It feels rather baffling that in the fifteen years it’s been since Super Meat Boy first graced our screens, no 2D platformer has ever come close to being as tight to control or as compelling to keep coming back to. The absolute magic of retrying a tricky platforming challenge over and over again at the touch of a button was like video game crack cocaine, and I just want another hit god dammit. Well, after playing the demo of Shotgun Cop Man I think there’s actually a chance it will scratch that same Meaty itch, albeit with a firearm twist.
Why are you platforming through the stages of Shotgun Cop Man I hear you ask? Well it’s for the most important reason imaginable: to arrest Satan. Our oddly shaped hero (the titular Shotgun Cop Man) shows his hand in the first few moments of the game when he confronts the devil, but after getting flipped off it’s clear that action is what’s needed in this situation. And so our hero begins a quest through hell, full of demons, saw blades, and a load of shooting.
Most platformers generally involve a whole lot of jumping around, but Shotgun Cop Man isn’t most platformers. In fact there isn’t any jumping in this platform game, and instead you can only propel yourself by firing your guns. The pistol will cause you to do a little hop when you fire it downwards, whereas your shotgun will send you soaring through the air at breakneck speed. It takes some getting used to using your guns in a twin stick style to navigate platforming obstacles, but it feels great when you do.
Although you don’t actually have an ammo limit to worry about as you blast through the devilish stages of Shotgun Cop Man, you do have to stand on the ground every so often to reload (which is thankfully instant). You can fire your pistol a bunch of times in the air before needing to land on terra-firma, but the shotgun can only be fired three times. This is still enough to get some serious distance, but it’s always worth keeping in mind before you go soaring towards a hoard of gun toting monsters.
As well as dealing with spikes and saw blades, there are actual enemies to take down in Shotgun Cop Man. All the foes I encountered in the first world of the game had guns of their own though, which meant dodging bullets. You’ll need to do some impressive bullet fuelled aerial acrobatics to do this, but thankfully when you take a hit you only drop your heart which can be collected again to ensure you always have an extra hit-point.
I also faced a boss in this demo, an angry sawblade that wanted our hero sliced and diced. I’ll admit I was expecting a little more trouble from this metal menace, but I suppose considering it was the boss of the first world I might have been giving it a touch too much credit. Regardless of difficulty it was fun dodging its various attacks, and I’m sure later in the game the bosses will provide some serious challenge.
I managed to beat most of the first world of Shotgun Cop Man without too much trouble, but for platforming wonder kids like myself there are also three optional objectives to take on in each level. These are accomplished by killing every enemy, reaching the goal under a specific time, and by not taking any damage. This is easier said than done (especially the not taking damage objective) and it’ll usually take a few attempts to tick off all these optional goals. In the demo nothing was awarded for doing so, but hopefully that changes in the full release.
Shotgun Cop Man is one of the most satisfying platforming experiences I’ve had in a long time, with serious satisfying movement and an interesting gimmick. Don’t let its daft exterior fool you, this is a hell of a compelling demo that will leave you desperate for more.
Shotgun Cop Man is coming to PC and Nintendo Switch later this year. The demo is out now on Steam.
