Review – Shotgun Cop Man
What are the odds that, in the span of less than two weeks, I’d end up playing not one, but TWO 2D platforms featuring the same gimmick of using the recoil from a shotgun as a means of propulsion? Seriously, out of so many gimmicks one could come up with, a very creative premise idea like this is developed in tandem by two completely different studios, with both products being released almost alongside each other. Sacre Bleu was the first one to come out, a game I ended up liking a lot. Now it’s time to take a look at Shotgun Cop Man, published by Devolver, and developed by the same folks behind the excellent My Friend Pedro.
You will also use the recoil from a shotgun to propel yourself around in this game, but it’s nowhere near as fun as it is in Sacre Bleu.
In true Devolver fashion, and I wouldn’t want them to have it any other way, the premise is silly, over-the-top, loud, and violent. In Shotgun Cop Man, you play as… the Shotgun Cop Man, a bizarre (and fully bald) blob of a being who looks like Vincent D’Onofrio if he had been raised by Russian Matryoshka dolls. His one goal in this game is to descend to hell and arrest Satan. The reason? Because it’s Satan. The entire game revolves around our bald hero overcoming his apparent physical hindrances in his quest to arrest the antichrist and kill as many demons as he can on the way.
Shotgun Cop Man is a platformer in the vein of Super Meat Boy, in the sense that you will be given about 1.5 milliseconds to properly plan a jump before you ram your head into a sawblade. The difference is that you cannot properly jump. There is no jump button in this platformer. In order to jump, just like in Sacre Bleu, you need to use the recoil of your obnoxiously strong shotgun in order to propel yourself into the air. You can shoot up to three times before needing to get back on the floor and reload. Also bear in mind that you need to shoot and kill enemies while doing your air tricks; you can kill them by shooting with either the shotgun or a secondary weapon you’re also wielding at the same time.
Get used to this very specific color pallette. It’s all you’re gonna get in Shotgun Cop Man.
First things first, don’t bother playing this game with a controller. That also means I truly don’t recommend grabbing it on a Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally or Switch. It’s downright obnoxious on a controller, as you need to aim at the floor in order to jump whilst also having to take your time to properly aim at enemies with your other gun. You need the speed of a mouse, as, unlike Sacre Bleu, Shotgun Cop Man doesn’t slow down time when you’re wielding the titular shotgun. This confusing scheme results in an obnoxious gameplay loop in which you never actually have time to either jump or attack with ease. It’s a challenging game due to major gameplay hindrances thrown at the player, and not just the difficult level design, which should have been its main selling point.
A challenging platformer needs to have absolutely pristine controls in order to give itself the right to punish players with challenging level after challenging level. You will never hear a single person complain about the controls in Super Meat Boy, Celeste, or My Friend Pedro. In Shotgun Cop Man, I never fully enjoyed enduring each new challenge because I was too busy dealing with the controls before being able to pay attention to the repetitive music or excessively minimalistic visuals. Things would escalate further when the game decided to throw me into a combat arena, where I’d have to kill a certain number of enemies before being able to progress. Having to deal with so many bullets flying at me when I have limited mobility options was basically the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Yes. You die. A lot. Get used to this screen.
I guess that what made me feel so disappointed about Shotgun Cop Man was the fact that I had just played a vastly superior game with the same gimmick, but no control issues whatsoever. In Sacre Bleu, I could perform small jumps before blasting myself with the recoil of my bunderbluss. Combat was fun there. It wasn’t here. Shotgun Cop Man ended up being a torturous patience test, with a control scheme that just didn’t fit in with the level design, really poor presentation, and a level of difficulty that never felt like I was being tested; I felt I was being made fun of. In short, if this game’s premise enticed you… go play Sacre Bleu instead.
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Graphics: 4.5 It can be distinct, sure, but Shotgun Cop Man went overboard on the minimalism, resulting in a somewhat visually tiresome game. |
Gameplay: 5.5 Downright obnoxious on a controller, more feasible on mouse and keyboard. The lack of a jump button results in you having to use a shotgun’s recoil as a means of propulsion. It just doesn’t feel fluid at all. Combat arenas are a pain. |
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Sound: 4.5 The constant pounding of the electronic beat improves tension, but once you start getting annoyed at the level design, the tense music will actually be an issue, not an atmosphere setter. |
Fun Factor: 5.0 I get that Shotgun Cop Man was created to be like Meat Boy and Hotline Miami, but I don’t think its platforming gauntlets ever felt fun to explore. The fact a vastly similar (but much better) game was released mere weeks before it didn’t help, either. |
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Final Verdict: 5.0
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Shotgun Cop Man is available now on PC and Switch.
Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.
A copy of Shotgun Cop Man was provided by the publisher.
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This game sounds wild and incredibly entertaining! I love games that push the boundaries of creativity and absurdity, and Shotgun Cop Man seems to hit the mark perfectly. The concept of using a shotgun to jump adds a unique twist that I can’t wait to try out. Thanks for sharing this quirky experience! Suika Game
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Haha, what are the odds of two recoil-propulsion games dropping at once! It’s always fascinating to see how different devs approach similar ideas. Kinda makes you want to do a deep dive into the mechanics, much like how some folks love to do a detailed Chess Analysis of their games.
Wild coincidence with those two games! It’s a shame Shotgun Cop Man didn’t quite nail the fun factor. When you’re working on creative projects, getting the details right is key, even down to color codes. That’s where an RGBA to HEX Color Converter can be super handy for designers.
Haha, that’s wild about the two shotgun games! It’s always a bummer when a creative concept doesn’t quite live up to expectations compared to a similar title. Speaking of mastering new things, sometimes you just need a good resource to learn effectively, like a Free Analog Clock Online for understanding time and angles better!
That’s such a weird coincidence with the two shotgun recoil games! Bummer Shotgun Cop Man didn’t live up to Sacre Bleu. It just goes to show how important good design is. Speaking of getting good, if you’re ever diving into Kingshot, a solid Kingshot Guide is essential for mastering all those features!
Haha, what a wild coincidence with those two games! It’s always interesting when parallel ideas pop up. Sounds like Sacre Bleu nailed the recoil mechanic better, though. Sometimes I feel like developers use a secret interval timer to release similar concepts around the same time! 😉
That’s such a wild coincidence about two games with the same gimmick! Bummer Shotgun Cop Man didn’t quite hit the mark after Sacre Bleu. After all that intense gaming, sometimes it’s fun to just chill and browse new styles. If you’re into Roblox, you should totally check out BloxFits for some fresh outfits!