To properly review a game, you need to spend some time with it. Get to know the features, controls, how it reacts to different play styles and more. Problems arise when you play through an entire title in under 30 minutes and are left with just a blah feeling regarding all the traits of the game. Bouncy Bullets from Petite Games is one of these games. A first-person platforming shooter that fails to deliver in almost every category.
Let’s start simple. The description of the game states that the game is divided into 4 worlds with 12 levels each – a total of 48 different levels. There are also special levels included that equal the main selection. Once you start the game you will see there are just 3 chapters with 14 levels each – so 6 levels less then listed in the description. The special levels still mirror the original ones, so there is a total of a dozen missing levels. Of the 84 total levels, you actually only need to complete 31 of them to get a 100% completion on the game.
Gameplay is simple, platform your way through the course to the end portal in the quickest amount of time. You will have to avoid traps, shoot enemies, and spare the hostages. You are given a star rating based on your speed through the level, but the problem is that there is only one achievement / trophy requiring you to get a gold star. Get a gold star on the 1st level, and you can take as long as you want for the rest of the game. But even if you meander through the game you can get all the achievements in under 20 minutes, and beat every level in under an hour. This is if you even decide to finish the remaining levels.
There is little difference between the normal and special levels, other than the addition of a few more enemies and traps. These are not exclusive to the special levels, just added in to make them slightly more difficult. Through out the game you will encounter different colored enemies that require specific ways to kill them. Yellow and purple must be killed with a color matching bullet, black enemies must be removed with bounced shots, and grey enemies are hostages and mustn’t be harmed. If you kill a hostage, get shot, or fall to your death, you are only punished by having to restart the level.
The simplistic nature of the game will be a turn off for any seasoned gamer, and the poor level design will not help draw new gamers into the 1st person shooter genre. Even the platforming is poorly done. The controls, even on the highest sensitivity, don’t allow you to run through the levels with any real speed. You must land squarely on each platform before you are able to make your next jump.
Bouncy Bullets is out now on XB1, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. For $5 you will get about 30 – 60 minutes of game. Unless you are trying to pad your Gamerscore, or are looking for a title that is a quick and easy completion, this is a title to avoid. Save your money for a game that is worth your time.
