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So let’s look at the biggest things that both fans and newcomers alike may not know about this newly released title.
10 It Was Exclusive, And Now It’s Not
Let’s get the most obvious tidbit out of the way real quick. Yes, this game started out as a “mobile” game exclusive to iOS and Apple Arcade until just recently. I don’t think we can understate it, but the people who played Enter the Gungeon really loved it. They on average sank at least 50+ hours into the game and would always be hungry for more. So when it revealed in late 2019, fans were devastated it was exclusive to such a niche platform. But now it’s here! It’s a perfect game to play with a controller and even more perfect on a portable console like the Switch.
9 Every Single Run Is Blessed
Another obvious tidbit is the real switch up to how to core gameplay works. In Enter the Gungeon, people would explore a variety of floors obtaining keys, blanks, items, and of course new guns to stack on top of each other in their quest to shoot their past. But, in Exit the Gungeon, the run is a bit more…fluid. Basically, the Sorceress, a returning NPC, will “bless” your gun so it will change into something new every once in a while. And, while we preferred the old method, this one absolutely works for something made for phones. Plus, it feels like we’re playing Gun Game in Call of Duty, and that’s always a plus.
8 More Detailed And Unique Art Assets
Exit the Gungeon has a lot of new assets at work here. On the surface, it looks like a real asset-reuse game that went from isometric to pure 2D. But, the closer you look, the more you’ll realize this is essentially as much work as an expansion pack or more. Every single boss is new and balanced for the gameplay of ExTG rather than EnTG. Bosses may return, but their patterns are completely different.
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Character Portraits, particularly when switching between characters, looks updated and gives us new details on their appearance. There are new 3D elements like with the Last Dragun, and a brand spanking new ending screen. This game was a lot of work! And fans of the previous title will quickly notice how much has changed.
7 All New Twists On Classic Bosses
We mentioned it above, but all of the bosses are nods to lore or bosses from the previous title. Instead of the High Priest, there’s the Low Priest, instead of both Medusa and Fuselier, it’s now a combined Medusalier, and instead of the Wallmonger, it’s now the Fallmonger. All of these twists and plays on classic bosses we fought a million times before are appreciated and add tons of charm to a game that’s much more barebones than the original. It very much seems like they used Enter the Gungeon as a foundation, and built a whole new game on top of it while still referencing stuff from the original, and that’s awesome!
6 New Winchester Game: Angry Bird-llets?
Winchester is of course back in this sequel with an all-new mini-game. previously, players would attempt his game where they’d be forced to make accurate rebounding shots similar to a cueball in pool or something. Now, to make use of the 2D plain, Winchester has come up with a copyright-free minigame where you knock down mini versions of him by launching bullets at them.
You might think it’s just like Angry Birds…and you’d be right it’s a straight-up knock-off. Does it feel a little odd since Angry Birds isn’t really talked about anymore? Oh sure. Does it make total sense considering this sequel started as an exclusive on the Apple Arcade? absolutely.
5 NPC Lore Aplenty
The NPC Trorc is one of our personal favorites in the game. In a world of hyper-cartoony and ultra exaggerated characters, Trorc is just kinda…chill. The guy loves cigarettes, his truck, and lazing around. Previously, some fans speculated that he might just be crushing on the Ledge Goblin, based on some in-game text. But, in Exit the Gungeon, that’s confirmed to be no longer what he feels. As it ended up, the Ledge Goblins helmet which players could knock into the Gungeon in the first game is actually what ruined Trorcs truck. It’s a cute little answer to both what the helmet did in the first game and also how Trorc felt about the little Goblin.
4 This Game Has Hats And Hats On Racks
Yo, did you know this game has hats? Yeah, we’re getting Team Fortress 2 in here and spending hundreds of hours on a game to unlock a sweet hat that does nothing gameplay-wise. Ah, how classic. Players can unlock hats to wear after saving the NPC Hattori during a run. After he’s unlocked, they’ll be able to view the Hat menu and see what they’d need to spend to get each hat. Some of them look like they’d do something like the Key Hat or The Seer cap, but they don’t. These things are purely there as cosmetic options and as another way to keep track of your Gungeoneer while there are over a million different projectiles on screen. Though there isn’t a hat that makes your head a gun, and we feel a No Guns Life reference would be perfect for this game.
3 It’s Even More “Bullet Hell” Now
If you thought Exit the Gungeon was going to be a lot easier since it was made to be played using a touch screen, you’d be dead wrong. ExTG is a bit easier, but not by much, and it has more mechanics than the previous iteration.
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This time, players can do both ascending and descending dodge rolls (jumping) to avoid bullets. Since you’re invincible while in the air, the developers have made it a mission to put even more projectiles on screen than ever before. Seriously just try beating the Fallmonger without getting hit! And, if you do, please tell us how you did it because boy do we hate that boss.
2 No More Spamming Fire Or Waiting For A Charge
There apparently was a lot of criticism about this during the time the game was on Apple Arcade, but charge weapons are still in the game. Guns like the Charge Shot, Casey, and the Makeshift Cannon are all returning. But, this time around, players can choose whether they want to hold their fire or not. There’s an option in the settings that allow players to both auto-fire weapons once their charged, and also to fire automatically while aiming. This honestly makes a big difference for combat and caused us to start using a claw grip while playing. We recommend players try both and see what works best for them.
1 Lock-In The Best Route!
Lastly, we noticed sort of an odd option has been added into this sequel. The entire premise of the game is built around RNG and randomized elements, but players can now “lock” in their route each time. Basically, each of the Gungeoneers has a “route” of elevators that are assigned to them. For example, the Bullet has Hole, Pistons, Train, Side Buttons, Bouncing in that order. They all always end on a bouncing elevator before the Last Dragon, but players can now potentially lock in the route they do the best with.
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