Ever thought about playing as a stereotypical Italian-American mafioso mowing down zombies and nazis with a bucketload of bullets in a cartoonish manner? Well, let me introduce you to Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2, sequel to the equally decent game from 2015. While that game had you blasting zombies during the Prohibition era, the sequel cranks it up to 11 adding nazis to the mix. It’s dumb and it’s awesome.

That’s a spicy meat-a-ball

Think of Guns 2‘s gameplay as a typical arcade shooter from the past decades. Unlike another throwback to the genre released a few weeks ago, Bleed 2, Guns 2 isn’t as fast-paced or filled with an absurd amount of bosses. The game is slower-paced, allows for more freedom of movement (you can freely move around levels), and features a more developed story than its arcade buddy. It gives you control of Vinnie Cannoli (the most Italian American guy I’ve ever seen since Cousin Vinnie from Rick and Morty) as he progresses through the complete wacky nonsense that is this zombie-filled version of 1944, Nazis and mobsters included.

The game’s controls might remind you a bit of Bleed 2, especially the right stick aiming and having to jump with the left trigger (why do people keep insisting on using this button?). Moving around the map is a lot different, though, as you’re not constantly forced to go forward all the time. It might be a bit weird to get used to using the aiming stick to move your character to the opposite direction before proceeding backwards, though. It’s likely you’ll get shot a few times due to making a few mistakes before getting used to this control scheme. Nothing you can’t get used to, though.

You know this is legit Italian stuff when they do this hand sign

What mostly sets this game apart from other shooters is how it looks and sounds, one of those aspects being good and the other one being sort of a mixed bag. The sound department is comprised of repetitive music loops, but also a ton of voice acting. Given the fact you’re in New York-ish setting in the 40’s, you can imagine how most people sound in this game. Let’s just say that Joe Pesci and Robert de Niro would be really proud with this game’s voice work. If you can’t get tired at hearing people say “FUGGEDABOUTIT” with the most stereotypical accent possible, this game’s for you. The game’s visuals were a mixed bag for me, though. Despite the amount of colors and over-the-top designs, the game reminded me a lot of Flash-based shooters I’d play on websites like Miniclip back in the day.

Making an offer they can’t refuse

Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 was a crass, over-the-top, corny and ridiculous experience, and I loved all of those elements about it. It’s not the best arcade title I’ve played so far this year, and I still think it would have been best appreciated on the Switch due to the game’s pick up and play nature, but I had fun with it. I’ll never be able to get bored at shooting zombies while listening to Joe Pesci impersonators shouting one-liners.

Graphics: 6.5 It’s colorful, charming and it runs well, but I can’t deny the Flash-like visuals bothered me a bit.	Gameplay: 7.0 Your typical 2D shooter with the addition of an initially confusing aiming system and a slightly bizarre button configuration.
Sound: 7.5 Though the music is a bit repetitive, the great voice acting is a saving grace.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Great arcade fun, ideal for short burts, and extremely replayable. The initial levels aren’t as fun as the last ones due to lack of insane mayhem.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Copy of Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 provided by publisher.