It’s impossible to keep up with indie games. There are so many games of every genre that it’s an overwhelming task to even try. Once in a while, something catches your eye though, standing out because of a unique style, look, or vibe. In this overcrowded market, standing out is key. That’s what Nongunz: Doppelganger Edtion from developer Brainwash Gang and publisher Digerati does. It stands out.
When you hear black and white and red all over, it’s usually in reference to either a newspaper or Frank Miller’s Sin City. But Nongunz takes that tri-color aesthetic and absolutely owns it, eventually adding a splash here and there for emphasis. The immediate impression of the game from a visual standpoint is that it utterly oozes style, from the weird, monstrous enemies to the odd, tiny character with a gun larger than its body. And there’s really no way to tell what’s going on at first. Are you good? Bad? What’s happening? Why are you killing? How do the mechanics work here? This is what Nongunz manages to achieve, an overwhelming sense of mystery.
However, that mystery very quickly becomes a double-edged sword. There’s no real plot here and no way to really tell what’s going on. Menus have no context. Items and weapons have no explanations. There’s really absolutely no way to tell what’s happening or why, and as you play, it becomes more and more apparent that you’re simply expected to play indefinitely, die frequently, and slowly work things out on your own.
The unfortunately reality about Nongunz is that it tries way too hard. Game mechanics are unique, allowing you to jump and roll through spikes. But firing above you requires a backstep that often tosses you into said spikes and does not keep your gun pointed above, allowing enemies to mass you from above easily. Jumping mechanics are frustratingly precise with virtually no leeway in your movements and enemy damage is crushing, rapidly dwindling your easily expendable health. The entire structure of the game is utterly grueling, especially as you’re trying to figure out what’s going on without throwing your controller through a wall.
Eventually, you’ll figure out that there are town cards that offer permanent upgrades, that you can upgrade weapons and health, and how to move. But the amount of time and effort it takes will turn off all but the hardest of the hardcore players. There’s some sort of meta story going on here too. You can exit the game and move into a room where time can pass and the game is affected, but it’s not really clear how or why you’re randomly strumming a guitar or looking through a telescope that can’t be moved and shows nothing. It’s all a bit too artsy.
On top of that, the enemies are absolutely vicious, requiring a vast number of shots, especially at first. You can find weapons such as a machine gun with autofire, but you eventually run out of bullets and that doesn’t even account for the most absolutely frustrating part of Nonguns, the aiming. Your gun DOESN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT. Your fire pattern shifts with every shot, demonstrating visible recoil, which means that aiming at an enemy doesn’t mean you’re actually going to hit them. This lack of accuracy, combined with the vertical aiming system and shoulder firing button makes Nongunz nearly unplayable. You’re constantly slamming the shoulder buttons, hoping to shoot enemies that you can barely dodge while watching your health dwindle and trying to figure out if this is some sort of avant garde mime show. Short answer, it is. There’s more art than core gameplay in Nongunz and it is damned irritating.
It’s a shame that this isn’t a game that’s more fun to play because the visuals in Nongunz really are quite good. Enemies are weird and creepy, backgrounds are excellent and detailed, and bosses are weird and creepy. But the game just isn’t fun to play and there are a lot of other things out there that, well, can be easily controlled. Putting perversely hard controls into an overall minimal game ruins any hope of the average gamer wanting to play it, even though there are neat little mechanics like exchanging the number of shots fired as currency. But those little touches just don’t shake out in the wash when the overall vibe consists of wanting to strangle the devs every third screen.
Most casual or mainstream gamers simply won’t like Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition. It looks neat, but it controls like crap and is so obfuscating that it will drive potential players away. Load times are poor on the Switch, transitions are too long, and enemies and bosses are not particularly fun to kill. This is a game that tried so hard that it utterly failed. It’s kind of the video game equivalent of dating someone that “needs work”. You can do better. Do better. Skip Nongunz. If you really want to know what the heck is going on, pick it up on deep discount down the road on the eShop because it’s almost guaranteed to end up on sale. Sure, there are a few people out there who will love figuring out what’s going on, but they’re definitely few and far between. And if you’re one of those people, more power to you. But the rest of you? Simply move along.
This review was based on a digital copy of Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was equally frustrating on both. Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition is also available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on Steam.
