Gunman Clive (3DS eShop) Review

I’m sure we all played (or are at least familiar with) the children’s game of Cowboys and Indians. Of course you ignore the heavily racist undertones to the activity – we shouldn’t take joy in recreating genocide. That being said, there’s plenty of reasons to enjoy Gunman Clive, a game that does away with the nasty stuff and leaves you with an amazing action-based experience that everyone should enjoy.

Side scrolling shooters in the same vein as Contra, Mega Man, and Metal Slug are rare in the industry nowadays – it’s a genre that’s neglected at best. So when something comes along that attempts to recreate the magic of those retro titles, I am instantly intrigued. What makes it even better is that Gunman Clive gets the formula spot on.

Players control Gunman Clive, who sets out save a stereotypical damsel in distress. As far as the game’s plot goes, that’s about as deep as it gets – you aren’t getting an Ayn rand epic out of this little ditty, nor would you want to. This is the classic side scrolling style gameplay we should all know – you progress through levels from the left to right of screen, during which you run, jump and face off against various enemy forces, all the while navigating the various elements of the level.

Environments are quite varied in style, and are based on stereotypical western locations such as the old town, mine, or train ride – all of which feel fresh. Level design is a real strong point in Gunman Clive – it’s always varied and never unnecessarily frustrating. Each can be finished in a matter a minutes (most in a little under 5 minutes depending on your skill level) – they don’t drag on for too long, and thus allow for a quick burst of fun! The game also utilises a reasonable check-point system, which means that you’re guided through the adventure quite briskly, but the game won’t hold your hand too much on the way – a brilliant touch.

Enemies range from the standard cowboy with guns and grenades, to various wild life such as wolves, pelicans, and the ever constant threat of the terror-inducing anchor that torments the dark side of the human psyche –  the deadly duck. Every few levels or so, you are thrown into a classic formula-based boss encounter, where you’ll battle anything from a mech train to a clone of bionic commanders. While somewhat difficult at first, once you figure out the weakness of the boss or the pattern of attack, things become much easier. The battle system in Gunman Clive does not disappoint.

This is retro style game balancing at its best. If you fall, it’s your own fault rather than bad game design – you never feel cheated by bad design. If an enemy is too hard, it’s because you aren’t using your available weapons to their full potential. The mechanics are very simple, but are solid to say the least; controls are snappy, yet fluid; and the actions are basic, but never feel excessively simplified.

Visual presentation is simple, but brilliant in execution – a prominent sepia tone saturates the vast majority of the game, while enemies and items get some minor pastels thrown in to make them easily identifiable. Enemies are blue, goods are pink, and animals are yellow – it’s almost as if the Wiggles ran their skivvies through a hot wash and then sent the faded colours back to the western era. Add the hatching effect, and the entire visual package looks like an old western illustration – the effect is brilliant in setting the mood.

The audio is nothing amazing, but it does the job perfectly fine. Effects are in the 8 bit/NES style, while the music is non-offensive and suits the mood perfectly. Tracks are repeated a lot, but never to the point where you complain about their presence in this title.

Still not convinced? Here’s the real kicker – the standard price is only $2.50, so anybody can jump in and give Gunman Clive a try. If you’re too cheap for that, you can also get this title on iOS for $2, but the addition of physical controls is a necessity for a title of this caliber.

It’s hard to find fault in this game, as there is a great balance of all the elements at hand. To make things even more impressive, this title was made by just two people! Gunman Clive is the perfect example of a tiny Indie developer producing something really special. As an homage to the gameplay style of the past, this title provides a fresh lick of paint to bring the genre into the modern age.

5/5 stars