Enter the Gungeon is in my top ten games of all time list. To me, Enter the Gungeon perfected roguelites, dungeon crawlers, top-down shooters, and puns all while forming a hilarious love letter to every gun you’ve ever liked. Does Exit the Gungeon carry that same charm?
Yes. It does. But is that enough?
Exit the Gungeon immediately struck me with nostalgia and humor, but not quite at the same level as the first game. It feels like an imitation, and the new menus and loading screens feel off. The familiar characters and humor are there, but it feels less fresh now… and I don’t think that’s because this game came second. I think the first game just did it better. But that’s a nitpick, the charm is still here for the most part.
The new combat is… good. Responsive. It works well, but the very concept of side-scrolling combat changes the way the gameplay is approached. Without cover, and with gravity restricting movement, it’s a lot tougher to avoid getting hit. As a band-aid solution, the player cannot be hit unless grounded, and the player is also able to dodge roll in midair. Along with this solution, the game design sacrifices its original blistering difficulty to account for the fact that the game is just extremely chaotic.
See, here’s the most important point in this review: The reason bullet hell works as a genre is because you have complete control of movement. This game took that away, and became something else. Is it balanced? Eh, somewhat. But it’s not satisfying. On my first attempt, I reached the final boss. I felt like I was simultanously playing poorly and never dying.
The bosses were neat, though. Since the bosses are a single pre-programmed foe (rather than several foes randomly spaced about), their attacks are coordinated and predictable. The new system of movement works better with these bosses and they are extremely enjoyable… except for the final boss. The final boss is awful. He spends 90% of his time either being invulnerable or filling the screen with so many bullets the player is forced to spam jumps and dodges.
It is impossible to shoot while jumping, by the way. This is a genius idea because it balances offense and defense by forcing vulnerability when the player attacks, but the final boss takes advantage of this weakness in a frustrating manner.
The game has its good points. Giving the player a default gun that switches every few seconds is great, and having it switch to ‘better’ guns if the player avoids being hit is a fantastic arcade-y modifier for gamplay. The game focuses on passive equipment instead, which was my favorite part of Enter the Gungeon. There are still ways to unlock and pick up guns, but this addition keeps the gameplay interesting. The varied stages are also good, and it’s not easy to get bored as the game constantly provides combat thrills and meaningful choices.
Overall, this is a decent game. Comparing it to the first game, Enter the Gungeon, makes this review a lot tougher. The question is not ‘Should I play Exit the Gungeon?’ It’s ‘Should I play this game instead of another round of Enter the Gungeon?’
I’m not sure the answer is yes. If ‘Enter’ is too hard for you and you just want chaos and gun fun, ‘Exit’ might be your jam. It’s a good game, it’s charming, and it is well-made. But it is not as good as the first game, and it doesn’t offer much for me that ‘Enter’ did not do better.
Verdict: 80 minutes played. My first run reached the exit boss of the Gungeon.
Kyle Adams 