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March 28, 2024, 11:46:04 PM

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Enter The Gungeon

Started by Shay Chaise, March 03, 2018, 01:11:48 PM

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Shay Chaise

For the uninitiated, it's a roguelike twin stick shooter with a dodge mechanic, loads of mad weapons and power ups. I bounced off it for a good while because I was hoping for another Binding of Isaac and it's not quite that, or rather it's different enough to not scratch the same itch, basically. I am starting to get into it, though, and I can see something of where it's going.

My issue at first was that the guns themselves are interesting and fun but if you don't save them for the boss battles, they become too drawn out. There's little of the Isaac satisfaction of getting tooled the fuck up and then deleting rooms in about a second. I also didn't find it very interesting that there weren't many non-gun pickups and powerups. Having played on a bit further and unlocked a couple of things (a vendor in the main lobby, mainly), I've found that you unlock new items with currency you get from beating bosses. That's what fattens the item pool and weapon pool and I'm starting to put together some decent runs.

I got to the boss of the 4th floor before and I had the tools to take them down but just didn't, so I'm motivated to keep going with this and see if I can get a winning run.

In terms of the mechanics, I don't really like the dodge if I'm honest, it doesn't feel great, compared to the dash of Bleed or Celeste, but I know it's a different thing. I'll get the hang of it. I also don't really use the environmental stuff to set up barriers by kicking over tables, etc. I don't much like falling down holes and stuff but it is a different game to the one I first started playing and I'm shaking off the expectant shackles of Isaac. I also don't really like reloading and find the control scheme quite fiddly, even after remapping buttons. I don't enjoy the rhythm of clicking to reload every six/eight shots but OK, every enemy is bound by the same rules (it seems) so it's obviously something they're keen to implement for some reason. It's a hard game, too. I couldn't get past the first level for about ten attempts.

Anyone else played this?

Kelvin

Yep, I bought it around Christmas and have played it co-op almost every week since then.

It's another game that's too hard to be fun for me in single player. I need to feel like I'm making progress and learning, even if I'm dying loads (e.g. celeste), rather than having my own shortcomings compounded by random, bad weapon drops. I also agree with you about almost all those criticisms; tables are crap, dodge feels too slow and imprecise, the controls are counterintuitive, and reloading feels too time consuming.

I also think it has a huge amount of potential, and plays, on balance, very well, despite these problems. My friend and I play it co-op every time he comes round, but I won't be trying it solo again until the reported easier difficulty in the upcoming free dlc; gungeons and draguns.

Twed

Started with it, but its limitations became apparent. I find it a bit boring hoping for a good weapon and then trying to figure out when to allow myself to use it. Bleh.

Kelvin

The game is too stingy with drops, I think. Even half a heart costs as much as a gun or a key, and there's very few good drops from enemies.

The floors are also a lot bigger than Isaac, for example - meaning it takes far longer to realise that you'd be better off restarting.

I really hope the difficulty patch (or new easier settings, whatever it ends up being) fix some of the balance issues.   

madhair60

Poor game. Unlike Isaac, the thought of going through the first floors every run makes me yawn and not bother.

Kelvin

I honestly think the game has a lot of potential. The guns are often incredibly good fun, and at it's best, it's a very good looking and manic shooter.

I just think it's a bit slow and unbalanced. It doesn't help that I have a low tolerance for very high skill ceilings. If someone would make a really good rogue-like shooter that wasn't really, really hard, I'd be in heaven. I don't understand this obsession with the entire game being teeth grindingly hard.

Barry Admin

Bump. I got this as soon as it came out but never got into it at all. Been playing it a lot the last day or two though, and think I'm finally getting into it. It is bastard hard, as said above, but that's what makes it compelling for me. Also it's fun seeing all the wacky shit that turns up - like poisoned t-shirt guns - and I'm finally starting to make a bit of progress with things.

Kelvin

I ended up playing it quite a lot actually, co-op with a friend once a week, even though I still don't really like it. I definitely agree the ridiculous guns are the best bit about it, plus it's genuinely good fun 2 player. I can remember howling with laughter at times, specifically when things went horribly wrong. My friend's face when he finally got back to a locked gun chest with a key he had purchased, only for my corpse to burst out of it in a shower of confetti.

I've not had a chance to play it with him since the balance patch, but am looking forward to giving it another go. No interest in the single player, however. I honestly don't think the game controls smoothly/quickly enough for me to persist with it alone.

Barry Admin

Jesus wept, I was a cunthair away from beating the second boss and I guess that would have opened the shortcut.

Gungeon definitely suffers just by not being Isaac, but once you take it on its own terms, it's very compelling and "just one more go." I really need to get into the habit of using the blanks more, they seem powerful but the standard control schemes make them almost useless and it's easy to forget about them.

Kelvin

Yeah, blanks take a while to incorporate, although as the bosses progress they become pretty much a necessity.

I do think the game does a lot of stuff well. The charachters have personality, it looks good, and the guns feel satisfying to use. Bosses are great, too. Love that pigeon that swoops down and bursts out of its shirt like Rambo.

Barry Admin

I'd say I'm fairly hooked on it now tbh, at least for now. I haven't stopped playing it. It does have a good sense of profession too, like Isaac, even if it doesn't much seem like it at first.

