Gunhead Review (PC)

The room is filled with some strong enemies, but I really want to get to the key station, get one, and get the hell out of here, so I resist any instinct to fight. I’ve got a shield and full health so it’s not a big issue if I get hit once. I dash forward, use my melee attack to get a movement boost and arrive at my target in under 10 seconds.

I get what I need and head for the airlock. Unfortunately, spinning the door open takes a little while and I have to eliminate two enemies, but I soon escape into space. I bring up the map, locate the entry to the room with the shield system, and move toward it at speed while avoiding fire from outer hull turrets. Once there, I use my solid arsenal, including the capable autocannon, to eliminate all opponents. A health station makes my suit whole as I take down the shield system.

The brain, housed in the biggest room on the ship, is well protected by combat drones and its own guns. I move around as much as possible, focusing fire on its fleshy lobes, but I am forced to tactically retreat a little when melee enemies get too close. It takes time to deal with them so, when I finally kill the brain, I am over the time limit and miss on a chunky bonus.

Gunhead is developed and published by Alientrap. I played the PC version using Steam and the game is also offered on PlayStation 5. The title mixes first-person shooter exploration and combat with rogue-lite ideas.

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In the far future, players take on the role of a privateer, raiding spaceships to secure important tech and take out special targets. A mysterious client comments on their performance and sets objectives. It’s a good, simple premise and characters add some context when they comment on certain locations and mechanics. The game’s writing is decent, and the science fiction universe is familiar enough for gamers to fill in the blanks.

This structure works well with the rogue-lite structure. Players will choose a mech suit to work with at the start of a run. Parameters for each mission offer structure to build an approach around (it’s a good idea to always try to hit as many secondary objectives as possible for the monetary reward) and then it’s time to boost, shoot, and kill.

Gunhead gives players a lot of freedom. The mech suit is a powerful tool, able to move fast through areas while also using a boost system to jump and fly around the bigger spaces. It can carry up to four weapons (this includes shields) and other enhancements. All are needed to deal with the many enemies, ranging from drones that want to strike up close to ranged and shielded opponents, that populate the ships you’re infiltrating.

The goal is to board and then reach the brain but on the way shield nodes have to be disabled. Ships can also feature jammers and other subsystems, all of which can be destroyed, although the secondary objectives often require some to be left running. Rooms also offer new weapons and upgrades, as well as health kits for the suit and stations that print access cards. Gamers can always use an airlock to exit the ship and fly through space to another entry point that’s better suited to their mission.

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Once the player clears a mission, they return to their privateer ship and can spend their hard-earned currency to get new weapons and other modules. Some vessels feature named bosses, and they tend to be more complex and feature stronger opponents. When defeat comes it’s time to move to another cluster of ships and this is the moment to unlock new mech suits.

Gunhead’s action is pretty frantic, even when players aren’t trying to kill everything around them on their way to the brain. It’s fun to barge into a room, head straight for a new weapon, then use melee strikes to destroy a shield, take some damage, and then flee. It’s equally engaging to go in, deal with all threats, and only then explore and achieve objectives.

The game encourages players to be a little reckless but there are health pickups along the way to stay alive. Just make sure to hit all of them, even if it means missing the time limit, before attacking the brain or the boss. Combat can become a little rote, mainly because enemies aren’t that varied. Some ship layouts are also too weird for their own good. The array of weapons and systems for the suit could have included weirder options. But the core FPS mechanics are good enough to make these minor criticisms.

Gunhead is wise to combine complex ship layouts with a cell-shaded look. It means players can keep their eyes on targets and threats while they move quickly through environments. The game is not bad looking but it is pretty samey and sometimes the various ships blend together into one big green-metal landscape. Even in the heat of battle, the interface offers relevant info, which is always an asset.

The soundtrack is thumping, designed to keep the player’s adrenaline level up. Combat sounds seem a little generic, especially given the rather exotic array of weapons the mech suits can use. I love how the music and effects fade out when I navigate between airlocks and how they crescendo during the boss battles.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion