Exit the Gungeon
Nintendo Switch

Developed By : Dodge Roll
Published By : Devolver Digital
Category : Roguelike, Platformer, Bullet-Hell
Release Date : Mar 17, 2020

A few years ago, the world was introduced to an amazing top-down dungeon crawler, Enter the Gungeon. It was fast-paced and intense, instantly becoming a big hit for anyone who got their hands on it. It’s no surprise that a sequel found it’s way to release, and after entering the gungeon, there’s only one thing to do. Grab your Nintendo Switch and prepare yourselves to Exit the Gungeon.

In the original game, you can control one of a select number of people called gungeoneers. These are people who have hauled themselves to the gungeon in hopes of finding the powerful weapon it contains, The Gun That Can Kill The Past. Those who seek this gun have something deep and hidden in their past they wish desperately to change. Only once they do, the gungeon falls apart and now they must risk their necks on a dastardly escape.

Right away you’ll notice an immediate and glaring shift in the game’s perspective. What once was a top-down shooter is now a 2D platforming shooter. Most of everything from the first game are retained in this one, except you now gain the glorious ability to jump. Which you could technically do in the first one, but now it’s much more noticeable.

With the change in perspective comes an overhaul in the gameplay itself. As you attempt to exit the gungeon, you’ll find yourself in an elevator as it shoots itself upwards towards the surface. Swarms of enemies will attack you so you’ll need to use your gun to fend them off. However, every so often your gun will morph and become a different gun. This means you’ll constantly be getting a swap to your arsenal which can be an improvement or a letdown depending on the type of gun you like to sling.

Occasionally, after fighting off so many the elevator will make a stop at a single room. In here you’ll fight off another, much smaller wave of enemies, and if you do so you’ll get a chest for your hard work. Inside will be some sort of upgrade for you to keep on for the remainder of that run whether it be an upgrade to your health, to your weapon(s), or your ability to take/deal damage. After this, the elevator ride resumes with another wave that leads into a boss fight.

Bosses in this game aren’t fixed per location, which means in the first area of the elevator ride you won’t always see the same boss to end it. These guys have a health bar on the side of the screen and they will bring everything they can at you. One key thing to keep in mind during these fights, or in the game as a whole, is that when you are jumping like the gungeon wizard you are, you are invincible until you land back on the ground again.

As you climb you’ll pick up bullets that scatter the ground as your currency. Pile this up and spend them between levels when you reach the merchant for upgrades similar to the ones you’d find in the chests. If you’re missing any hearts on your health, you can purchase replacements if there are still any in stock.

When you begin the game, you’ll find yourself playing as The Pilot. You can unlock other gungeoneers like in the previous game, and they are unlocked in much the same way. Certain characters can be found and freed from some sort of prison or trap in the gungeon, while others are only unlocked by completely exiting the gungeon with other characters.

As amazing as the first game was, if Exit the Gungeon hadn’t flipped the perspective, this would’ve been dead out of the gate. It’s an entirely fresh take on the game, but at the same time feels like nothing is different at all. If you were a fan of Enter at all, you won’t miss a beat picking this one up. And you absolutely shouldn’t miss this game at all. If this ends up being your introductory title to the Gungeon games, then prepare yourself for wanting to picking up both eventually.