GUNHEAD

Only a bit over 2 hours in at time of writing. But the game is pretty much Cryptark in 3D. Roguelike randomly generated starships populated with several systems, which, when destroyed, will affect the difficulty (Disable turrets, stop spawning of more enemies, remove shielding of a core system etc.) The action is fast and fun, but rush at your own peril, as the enemies can and will blend in with the backgrounds and seem to sneak up on you if you don't move in with a slight bit of care. A large set of weapons and 4 different fire buttons makes some versatility in the builds. And the random spawning of weapons means your runs has incentive to switch up weapons, though you can always buy your favourite between missions if you have the money. My biggest problem at present is, the graphics can be a bit hard to read at time, along with some of the visual effects which make the game kind of hard to read at times. At 2 hours I'm still having fun, but as with most roguelikes, the game could fall into the trap of becoming repetetive and samey too quickly. I know Cryptark got a bit rote, but certainly a good translation to 3D

Cryptark is one of my favorite games of the millenium. Gunhead is Cryptark, moved to 3D. I wanted to love it. But the move to 3D came with a massive simplification of the textures. Nothing looks as good as it did. The ships seem less like derelicts, formerly functional vessels, than like arena boxes bolted on to each other. It's all vibrant neon-grit minimalism, instead of Cryptark's just-shy-of-Giger thanomechanical estetic. They didn't use a Descent-like engine, but a standard FPS one. So now the derelicts have gravity, which doesn't sync with the fictional framework or the way interiors are laid out or how the enemies fly around freely or basic science. Interfacing with things suspended in mid-air is extremely awkward - the player freezes in air for unknown reasons if the Interact key is pressed while in the unintuitive sweet spot for fiddling with ship hardware. In both games the player is up against massive odds, which they overcome by solid planning beforehand and rapidly executed aggressive surgical strikes. FOV for Cryptark gives the player 360 awareness to a limited depth : They are The Aggressor, zipping through the ship like a living scalpel, in total control of the thirty feet around them (until they aren't). In Gunhead the FOV is FPS standard, so most of the space around the player is not in view, making the player feel like The Hunted. Ironically, the "you can see out until your view is blocked" nature also makes Gunhead sometimes feel less tense. In Cryptark, the ship layouts frequently gave shortcuts or alternate paths through open 'hallways'. It felt very organic. In Gunhead, it's a bunch of arena boxes welded to each other, to be taken in sequence. There are pacing and balance issues. Game ruining bugs in Gunhead (never in Cryptark). Ironically, the Gunhead looks worse. It was a clear nod to the A-10 Warthog, boldly aggressive. Here it's just a humanoid chasis. Cryptark is a masterpiece. Gunhead feels rushed and incomplete.

While I like the original Cryptark's dark, gritty themes, the sequel is a bit more vibrant. Not that it's a bad thing, but I personally prefer the seriousness of the original. Nevertheless, Gunhead is still a fun game. Having played plenty of roguelikes and roguelites that are 3D FPS, like Ziggurat 2, Gunfire Reborn, and Roboquest, what sets this roguelike apart from others is its goal-oriented structure you must plan all of your runs or will fail miserably. The more you play, the riskier the game gets. Everything matters in the game: ammo isn't infinite nor easy to find, your health is permanent until you can heal it somehow, and managing your money by balancing what to buy or upgrade is crucial. Objectives are different for each mission with randomly generated levels. This game definitely has its shortcomings; it's not perfect. However, I didn't buy it as a Cryptark successor but was looking for something different as a fan of FPS roguelikes or roguelites. So, if you are looking for another game to play in that genre, Gunhead should be serviceable and will keep you entertained for hours. Just don't expect too much; it's all good old shooting fun.

Very first mission, I went stuck in the top in space, so I had to quit the mission and they say I lost it...