It's the year 18XX, and the Western world is overrun by thugs and outlaws. Gunman Clive's character resembles that of a traditional cowboy, as you can probably see. Looking closer into the character, you can just feel that very strong presence and sharpness of skill.
The game consists of carefully thought-of gimmicks and surprises. The levels are very sophisticated, and to some extent, to the level that Mario and Donkey Kong Country gives. It's not as lengthy as those two games, of course, but you can tell that this wasn't just a random idea turned into a game overnight.
Gunman Clive's game mechanics are simple, you can shoot the gun with the Y button, and jump with the B button. The character doesn't run, which is fine since it makes you focus on the shooting and jumping.
Along the way, you'll get power-ups for your gun that fires in different directions, homing, and some sort of a rocket launcher. The appearance of your gun does not change with each power-up though, just the projectile.
Enemies are reasonably smart, the ones that makes for a balanced game. They're mostly humans, but there are also ducks (yes, ducks).
The boss fights are epic! All of them look enormous and very ferocious. They're not too hard to beat, but requires studying them a little bit to memorize their attack patterns. For the average player, it will take about two tries to figure out how to defeat a boss.
The game's art work is one of the best we've seen on the 3DS. It has a such a lovely art inspired by hand-drawing and shading, so you'll see some pencil strokes on the aesthetics. The stereoscopic 3D is good, but really hard to appreciate because of the lack of colors.
Gunman Clive's music has some mix of Techno and Western touch in it. It makes you feel "in the game", and it's very original. The music also mix in well with the mood of the game. There's enough variation that you'll never get bored to listening from the same soundtrack over and over again.
The sound effects provide a reasonable amount of distinction between actions. However, it does resemble some sound effects from the old Castlevania and Megaman games, making it feel a little bit cute.
The 3DS's physical controls makes us feel like this game and the 3DS is married for life, it just fits in so well. The game's use of touch controls are very minimal, and confined on just the game's menu.
Finishing the game gives you a very satisfying reward: two more characters! The other one plays pretty much like Clive, while the other one is... Well, a little different.
The Verdict
While Gunman Clive was also released on other platforms such as the iPhone, Android, and the PC, the 3DS's portability and physical controls makes us say that the 3DS is the definitive version of the game. The simple game mechanics make it easy and enjoyable to play. It's very pleasing to look at to the finest detail. For $1.99, the game is such a steal. With all honesty, we don't know what to not like about this game.
Rating for Gunman Clive
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| Game Info: | Platform: Nintendo 3DS Developer: Hörberg Productions Publisher: Hörberg Productions Release Date: 01/03/2013 Price: $1.99 Rating: E10+ No. of players: 1 Online: No Official Site |
The Good
- Amazing art work
- Fine-grained detail on every aspect (polished)
- Epic boss fights
- Original and relaxing music
- A natural fit with the 3DS's physical controls
- Classic but sophisticated platforming experience
- 3D effect is not very impressive
- No dashing or acrobatic moves
This Gunman Clive review was based on the North American digital version and played on Nintendo 3DS XL. If you liked the review, please like it on Facebook or share on Twitter! It will really help a lot.
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