After sitting down to play Enter the Gungeon at PAX South this year, one thing became abundantly clear.  Dodge Roll Games has put together the most nefarious cycle for players to fall into and I hit a microcosm of it in the short time I played it.  It starts with “this looks amazing,” then moves to “I love this gun, I’m having a blast,” then suddenly “Oh, this escalated quickly,” devolves into your death followed by “Yeah… I’m going again.”  Rinse and Repeat.

In Enter the Gungeon, you are one of four characters on a quest to reach the ultimate treasure: a gun that can kill the past.  With greed as your motivator, you enter the dungeon (or gungeon) and fight a myriad of delightfully lethal creatures.  The mobs are beautifully designed in an art style befitting the game and the genre.  Most of the enemies are – or look like – bullets.  Even your heart meter is made of bullets.  That is perfect because the game is a bullet hell shooter.

Do not worry; you will have a sizable arsenal to take on this task.  With 200 guns at your disposal, and the ability to pick up and hold on to every single one of them, you are amply prepared.  Each gun also has special characteristics to differentiate itself from the pack – from grenade launchers to automatic rifles to lasers to a gun that looks like a AA battery and fires electricity.  You will also have the ability to receive plenty of help with 4-player co-op built in, I can only imagine the trouble you could find yourself.

While Enter the Gungeon is chaotic and frenetic, I found myself doing my best when I relaxed and really started analyzing my enemies and the guns I had available.  It’s hard to believe, but once I slowed down, things improved.  I had the sticky grenade launcher and I started playing each room like a Bomberman level.  I used my sight lines, turned over a table or two to protect me and dive rolled to freedom.  Well-timed shots and key dive rolls are the keys to survivor in world where one of the first bosses is a king flying around on a throne of guns. It is a sight to behold.

So, remember kids, play Enter the Gungeon at your own peril.  With a fantastic art style and great, repeatable mechanics, you just may find yourself in a vicious cycle of

This looks amazing
I love this gun, having a blast
Oh, this escalated quickly and death
Yeah….I’m going again.

Enter the Gungeon is releasing early 2016 on PC and PlayStation 4.