Madshot by Overflow is a Cthulhu-inspired, fast-paced, Rogue-lite shooter. It’s not easy, and there’s a lot of dying. So grab your guns and get slaying as you prepare to get slightly addicted. And let’s be honest, if Cthulhu were real, then taking it down would be a priority. It wouldn’t be a nice world to live in especially if Madshot is anything to go by.
Non-Stop Action That Looks Cool AF
I love some Rogue-lite games. Dead Cells is one of my favourite games. So a Rogue-lite game with Cthulhu elements and some beautiful comic-style art? I’d be disappointed if this wasn’t fun.
The Game
In Madshot, you must make your way through the city that has been taken over by Cthulhu and his merry band of minions. Roll, back-flip, spin your guns… you look cool AF with your moves and mask, but will that be enough? If you’re not slaying everything in your path, then you won’t survive for long.
Procedurally generated levels will make each run feel fresh, along with a nice variety of enemies. It doesn’t always feel fair, but that’s part of the fun. Be warned, though, you will die a lot.
Enemies are varied and each brings its own threat. Some are easy to take down. Others not so much. So be careful you don’t get boxed in taking out the easy ones because before you know it, a hard one is running at you, and you’re going to have to try and get out of there.
You can level up your build with various weapons and abilities to choose from as you progress. Each run gives you new skills to upgrade throughout. You also get to pick your path with different levels that give you additional rewards. But choose wisely. If you die, and you will, then it’s back to the beginning.
Look & Sound
The art style for Madshot is arguably the best thing about it. That’s not me saying the game is terrible. On the contrary, it’s a fun game. But the art style elevates the game to another level. For an adventure set in a Lovecraftian world, it’s bloody beautiful.
The look of Madshot is almost comic-like. Some deep background scenery looks good, but the foreground platforms and enemies are something else. One or two enemies had me stop as I was like, “God damn, that looks awesome. Oh, I’m dead”. Don’t be like me. If you see a horrifyingly beautiful enemy running/flying at you, don’t stop. Just shoot the shit out of it!
The soundtrack really helps set the mood of the game. It suits the game and the style. I’m the kind of person that usually turns game music right down but never felt that urge with Madshot.
Length & Replayability
Can you really put a length of gameplay on a game like this? I don’t think so. Sure, you might complete the story aspect in however many hours it takes you to do so. But Rogue-lite games are all about replayability, and there is plenty of that!
With the way the levels work and the upgrades, there is lots to keep you playing. Just don’t get put off by how many times you’ll die.
Even though it’s still in Early Access, the developers have been rather active with updates. That is always positive and is sure to keep things interesting.
If you’re a fan of speed-running games, then this one could be a good challenge. It’d certainly be fun to watch. Let us know if you speed-run this game and chuck it up on YouTube. We want to watch it.
Conclusions
Quite simply, Madshot is an absolute blast! It’s difficult at times. Really difficult. But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.
There is so much to like about it. If the developers keep going as they are, then Madshot could be something exceptional. I hope there will be console versions at some point. Madshot on the Switch? It’d be perfect.
It’s still in Early Access at the moment, but I have high hopes for Madshot. I love it already and know I’ll be spending many hours playing it in the future.
On to the rating, then. I score Madshot a solid 8/10. There is definitely potential for this to become a 10/10 game, though, so I’ll be following its progress with great interest.
A code was kindly provided for us to review this.
