iOS action platformers are a dime a dozen, many failing to standout by not incorporating any sense of personality into the project. Gunman Clive has personality and it succeeds in progressively twisting the gameplay in an interesting way from start to finish, making this Bertil Horberg joint a consideration for platforming lovers alike.
The premise is standard for a western, with our cowboy Clive rescuing the mayor’s daughter from gun-toting bandits; Where the story goes from there I’ll leave to you to find out. More important that a platformer’s plot is its aesthetics, and that’s a department Gunman Clive nails down firmly. Dusty tones color the game’s landscape, and helping spice-up the charming art direction is a sketch filter that combines for a semblance of western story book.
Jumping, ducking, and shooting on your journey to rescue the mayor’s daughter works…most of the time. I have a “thing” against circle D-pads, especially those on touch devices where the precision of diagonal movement isn’t necessary, and needless to say I had a problem with it here. Not a large problem, but a problem enough to credit a dozen deaths to the controls faults. Some players may have more of an issue than others, be aware, and while I did hit a few speed bumps running through Gunman Clive, the controls never drove me to put the game down.
Short and sweet is the easiest way to describe my experience with Bertil’s latest game, with little to no frustration built while romping through. Enemies are clever and placed in optimum position to take you out, while the boss encounters test your ability to read patterns. Unfortunately, for my liking, I’d have preferred more of a challenge from the game, but then again I’m sure your “everyday app shopper” looking for a new download will build a sweat while in Clive’s boots.
Gunman Clive induces Mega Man nostalgia with every jump, while failing to amp up the difficulty to levels that fans can respect. On the other hand, if you don’t frequent the genre enough, this game will prove to be a memorable and charming experience. I enjoyed every minute of the game while it lasted, BUT it didn’t last long. Hopefully the end-game can make up for the complete lack of replayability to those who don’t find the aesthetics to be as pleasing as I. Realistically, the asking price to play Clive doesn’t compete with those of the competition, but then again those games don’t quite compete with this one in personality. If it’s a challenge you came for, go else where. If you came to support something “Indie” in a charmingly-western package, you found the right saloon.
