Smash Bros. has got a lot to answer for. Every month a new arena brawler gets chucked onto the pile: some manage to capture the spirit of Smash, others definitely don’t. This month’s pretender to the throne is Guntastic, which takes a more gun-based approach. Don’t switch off just yet, though, as it has a slightly different take, and is loaded with charisma.
Guntastic is out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.
Guntastic has decided that Smash games last far too long, and has boiled them down to a near-ridiculous degree. Rather than 15-minute epics, games in Guntastic last a maximum of 25-seconds. To top that, there are no health bars – this is a one-hit-kills brawler.
We’re trying to wrap our heads around that one, as surely it could mean that you’re dead before you can say ‘Waluigi DLC’. On one hand, it’ll mean that death isn’t a punishment for long; but on the other hand, it could turn Guntastic into a farce.
Perhaps that’s what the aptly named Ludicrous Games really want. The tone’s definitely on the campy side, as shown by the characters you can choose. There are bucketloads, and we spotted a few notable ones from the trailer: there’s a poo, of course, and a unicorn, monkey and bloke in a mankini. It’s all your traditional character archetypes then.
There are some neat touches, like the use of environment kills. We’re not sure whether anyone will live long enough to see them or operate them, but it definitely looks like you can obliterate opponents with a well-timed elevator.
There are plenty of game options too, as you have a huge amount of control over the rule sets that are applied to each level. In these pandemic times, it’s nice that Ludicrous Games have also added a suite of bot options, so you don’t need to be cuddled up with mates to have a good time.
Features include:
- Fast-paced, one-shot one-kill combat.
- Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay.
- One screen, 4-players online/local multiplayer.
- Retro and over-the-top visuals and soundtrack.
- Hand crafted, dynamic levels.
Guntastic is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £12.49. It’s also out on PC.
Game Description:
Guntastic is a couch and online party brawler where up to four players battle in lightning-fast, one-shot one-kill rounds that last only 25 seconds – after which anyone who’s still alive is forcibly eliminated. Explode your friends in this frantic homage to the 16bit coin-op games of the past!
