Lots of times, it can take trial and error to figure out the weaknesses, and while on occasion, it can be frustrating, particularly in the boss sections, the respawn time is quick enough, and the combat is so intense that one cannot mind the occasional death to find ways to make it past an encounter. There are enough enemies for it to be challenging, yet not so much that it becomes too difficult to keep track, the rare case in which the difficulty is neither easy nor ramped up all the way to 11.
The gameplay at its peak is where the game truly comes into its own, with a limited yet engaging arsenal to use against the different enemy types that the player encounters. The story is nothing to write home about, with the most interesting thing being the premise of a bounty hunter goose, and the rest is just a bunch of serviceable details meant to have the player explore different areas. Since the story is the least important aspect, I’ll lump it in with the most crucial part. Multiple times, I was close to defeating the final boss in its final phase, yet I died and had to restart from the beginning. The inconsistent difficulty level and subsequent spikes turn the game into a slog, and the aforementioned poor checkpoint system does nothing to help in that regard, with it being occasionally perfectly timed, but more often being incredibly frustrating, and at multiple points, sent me back to the beginning of the level. Some of the boss battles have simple and easy to memorize patterns, while others, in particular the second, are brutally hard as the game fully embraces the bullet hell part of its conception. The controls on the keyboard take some getting used to, and it took me roughly 3 or 4 levels before I was able to have a steady hand with it, and the lack of a tutorial does not help in this regard. The game has no difficulty level, and thus, it shifts between being somewhat easy and manageable and being painfully difficult. Despite this, there are occasions during intense battles where one can lose track of their own character and thus get killed, where the highly inconsistent and unforgiving checkpoint system comes in. The quality of the audio gives it an authentic and enticing feel, with guns having individual sounds when fired that remains consistent throughout.
The audio and music help elevate the retro vibe of the experience, with a fantastic score courtesy of Dominic Ninmark. Each new encounter is intense and exciting, made even more so by the soundtrack. The graphical presentation presents a unique retro style that manages to bring together different types of character and enemy designs that pop out and feel unique. Game of the year, Mighty Goose most definitely is not. Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch
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