A shooting star
ROLLING GUNNER + OVER POWER
(PEGI 7) PS4, Switch
★★★★★
AS MUCH as I love losing myself for hours in deeply immersive open world games, sometimes I just want to blow things up.
It’s already been a cracking year for shoot ‘em up fans, but the one that’s stolen my heart so far is Rolling Gunner + Over Power.
First released in 2018 on PC, it got a Switch port in 2019 and now PS4 owners can finally get their hands on this little slice of shooter heaven.
This adrenaline-soaked release combines the original game, bundled with the DLC Over Power – described as a super expansion – which really does take the action up a gear.
As I’ve said before, shoot ‘em ups have a host of subgenres and this one falls squarely in the most extreme bracket – the ‘bullet hell’ game.
The game’s launch menu gives you a choice of mode to play in –essentially the original, or with the DLC (dowloadable content) enabled.
The difficulty options are a bit of a game changer, as the easier ones make this game more accessible to newcomers. That’s important, because nothing makes you fall out of love with a game quicker than when you feel you can’t make any headway. It’s even more vital when you’re playing a bullet hell game, as some players shy away from the genre fearing it’ll be too much for them.
As you’d expect, there’s not much of a plot here – but to be honest, we don’t play these games for the storyline. Set in the year 2061, a now-sentient computer system called the BAC has turned technology against humanity. You are a RF42R STORK pilot armed with the Rolling Gun, a special weapon secretly built to combat the BAC.
It’s a great looking game, bold, chunky blocks of colour flare across the screen while the surprisingly detailed backgrounds whizz past you. The soundtrack is also surprisingly good, to the point you’ll find yourself humming it in the shower. Playing in original mode almost feels like training, you can master the finer arts needed to survive this game. Dodging enemy fire, pinpointing weak spots, and timing your attacks to bring down bosses.
It’s addictive stuff, ferocious combat filling the monitor with brightly coloured projectiles and baddies. And when you think you know the game inside out, flip to Over Power mode.
Switching between the two feels like playing two completely different games. While the original feels like you need skill and concentration to go the distance, the DLC does exactly what it says on the tin – it overpowers.
There’s a much more offensive style of gameplay here, giving you the weapons you need to take the fight to the enemy. Its controls are completely different too, moving to a more traditional ‘twin stick’ (moving and shooting at the same time) style set up. This means you have control over where the Rolling Gun shoots, and you can switch firing between the gunner and your ship.
Alongside standard ammunition, the gunner is now loaded with a plasma bolt that can melt enemy projectiles.
The screen is alive with colour and movement, and it’s not long until you hit the zen-like state you need to have any hope of surviving the level.
This is easily one of the most accessible bullet hell games I’ve ever played, and it’s made me fall in love with the genre all over again.
BUY IT: £24.99 from store. playstation.com/, or look out for some collector’s editions starting at £30 from store.strictlylimitedgames.com