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Anytime Devolver Digital has a game they’re ready to release to the world, I tend to take a keen interest. Bringing about modern classics such as Cult of the Lamb, My Friend Pedro, and dozens more, their gritty, over-the-top publishing prospecting has given millions of gamers some of the best indie games for more than a decade now. With the announcement of Shotgun Cop Man, it was a given that it would be a delightfully wild time. With a level structure similar to Super Meat Boy and similarities to another Devolver game I tried out, Pepper Grinder, as well as Hotline Miami, let’s see if this game continues Devolver’s legacy!

Shotgun Cop Man is a prime example of “easy to learn, hard to master”. With just a few buttons you’ll need to rely on, the weapons at your disposal also double as platforming tools. The eponymous shotgun is so powerful that it will careen you in the opposite direction that you shoot it, every single time. This means that if you point it downwards and pull the trigger, it becomes a jump. It’s one of those mechanics that feels foreign at first, but once you get the hang of it, provides a feeling you haven’t felt in a game before. A new experience in mechanics is something I imagine most developers crave to code.

Across nine main worlds, Shotgun Cop Man is compartmentalized into more than 150 levels that are quick, adrenaline-fueled experiences. On top of making it to the end, you’re incentivized to kill every enemy, not take a hit, and do so below the level’s target time. It’s an enticing time for completionists, but those who aren’t perfectionists can still have a blast breezing through these levels at their own pace, as the intentionally high difficulty will surely serve up some roadblocks. Thankfully, with a forgiving checkpoint system and a hilarious death animation, the stress of failure is not present.

It’s both a pro and a con that Shotgun Cop Man has an exorbitant number of levels. While a game with mechanics as simple as this is bound to get repetitive, DeadToast has done a bang-up job of shaking things up across levels to keep things fresh for the majority of the game’s runtime. This includes intimidating bosses, horde-mode rooms, and new enemies with each world. I only took a few breaks across the 4-5 hour runtime, as I craved the flow-state I achieved once things clicked and found myself pushing through any spots I got temporarily stuck at.

Chalk up another banger game for Devolver Digital in Shotgun Cop Man. With a main mechanic that is a slam dunk, it joins the long list of titles that Devolver took a chance on and knew it would be an instant hit. Even with its shorter runtime, the included Level Editor can certainly bring about some replayability and future downloads, should the game spawn a dedicated community. Take Shotgun Cop Man for a spin, and expect some wackiness, some memorable gameplay, and some things you’ve never seen in games beforehand.

A PC review copy of Shotgun Cop Man was provided by Devolver Digital for this review.

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Shotgun Cop Man

9.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Greatly Satisfying Gameplay
• Brilliant Level Design
• Tons of Levels

Cons

• Just a bit of tedium