Demons with Shotguns Review

Have you ever looked a game and just knew that you were going to love it? We all have that game, which in your eyes can do no wrong, no matter what your friends say there’s just something about it, that’ll mean it’s always going to have a special place in your heart. I would say that accurately describes my experience with Demons with Shotguns on the PS4. I opened the game, and immediately just knew that I was going to love it.

From the get-go I had high hopes, as with a name like Demons with Shotguns, I was expecting carnage, chaos, and possibly a demon with a shotgun. Thankfully, I got all the above and more. The game is a simple couch-multiplayer 2D battle game in which you and up to three friends can battle it out in over 40 different arenas. The concept is simple, kill the most people and die the least, that’s it. For such a simple game, I found it absolutely thrilling and really exciting, both when played multiplayer and single player. To keep things fresh, the game has a multitude of unlockable arenas, six different original characters to choose from – my favourite was death, I really liked his cloak – and tarot cards that appear in games to give you power-ups, such as angel wings or the power of Satan. Whilst the game is definitely at its best when you’re playing with friends, I still enjoyed playing against the waves of NPC’s in ‘The End Is Near!’ single player mode. The controls are easy to pick up, and it quickly becomes clear that whilst you can just shoot wildly at everyone in your path, you can develop strategies by utilising your dash, melee attack and shielding ability. The slight learning curve in this game meant that for me, I wanted to keep playing, to better learn the controls and understand the best way to blow my friend’s heads off.

Aesthetically, game developers MindShaft Games and Stage Clear Studios created a beautiful mix of violence and cutesy pixel art. In my opinion, the over the top guns and demon spawn wouldn’t have worked as well without the pixelated art style, which brings back memories of Stardew Valley and Kingdom: Classic, two games I also love. The bright colours also hark back to old arcade games, which adds a level of nostalgia to the game that I don’t see often in current game releases. The art style is also very creative and expressive; the characters have so much personality just in their design, and the huge variety of stages also boast a wonderful art style. The audio also compliments this well, the synthesised retro soundtrack kept me coming back for more, and was in tune with the style of the game. The sound effects were also brilliant, putting a wonderful emphasis on the sounds of your shotgun blasts and explosions.

The main and only real issue I have with Demons with Shotguns is that it’s only a local multiplayer, so you can’t play with friends online. This doesn’t come close to ruining the game for me, though, as the atmosphere this game created in my living room more than makes up for it. The game also boasts many different game modes to ensure you and your friends won’t get bored, with free-for-all death matches, co-op death matches and the afore mentioned ‘The End is Near!’ mode, which can be played alone or with two players, where you attack waves of NPC’s. The lack of story also enhances the game for me, as I don’t think you need an excuse to become a shotgun-wielding nun, it’s just fun. I think this is one of those games that anyone can play, as there’s something for everyone. Not only are the controls tight and responsive, but even if couch-brawlers aren’t always your favourite, you’ll definitely enjoy the look and the sound of the game. Plus, if all else fails, you still can still grab a shotgun as Death incarnate and let off some steam.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.