Gunman Clive 2
Having already beaten the first Gunman Clive several times when this was announced, I was very excited for a sequel. I bought it on my 3DS as soon as it was released and made it a few levels in before I had an unfortunate realization. Despite all of the advancements and new features, I was finding more frustration with the difficulty than I ever did with the first game and I lost my motivation to continue (please note, I refuse to play these games on anything other than the hardest difficulty). Returning to it almost a decade later, my complaints have disappeared and I can now see how much of an improvement this is over its predecessor. The original Gunman Clive will always have more of a nostalgic hold on me, but I can't deny everything Gunman Clive 2 does right.
From the very start, Gunman Clive 2 is dressed to impress. Clive feels the same as before, running, jumping, and shooting as expected, but the world around him has seen some major growth. You start the two games in the same location, but the sequel replaces the bright sepia tones of the first game with a dark, saturated purple. Familiar buildings are now blazing and crumbling, showing both the vibrancy of this new game and introducing shifting set pieces. At the end of the stage, you find that the culprit of all this destruction is a giant fleeing mech, and, in the pursuit of justice, your chase begins. What follows is a journey around the entire world with new on-rail sections and even some auto-runners to keep you on your toes.
I absolutely love the new environments in this adventure. Whether it's sliding across an icy blue tundra, riding a panda through a verdant bamboo forest, racing on horseback through crimson desert hoodoos, or any of the other surprising situations you find yourself in, it's going to be both fun and gorgeous. Despite a wide variety of new ideas, the gameplay is incredibly tight, and I rarely blamed the game when I messed up or failed a level. The sketchbook-esque graphical style beautifully complements the bold use of colors and helps give more identity to each of the levels. The new environments also introduce thematically appropriate enemies, such as large spiders in a cave or ninjas in Japan, adding even more variety between the stages.
I love the first Gunman Clive, but with all of the new things to see, do, and fight in Gunman Clive 2, it almost feels like the original is just a demo for its sequel. The addition of actual color variety and new level types does wonders for the already excellent foundation that Gunman Clive 2 is built upon. What results is one of the best values on the Switch eShop when it comes to platformers. While it isn't terribly long, there is plenty to do, especially if you replay with each of the four playable characters. However, even if you only play through it once, for just $2-5, I'd argue this is an amazing deal. Having bought both games three times now, I'm confident in saying that they're worth skipping a coffee run for.
From the very start, Gunman Clive 2 is dressed to impress. Clive feels the same as before, running, jumping, and shooting as expected, but the world around him has seen some major growth. You start the two games in the same location, but the sequel replaces the bright sepia tones of the first game with a dark, saturated purple. Familiar buildings are now blazing and crumbling, showing both the vibrancy of this new game and introducing shifting set pieces. At the end of the stage, you find that the culprit of all this destruction is a giant fleeing mech, and, in the pursuit of justice, your chase begins. What follows is a journey around the entire world with new on-rail sections and even some auto-runners to keep you on your toes.
I absolutely love the new environments in this adventure. Whether it's sliding across an icy blue tundra, riding a panda through a verdant bamboo forest, racing on horseback through crimson desert hoodoos, or any of the other surprising situations you find yourself in, it's going to be both fun and gorgeous. Despite a wide variety of new ideas, the gameplay is incredibly tight, and I rarely blamed the game when I messed up or failed a level. The sketchbook-esque graphical style beautifully complements the bold use of colors and helps give more identity to each of the levels. The new environments also introduce thematically appropriate enemies, such as large spiders in a cave or ninjas in Japan, adding even more variety between the stages.
I love the first Gunman Clive, but with all of the new things to see, do, and fight in Gunman Clive 2, it almost feels like the original is just a demo for its sequel. The addition of actual color variety and new level types does wonders for the already excellent foundation that Gunman Clive 2 is built upon. What results is one of the best values on the Switch eShop when it comes to platformers. While it isn't terribly long, there is plenty to do, especially if you replay with each of the four playable characters. However, even if you only play through it once, for just $2-5, I'd argue this is an amazing deal. Having bought both games three times now, I'm confident in saying that they're worth skipping a coffee run for.
The game is available for Steam here (as of 7/11/24): https://store.steampowered.com/app/394550/Gunman_Clive_2/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 7/11/24): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/gunman-clive-hd-collection-switch/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 7/11/24): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/gunman-clive-hd-collection-switch/
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 7/11/24): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0881-CUSA18266_00-00000000GUNMANUS
