Guns, Gore and Cannoli Review (PC)

Side-scrolling shooter platformers have delighted millions of gamers throughout the years, as many fans can trace their roots back to the likes of Metal Slug or the other pixelated titles that dominated their childhoods.

The interestingly named Guns, Gore and Cannoli from developers Crazy Monkey Studios and Claeysbrothers wants to bring back those old times by delivering a side-scrolling platformer that puts players in the shoes of mob enforce Vinnie as he ventures to a zombie-infested Thugtown on a mission to rescue someone important.

As you can imagine, the undead, the monsters, and rival mobsters aren't exactly thrilled with Vinnie's mission and want to stop him, either for bragging rights or for his brains.

Does Guns, Gore and Cannoli pull off a decent mix or should we skip this Italian dish? Let's find out.

Story

Guns, Gore and Cannoli, as mentioned above, tells the story of Vinnie, a mob enforcer who made a name for himself by getting jobs done no matter the cost. The whole plot takes place in the 1920s, so expect to hear plenty of era-appropriate dialog and situations. Vinnie himself provides plenty of ample commentary on what's going on around him, so you'll quickly fall in love with the Italian anti-hero.

His journey takes him to Thugtown, a fictional city that's been overrun by zombies, as well as other monsters. His quest involves finding and rescuing another mobster, who, surprisingly to no one, was captured by a rival family before the outbreak.

As such, Vinnie must go through waves of zombies, monsters, and rival mobsters in order to complete his quest, while also unraveling a bit more about the actual outbreak. The story won't blow you away but is pretty fun and explores a setting that hasn't exactly been all that present in video games.

Explosions in Guns, Gore and Cannoli

Gameplay

Guns, Gore and Cannoli is a shooter platformer reminiscent of the likes of Metal Slug and other such older games. You explore various environments, shoot enemies with an assortment of guns, and try to make it to the checkpoints for a bite of tasty cannoli that also serves to replenish your health.

The mechanics are fairly simplistic, but this doesn't meant that the game disappoints. Quite the opposite, shooting the variety of guns is pretty fun and each offers different solutions for certain situations. You can use the standard pistol with unlimited ammo and frequent reloads to dispatch of enemies slowly but surely, or the other weapons that have limited ammo space.

These other guns include a standard shotgun, an automatic one, an iconic Tommy gun, or a flamethrower, each designed to fill various niches and provide varied ways of eliminating the zombies and the other enemies crossing your side-scrolling path. There are also items that can be thrown to inflict area of effect damage, such as grenades and molotovs, so don't be afraid to use them as much as possible in order to save some of the ammunition for other guns.

Speaking of enemies, they're also quite varied, ranging from standard shambling corpses, to runners that quickly close the gap between them and Vinnie, not to mention bigger zombies that throw cleavers, barrels, and other things at the player. As you progress, you also get to meet rival mobsters, monster rats, and other such opponents, so things stay quite hectic throughout the story.

Environments are designed quite well, while enemy behavior and spawning are pretty smooth. There are some situations where you have to withstand a few waves of enemies before something happens to allow you to move further, but these are few and only serve to break up the monotony of running to the right and dispatching of the undead.

The  movement system is relatively good, but you can move in one direction while firing in the other, so dealing with foes that rush towards you can be a bit frustrating, as you have to run in the other direction, turn around to fire a few shots, and then keep running to maintain distance between you and the opponent. If zombies reach Vinnie, they begin to sink their teeth in his Italian flesh, but with a swift kick you can keep them off you for a bit longer.

You can also play through the story in the local cooperative mode, which supports up to four players. Things can get quite hectic in this mode, but it's a shame that the mechanic doesn't also work online, so you have to get your friends on the same computer if you want to enjoy it cooperatively.

Use a flamethrower in Guns, Gore and Cannoli

Visuals and Sound

Guns, Gore and Cannoli sports hand-drawn visuals and things look quite good, with a cartoonish style that retains its sharp looks in motion. The animations are pretty good, and while zombie models aren't that varied, they're still pretty fleshed out.

The soundtrack fuses 1920s themes with Italian ones, complementing the action on the screen in a good way. Vinnie's voice acting is also quite entertaining, as are the other characters he meets along his journey.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion