Here we are with MOTHERGUNSHIP, developed by Grip Digital and Terrible Posture Games, which could be the greatest bullet-hell first person shooter released so far. The player takes on an armada of spaceships, each with side missions that accompany the main story with the eventual option of endless mode. The mechanised armour worn by the character is customizable. Design how your guns are laid out on each arm from simple chainguns to railguns, grenade launchers to rocket launchers, with the addition of upgrade modules to give your setup that extra kick.
At the start of the game you are greeted by your superiors after crashing an “infiltration torpedo” into your first Archivist ship. The tutorial begins abruptly and it does not pull any punches. The player is eventually provided weaponry for the left and right arm, which is usable by clicking the left and right mouse buttons respectively. Once the tutorial is completed, it’s up to you to piece together the weapon systems from thereon out. The learning curve is steep at the beginning, to figure out which weapon setups worked and what do not.
From the tutorial ship you are then moved to the command area. This is where all future interactions take place, from selecting a new mission to making upgrades to your suit. A discoverable stowaway smuggler can provide more weapons, connectors and upgrades for an obligatory fee, of course. The dialog from your comrades includes comebacks, random outbursts, and attempts at humorous quips that sometimes succeed. The main room is filled with a large holographic Earth marked with enemy locations and has two exits, one leading to the armoury, the other is a door labelled “Portal” but that area is locked.
The first room of a mission level is almost the same every time, containing your “vessel” that you travelled in and two stations, a hint to the implementation of co-op. The player can put together weapon setups if you chose to bring anything with you, and then head through each door to take on each stage. Each stage has the potential for a shop to buy more weapons on the go and some have multiple exit doors with special symbols to represent what to expect if you choose that path. Crossed swords is for a challenge stage, a dice is for a random event/reward, and finally the red skull that signifies a boss, so at least you are not going into a boss room completely unaware of what you are getting into.
The desire to replay the game lies in the ability to buy and assemble new and exciting weapon combos that are virtually endless. After playing through the game once, you might even want to take on the personal challenge of completing an entire mission with just your fists. Maybe a crazy idea but it is possible to try.
More characters are encountered as the player moves through the stages and missions to achieve the goal of regaining control of Earth one objective at a time. The side missions are equally important because each one offers a different reward, and a different challenge to achieve that reward. I mean, where’s the satisfaction in getting something for nothing, right?
Co-op play, set to be released in August 2018, promises to be a spectacular addition to the single player version in place currently. I wish I could have had the chance to try it out, as I am one to enjoy playing with friends, so I look forward to giving it a go after it is available. Graphically, you could argue it is not very impressive but a game like this is not all about the graphics. MOTHERGUNSHIP is all about the gameplay and certainly has the draw to keep you coming back, even after you have completed the main story for the forgotten amount of time you have done so.
The audio is great but when you are against a large number of hostiles the gunfire sound effects could end up being white noise, leaving the background music to be forgotten. For example, the first real boss you face has you so focused on firing your weapons at a specific spot and avoiding being shot yourself that the sound in general was difficult to appreciate.
I had a few deaths early on, which could be a bit disheartening for some, along with the short despawn timer on the experience/currency drops from enemies, but that is what makes MOTHERGUNSHIP more difficult. This exciting addition to the bullet-hell genre fully delivers in the category of gameplay. If you’re after a game where you can build your own weapon system and unleash the biggest bullet-hell upon your foes, give MOTHERGUNSHIP a go.
