For a mobile game to go viral in the iOS and Android markets is a huge success in itself, but for that
same game to then go on to sell even more copies on the 3DS, a device with a
fraction of the install base, is unheard of. This is probably a
result of the comparatively small selection of games on the eShop
allowing good games to shine, the hype built up from the mobile
releases, and the fact that this is a game deserving of proper
buttons. Whatever the specific reasons for its success, Gunman Clive
is clearly doing something right.
The game opens with a damsel in
distress being carted away by horse, crying out for the stoic gunman,
Clive, to save her. Anyone who's enjoyed the classic platformers will
immediately feel comfortable with the game's tight controls and level
design. A comparison to the Mega
Man games can be made, as the
enemies in Gunman Clive
are placed in such a way to catch the player off guard, or to create
scenarios requiring very specific and precise play in order to
progress. Fortunately, this is pulled off without suffering from the
broken difficulty of trial-and-error design found in many indie
platformers.
Gunman Clive is a shooting platformer, and as in Mega Man, players
can only shoot horizontally, with a limit of 3 shots on screen at any
given time. Powerups include a spread shot, homing shot, and a
piercing shot. These are reminiscent of Contra and
serve to liven things up. Taking
damage causes Clive to revert back to his standard pea-shooter, and
taking 4 hits of damage will send the player back the beginning of
the level if they haven't reached the midway point. As in real life,
health
can be restored by eating cake.
The game spans 20
stages in total, with each fifth stage dedicated entirely to a
bossfight. Gameplay is varied, with standard platforming, a space-shootery segment, and even a mine-cart level. Difficulty increases gradually throughout, with no sudden
spikes or drops along the way. Each boss has a unique attack pattern
and nothing feels recycled. As mentioned before, the game isn't
difficult in a broken way; it's just very tightly designed. This
means that every death is a result of a clear mistake on the player's
part, and creates a desire to master the game, making it easy to
continue playing even after the twelfth consecutive death on the same
section of a level.
The
downside of being very tightly designed is that there's not much
incentive to play through it time and time again like one would a
Mario game with all
it's freedoms and secrets. The developer seemingly realized this
however, and included two unlockable characters: Ms. Johnson, the
aforementioned damsel, and a duck. That's right, the goomba of the
game is a playable character. Ms. Johnson, the aforementioned damsel, can hover short distances using
her dress (think Super Mario Bros. 2's
Peach with a gun. The duck is an entirely different experience, as it
has no method of attack, turning it into a completely passive game.
Able to fly for short periods of time, it offers the most freedom of
play in the game's tightly designed levels. Needless to say, there
are no boss fights as the duck. Further extending the game's content
is the addition of a Hard Mode, which cuts the health bar in half, and increases the number of enemies throughout.
Gunman Clive
keeps it short and sweet, coming in at a little under an hour for a
single play-through. It does virtually nothing new, but it's hard to
consider this a fault when everything it does is executed so well.
It's an extremely solid platformer, and one continuous nod to the
classics of gaming. At a mere $2, there is no reason not to play it.
As mentioned in the beginning of this review, it's also available on
iOS and Android, but the lack of additional characters, fewer levels, and, more
importantly, the absence of tactile feedback make the 3DS version the
definitive choice.
Released: 2013-01-03
Developer: Bertil Hörberg
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