In life, we are told to forget and forgive. “Don’t hold onto grudges, you’ll never be able to change the past,” or even “Revenge is only for villains.” Some even take a moral stance, arguing that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Enter the Gungeon challenges that notion. Not only is revenge warranted, but necessary. You can make things right, and you can change the past. All you need to do it? The Bullet and Gun That Can Kill The Past.
In Enter the Gungeon, you play as one of 9 “Gungeoneers,” all of whom seek to erase their pasts to save their now sullen present. Take the Marine, for example. When an Interdimensional Horror broke loose in the facility he was guarding, his gun having jammed, the Marine chose to flee in an escape pod, abandoning the scientists and his fellow guardsmen on board the station to their doom. Later, he was even jailed for Dereliction of Duty, as his insubordination cost his comrades their lives. Lamenting over his mistake, and looking for an answer, the Marine was led to the Gungeon, the ancient site where The Great Bullet fell from the sky, leading to the start of both the Gungeon itself, and its inhabitants – The Gundead. Here, the Marine would go on to find both the Bullet and the Gun that can kill the past, whereupon doing so he is able to travel back to his lowliest moment, slay the Interdimensional Horror, and rewrite his past wrong, effectively killing his past.
As far as gameplay goes, Enter The Gungeon is a roguelike, meaning a player is meant to start a run of the game, die, get better, and repeat the process indefinitely, unlocking new and better things along their way. I’ve always been a big fan of roguelikes, having played nearly 200 hours of The Binding Of Isaac in AP Government alone (sorry Mr.Tran…). Part of the reason I like them so much is because they allow for replayability, meaning I can actually witness my growth over time, and see how I’ve improved since I first began playing. ETG is no different. I still remember when I used to be absolute dookie at the game, making it maybe 2 floors before I was eventually killed by the Ammoconda or the Beholster. Now, I’m not only able to reach the 5th floor every time, but even beat bosses without getting hit once, granting me access to bonus rewards that past me never could have dreamed of. I’ve never been one to actually be any good at video games, but it’s enjoyable to see how far I’ve come and compare it to where I was.
Furthermore, the Gungeon’s secrets are vast and expansive, with plenty to be found between runs, most notably the secret floors. In a standard ETG run, the player goes through The Keep of the Lead Lord, The Gungeon Proper, The Black Powder Mine, The Hollow and The Forge. However, in later runs, the player learns how to access other levels between the floors using niche techniques and hidden entrances. For instance, the Oubliette, a sewer-like level full of diseased gundead and Blobulon soldiers, can only be accessed by extinguishing the fireplace in The Keep of the Lead Lord and flipping a switch. Starting out, I never would have imagined additional levels beyond the five I knew, and furthermore, I never would have thought them to be accessed in such odd ways, but that’s the beauty of the Gungeon – every run reveals something new. Whether it’s a gun you’ve never seen before, a new boss, a new floor or even a new Gungeoneer, ETG never really runs out of things to offer the player.
However, no game is without its flaws, and ETG is no exception. For all the amazing gameplay, titillating secrets and fantastic design, hours must be put in before much progress can be made. I currently have around 150 hours logged in the game, and I’m still missing a gungeoneer, 30+ weapons, and plenty of achievements. I’ll often get off school, work, or chores, play gungeon for several hours, and make little to no progress. Sometimes, your luck (or lack thereof) makes or breaks a run, and that can be really frustrating when you have a set amount of time to play it – it begins to feel less like a want to play, and more like a need to progress. Journeys into the Gungeon stop being a pastime, and become an obsession. This is a recurring issue of most roguelike games I’ve played, from Dead Cells to Dead Estate, and I’ve quickly learned to appreciate the journey, not the destination. Roguelikes, though made to be beaten, are intended to emphasize fun gameplay over anything else. So, what I’d recommend doing is waiting until you have time to enjoy them. Don’t cram runs in on your 10 minute break at work, when you have 5 pieces of homework left, or even on a 5 minute car ride.Do it when you don’t have a lot of things on your plate. Do it on a weekend. Do it when you have time to enjoy it.
Being a roguelike, ETG is certainly an undertaking to play, but nevertheless, one that should be undertaken. It’s got fun, immerse-yourself gameplay, amazing artwork and a hidden story worth exploring. It took me a while to fall as in-love with it as I have now, but I’m eternally happy I did, as it teaches a lesson that few games do. Your “Happy Ending” isn’t forgiveness, reconciliation and burying the hatchet. You need to kill your past; you’ve already damned your future.
