Guns of Mercy: Rangers Edition (Switch) Review
Release Date: January 10, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Storybird
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $8.99
Guns of Mercy is a classic mobile arcade shooter through and through. Taking place in 2032 (wow...I know 2020 isn’t going so hot but this is still quite a jump), humanity has been chased underground by an alien horde. The horde is invading the underground, and it’s up to a lone warrior (or up to a team of four in the new Ranger’s Edition) to kick some tail and save humanity.
Guns of Mercy shows it’s mobile roots proudly on it’s sleeve. Players battle waves of alien hordes as they work their way, floor by floor, toward the surface. Every few levels, the horde culminates in a giant boss that takes all the skills you’ve learned, as well as the power-ups you’ve earned (or purchased) in prior levels. Your hero has only one hit to their one life, and dying means starting at the beginning again (or paying to skip floors!) Each round centers on picking up credits to turn around and buy bigger weapons of mass destruction that help you get further in the game. You also pick up gas to fuel your super-powered mech that you can call in for a few seconds of fire to rain down on the bugs.
Mobile games tend to be simple affairs, and Guns of Mercy falls into that category. Your weaponry is on autofire, and you can move left and right (no jumping). GoM deviates from the Space Invaders system by letting you turn your gun a full 180 degrees as enemies come at you on the ground and through the skies. You can dash a short distance, as well as pick up various weapons and powerups to mix up your shots. It makes for fun chaos, but I wish there was a “safe zone” at the edges because I would be dodging near them only for an alien to crawl onto the screen right on top of me. Simply preventing characters from butting up right against the edge would solve that issue.
While enjoyable, Guns of Mercy gets repetitive. There’s only so many variations on Enemies Shooting at You or Enemies Dashing Toward You to run through, though the boss fights are fun. As you level up they can become a pushover, as the first boss was down shortly after being introduced after a few levels with a single character. This pushes you to use credits found in-game to advance to higher challenging levels once you max out characters, or waste your time slogging through the lower levels. It’s frustrating, because I can see the free-to-play mechanic that would have been in the mobile iteration of the game, buying gems to get to later levels. This is definitely a game to be played in small spurts rather than a huge marathon.
I haven’t played the original, and don’t have much in terms of a press release, but I’m under the impression that the four player multi is new for this release, which makes sense given the game was on cell phones before this. Guns of Mercy plays to the strengths of the Switch, with full four-player capability and split Joy-Con use for on the go mayhem. While it might feel unorthodox, I like how you can choose to use the stick or the buttons for your aiming or movement, allowing the precision you need.
Guns of Mercy may be light on plot and overall content, but it evokes the images of the 16 bit era and the gameplay of the classic arcade. It feels weird playing a game that feels this mobile, with two money units, a store with various purchases that screams “buy more rubies for $4.99” but doesn’t have that option, and some rough translation that makes for some broken English. However, the character progression, unlockables, and achievement list add a splash of traditional console play, making this a unique hybrid. You won’t sit down for hardcore marathons, but Guns of Mercy offers a quick arcadelike experience, whether going solo or throwing Joy-Con at friends for multiplayer mayhem.
Pros:
-Progression system allows you to level up and get further each time
-Great example of Switch Shared Play with two Joy-con and varied control styles
-Classic arcade action and 16 bit feel
Cons:
-Repetitive. Repetitive. Repetitive.
-Poor translation makes for sloppy menu options
-Edge of screen cheap deaths
Thanks to Storybird for providing a code for review!