUT NOW I WILL WHINE ABOUT ROGUELIKE GAME DESIGN

I'm happy for more time in the Gungeon, and I certainly don't treat my four hour trip to the credits the end of my time with the game, but it does illuminate a problem with roguelikes. A big part of the gameplay loop of a roguelike is unlocking things that change your run either permanently or changes your options each run. Enter the Gungeon especially rewards you with cool boons because they know you are going to play this over and over and over. Cool new guns/power ups can make every run feel exciting. Exit the Gungeon does this as well. There are just tons and tons of cool power ups awaiting you... But I doubt I will see half of them in Exit. Because the game only takes so many runs to finish (an in-game character tells you it takes the average player about fifteen runs to exit the Gungeon for the first time), and you're only going to play so long after you see the credits- a lot of those cool weapons/power ups will not be seen. My guess? Some of the BEST power ups and weapons are awaiting after players put the game down for the last time. While this roguelike is more friendly to newcomers than Enter by a country mile, I think it injures itself in the process of being welcoming. It is a real shame because Enter the Gungeon was one of my first real roguelikes. I adored it in large part because of the absolutely wackadoo builds I could have each run. Exit has not left and almost certainly will not leave the same mark because those wild builds are just too time intensive in a game that doesn't demand much time.

*My wife has also not seen Das Boot because she has lived a life beneficial to society instead of a life consumed by media like mine.

Oh god. I'm so bad at this game.

I actually enjoyed it a lot. The moments when you get 'in the zone' and you're avoiding the bullet hell like you're on The Matrix are intense and exciting. Sadly, most of the time I was getting frustrated because the rng gave me shitty, slow weapons against incredibly mobile enemies. Ah, yes. You can't change your weapon here, you just get a different one at random every few seconds. This is as fun as is stressing.

But I did liked it and will be playing it again once in a while. I just don't think I'll love it as much as Enter the Gungeon.

You can read my full review in spanish.