Many indie games these days are standalone titles and never get a sequel, even if they deserve it. If they do, the sequel rarely comes close to the brilliance of the original. Recently Grip Digital released the follow up to Tower of Guns. While it sports a new name, Mothergunship is the successor to the throne. Not only does Mothergunship follow in the gaming footsteps of its predecessor, it bounds past the original by miles.
I will give you the basics of the story as I understand them. There is a story, but I have been so involved with the mayhem that I may have zoned out through the cut scenes, or just skipped dialogue to jump back into the fray. A war has broken out and an alien force has attacked your fleet. You are outgunned, and it is up to you to infiltrate the enemy ships, steal information and bring them down at any costs.
There is a basic tutorial, because there is a bit of a learning curve. You don’t just grab your weapon and go in guns a blazing. You wear heavy armor that you must attach your guns to. This means that your loadout is only limited to the parts you have and your imagination. Weapons can either be connected directly to your arms or with connectors. The connectors will allow you to place multiple barrels and add-ons on a single arm. Shot gun, flame thrower, missile launcher – why not. The only rules are that the barrels can’t overlap, and they have to face forward. The 2nd rule helps you survive past the 1st trigger pull.
Missions are fairly simple on the surface. Enter an enemy ship and destroy it. You can take out as many guns that stand in your way as you want, or just boogey to the Boss or Self-Destruct button. On the way you will find shops, challenge rooms, and other things to help you, or blow you to smithereens. As you progress through ships you can find new weapon parts, suit upgrades and more. Some missions are sponsored by your local weapons dealer so you are forced to start with a specific load out, while others let you pick a specific number of items to take with you. No matter the parts you bring, if you die on your mission, you will lose them.
Graphics are top notch. When you enter a room full of turrets that are pelting you with multiple types of ammo, there is no slow down what so ever. Each weapon barrel is unique in the way that it is crafted. Since the rooms are randomly generated, each trip to a ship is a new experience. The soundtrack is great. It will keep you bopping your head as you lay waste to the tons of steel that is trying to end your life. The voice acting is great. I know, I said that I skipped a bunch of the dialogue, but what I did listen to was filled with sarcasm, snarky, and words of encouragement. As if dying isn’t bad enough, having your Commander demean you for your stupidity makes things all better.
Mothergunship is available now on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Windows. From the gun crafting, rogue like ships, upgradable armor and the challenge of room after room of deadly foes makes this a must have title. If you haven’t played Tower of Guns, I would highly recommend you grab that one as well – not because you have to play it to understand a story, but because it is also a ton of fun.