Barry Admin

Wow, well worth redoing the tutorial! (Spoilers follow)

I didn't know you could freeze time by holding the weapon change button. Also found some hidden stuff I'd stupidly overlooked before, got a new story element, and a load of cash.

Really didn't think I'd ever get into this much at all, but I've been having an absolute blast the last few days. Got an awesome weapon last night, the Fightsaber or some such. Smacks enemy buckets away when you reload it.

Got some more quest stuff progressing too. It's making me want to dig out Isaac and Rogue Legacy. Isaac is getting another update soon, but Xbox gets screwed with that game and still doesn't have Afterbirth Plus.

Barry Admin

Daaaaamn, I just got the M1 Garand! That's a great example of how good this game is, and one of the best things about it. It fucking LOVES guns. And I of course do too, but only in the context of video games. Gungeon is a kind of celebration of guns - of their aesthetics and cultural impact, and how goddamn cool they can be. Picking up an M1 Garand is amazing, firing off those single shots and seeing the huge tracer it leaves on the screen! Having to reload, flipping over a table for cover, rolling through shots. It's just so good! As a shooter it's top tier, the more I play it, the more in love with it I fall.

Barry Admin

Still really hooked on this. As I've got better at it, one of the things I've realised and that I love about it, is that you can't just kite stuff round the room like in Isaac or CoD Zombies. Rather you have to play it like a traditional (3D) shooter, that seems to be the key to progressing. So now I do actually make sure to flip at least one table when I enter a room, because the cover it provides can be crucial. The pauses in reloading means you're also looking to use parts of the environment to hide behind, and peek out from. It's very well done, especially as you start to realise that the enemies seem to use the same guns that are available to you.

I've got a fair bit of stuff unlocked now, and I feel like it's added in a couple of new sneaky bastard enemies to keep me on my toes as I've got better.

I think, like Isaac, I really need to do a better job of trying to remember to integrate the active items into my playing. So many times I just forget the damn things are there.

Barry Admin

Bump.  Been thinking about getting into this again, and it seems the last set of new and free content has been released, so it's definitely a good time.

Starting to think I should just look up all the secrets though, at this point. I just looked up how to unlock one of the new characters, and can't imagine it's something I'd ever accidentally do.

madhair60

Got into it myself again recently, the patches have massively polished it up. I can feel myself getting appreciably better too, which feels great. Always used to die on chamber 2 or 3 but now I get to 4 or higher every time

Barry Admin

Yeah you really do feel yourself improve over time, do you look up all the secrets yourself? I feel I've spent long enough winging it for now. I'd love a Switch, I'm sure it feels great on there.

Barry Admin

Just got the M1, and it reminded me how and why I love this game... as detailed above, the first time I got it! :-)

madhair60

Nah I'm just winging it atm. I found one secret thing in the fireplace, but wasn't able to clear the stage it unlocked

robotam

I love it. I mainly just play this and tetris. Looking up stuff is fine I think or at least asking for hints. The new update added a secret floor that I never would have found on my own.
New rainbow mode is good fun. If you hit all the secret floors in one of those games you can become stupidly overpowered.


Barry Admin

One thing I think I've picked up is the first boss deffo gives you a gun if you haven't already got one. So I've got two brown chests now, hardly worth opening them, might as well wait until I kill the boss as I've a chance for a better gun there, surely.

It really is great though, I just want to play it and play it.

Kelvin

Did you ever get into Isaac, Neil? If you like this, you'll love that.

Barry Admin

Yeah, I do like it, but just kind of preferred this to be honest, I wasn't sure about it at all at first Kelvin, then quickly started to feel it was more my game than Isaac. I do love me a shooter, and to shoot things.

Ferris

I bet this is what Dave Benson Philips says when he shows people his basement.


Barry Admin

What character do you folks favour? I always go with the the Marine for armour and accuracy/reload bonus, but I think I'll change it up more. Quite like the Hunter as the crossbow is fun to use. Still not unlocked any of the new characters, just trying to concentrate and do better. It's one of those games where I should not be watching YouTube videos at the same time.

robotam

Out of the starting characters I think pilot is good. I always do the thing on the first floor that uses two keys, so lockpick means I can usually also get a gun or an item.

Once you are familiar with all the enemies/ have better gear, it becomes much easier and a pretty good game for listening to podcasts while playing

Barry Admin

I'm still obsessed with this, again, and am too embarrassed to say how many attempted it took me to get a win. It really is a tough game, but never frustrating or unfair. Just... tough. Never gets boring either, and I'm amazed at how much stuff I've still got to unlock.

(Oh and I finally had a quick look at the achievement list, and I've got 38 out of 54 still locked, 17 of those secret, and all but 1 marked as rare. So, yeah, uncompromising and tough.)

It really does test your skill in aiming, which is what I love about it more than Isaac. And as I think I said above, the way it transposes FPS mechanics like moving and taking cover into this format is incredibly well done. It's a brilliant, brilliant shooter. I love getting the sniper rifle. Think I'll go ahead and switch to the Hunter now, as the crossbow is similarly fun, and very effective for the first few floors.