Mighty Goose is a game that I never knew I wanted until I saw the trailer. It checked all the right boxes for me. Hectic Run and Gun action? Check. Diverse weapons to pick up? Check. A technologically modified goose? Check. As I started the game I was thrown into the action immediately: no story about why the goose was modified, no hidden motive to honk; just a straight and to the point mission debrief and that’s it. The first part of the level feels like a tutorial but it isn’t, after you learn about the character’s actions, Jump, Shoot, Evade, and Honk, you are free to shoot everything that moves. After playing for a while it was apparent that the game was inspired by great classics like Metal Slug and Megaman but with its own unique twists and mechanics that had me smiling and excited about what the game had in store for me, even if I ended up like a roasted goose most of the time.
Just like the Megaman games, your Goose starts with the most basic equipment just a dodge, honk, and basic arm cannon with no charge shot. Luckily the game compensates for these shortcomings with several weapons you can pick up throughout each level to give you an edge in the battle against the army of enemies you find in each stage. Some of the basic weapons you find in the stages are the machine gun, shotgun, and rocket launcher, however, unlike your arm cannon, the ammo is limited. As such, once you are out of bullets you are back to your basic weapon. Thankfully in the settings you can change the main weapon’s behavior, instead of mashing a button to shoot, you can hold the button to shoot automatically. Besides obtaining weapons you can get health kits to restore lost health, occasionally this may seem unfair but it is because of a neat mechanic the game has: The Mighty Mode. As you defeat enemies a gauge under your character portrait starts to fill, once it is full you can activate Mighty Mode by pressing ZL and ZR together; once active you get several buffs that give you an edge over the enemies. Faster walking speed, double attack damage for the normal arm cannon, and improved attack power for the weapons you pick up, and invincibility you cannot be damaged even by boss attacks. While active, the gauge depletes little by little, but if you keep defeating enemies your gauge can be maintained.
Mighty Goose shines in the customization department, after completing a mission you unlock special chips that enhance and modify the goose’s abilities. You can increase your walk speed, add a double jump, or even enable the ultra instinct which is a chip that increases your mighty gauge with each successful evade like a certain Saiyan. Each chip has an energy cost and you can mix and match as you like with 100 energy being the limit. This opens up several possibilities that can make the game easier or harder. In my case I enabled double jump, ultra instinct (I call it this because I play the game in my native language and the description of the chip is the same as Dragon Ball Super’s ultra instinct) and increased walk speed, and for me, it works. Besides the chips, you unlock sub-weapons to equip that range from a honk that repels enemy bullets to summoning bone soldiers to help you in your mission. Sub-weapons add more tools to an already deadly goose and, if that is not enough, you can also bring buddies to aid you. There are several to unlock, each with their own specific quirks and they make the game more fun in my opinion.
The game looks great and each enemy has a lot of detail put into them, from the expressions of surprise when they see the goose to the number of enemies on the screen. However, there are some concerns for those with epilepsy, from the strong flashing effects of the bullets, to the explosions, and other mayhem if it’s left as it currently is. That said, you can adjust these in these effects in the options and you can enjoy the game without any concerns. The music score for the whole game is amazing from the start, you feel pumped and it goes well with Mighty Goose, you are here to honk and kick butt, simple as that. For me the game’s length is great, you can beat the game in around 3-4 hours. Some might say that is too short, but I prefer to enjoy 3 hours of nonstop fun and action rather than play a 40 hour bore-fest.
Bottom Line, as you might guess, I completely loved Mighty Goose. It provides the right amount of run and gun shenanigans, with some hilarious intros and cutscenes that will make you laugh. I enjoyed the game and everything it has to offer and I commend the developer for creating a game inspired by the classic games in the genre, but making it so unique that it is a joyride from start to finish. I also commend them for all the references and character this game has, it is mighty indeed.
A Review Code was kindly provided for this review.