Guns, Gore & Cannoli

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,133 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Guns, Gore & Cannoli Game Cover
A game so middle-of-the-road it ends up as roadkill. The ideas in here are solid, but simply refuse to go anywhere over its three-hour duration.
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"Guns, Gore & Cannoli" is a frantic, action-packed platformer set in the Prohibition-era of the 1920s. Play as Vinnie Cannoli, a mobster in the notorious Thugtown, as you navigate through hordes of zombies and uncover a murky conspiracy. Expect a thrilling journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and vengeance, set against the backdrop of a gangster's paradise.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Wii
  • Wii U
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,133 reviews
story113 positive mentions
grinding9 negative mentions
  • Visceral combat with a wide array of weapons that provide satisfying gameplay.
  • Unique hand-drawn art style that captures the over-the-top atmosphere of the game.
  • Engaging story filled with humor and witty dialogue that keeps players entertained.
  • Can be quite challenging, especially for players not accustomed to demanding platformers.
  • Some levels can feel repetitive with similar enemy encounters and gameplay scenarios.
  • Limited aiming mechanics restrict shooting to only left and right, making certain enemy types frustrating to deal with.
  • story244 mentions

    The game's story is generally described as engaging and humorous, featuring a mix of mafia themes and zombie elements that provide a light-hearted backdrop for the action. While some players find the plot to be cliché or formulaic, many appreciate its entertaining dialogue, well-executed cutscenes, and the comedic tone that keeps the experience enjoyable. However, the story is often noted to be short, leaving players wanting more depth and length in the narrative.

    • “The storyline is full of twists and turns, keeping you on your toes and engaged in the game.”
    • “The story is good, perfectly simple with a solid beginning, middle, and end, and the dialogue is amazing.”
    • “The corny story is actually very well executed, with nicely-voiced and drawn cinematics that break up the otherwise excellent gunplay and average platforming.”
    • “In this game, the last villain has plot armor and makes you play in an uncomfortable way.”
    • “The story itself is nothing to really write home about; it's a kind of standard zombie plot, with a couple of neat twists that tie into its 1920s mafia theme.”
    • “The story is pretty pedestrian as far as gangster stories go, and the only other issues are only being able to shoot straight left/right and an unintuitive weapon selection.”
  • graphics239 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn, cartoonish art style, reminiscent of classic animations and comic books, which effectively enhances the game's over-the-top atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the fluid animations, vibrant colors, and detailed backgrounds, contributing to an engaging visual experience. However, some critiques mention a lack of variety in the 2D visuals and simplistic design, which may detract from the overall quality expected in a modern PC game.

    • “The hand-drawn graphics complement the overall atmosphere of the game very well.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful 2D graphics with cool animations.”
    • “The art style is charming and well done, and does a good job of invoking the stereotypes and clichés of the setting that it wants to poke fun at.”
    • “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
    • “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
    • “The game features simple, cartoony 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low-effort mobile apps.”
  • gameplay220 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as fast-paced and engaging, with a mix of run-and-gun mechanics and a variety of weapons. However, many players note issues such as repetitiveness, clunky controls, and frustrating level design, particularly during boss fights. While the art style and humor are praised, the overall execution of gameplay mechanics can feel unresponsive or simplistic, leading to a mixed reception among players.

    • “The gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, with a variety of weapons and enemies to deal with.”
    • “Amazing gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is exciting, raw, action-packed but not wild, and expectedly there are only the simplest puzzles to solve.”
    • “The gameplay felt unresponsive and frustrating.”
    • “There's issues, not just technical ones, as there's a few issues with frustrating level design, sloppy hitboxes, overall bland gameplay and some pretty poorly designed boss encounters.”
    • “The gameplay is very boring... the game feels tacky and is honestly not even funny.”
  • humor157 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its dark, absurd, and often over-the-top comedic elements, featuring witty dialogue and exaggerated stereotypes, particularly related to Italian-American culture. Players appreciate the blend of relentless action and humor, with many finding the character interactions and one-liners to be particularly entertaining, although some critiques point to moments of cringeworthy or racially insensitive humor. Overall, the game successfully combines a humorous narrative with engaging gameplay, making it a fun experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The game doesn't take itself too seriously, with plenty of dark humor and witty dialogue to keep you entertained.”
    • “It is a perfect combination of relentless action, absurd humor, and stylish destruction.”
    • “The game is filled with hilarious one-liners and pop culture references, and the art style is gorgeous, with detailed backgrounds and cartoonish character designs.”
    • “The humor is cringey, bordering on racism with the overused Italian stereotypes.”
    • “The jokes fall flat and often feel forced, lacking any real wit or originality.”
    • “The attempts at humor are so outdated that they come off as more embarrassing than funny.”
  • music88 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fitting jazz and Italian folk elements that enhance the 1920s gangster atmosphere. While some find the soundtrack catchy and immersive, others feel it can be mismatched with the gameplay or repetitive. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong aspect that complements the game's visuals and theme, contributing to an enjoyable experience.

    • “The soundtrack is awesome, with jazz and swing music that will transport you back to the roaring 20s.”
    • “Completing the 1920's gangster era vibe, the jazzy music is a classy touch that completes the overall immersion of the setting.”
    • “The music does an excellent job of connecting all the aspects of this game together, and tailors each section very well to what is happening on the screen.”
    • “The music doesn't really match the gameplay, the humor is a bit weird, and the animation style is so-so and looks like a flash game except with more details in the scenery.”
    • “According to the year, there's some 20s band-like music with kind of a cheerful mood that gets in total contrast with the constant splatter situations throughout the whole game.”
    • “They have this silly contrast where absolutely horrible things and very intense action is happening onscreen, and meanwhile they play classic Italian folk music.”
  • atmosphere25 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique hand-drawn 2D graphics, reminiscent of Tim Burton's style, which enhances the overall experience with a vibrant and cartoonish aesthetic. Players appreciate the attention to detail in character and background design, as well as the immersive soundtracks that complement the game's themes, ranging from a spooky ambiance to a lively gangster setting. Despite some criticisms regarding the storyline and character development, the rich visuals and engaging atmosphere contribute significantly to the game's enjoyment.

    • “The hand-drawn 2D graphics are a visual feast, with a distinct, almost Tim Burton-esque style that perfectly captures the game's over-the-top atmosphere.”
    • “The attention to detail in both backgrounds and character design creates a distinctive atmosphere.”
    • “This game has a marvelous atmosphere with its cartoon graphics and superb soundtracks.”
    • “Decent atmosphere, premise and platforming bogged down by super-cringy cutscenes, an atrocious storyline, badly written characters based purely in racial stereotypes, tacked-on multiplayer and terrible action.”
    • “The game’s story is nothing to be impressed by but fits into the atmosphere.”
    • “1920's type gangster atmosphere, which really envelops you with its story in a zombie-plagued world.”
  • replayability25 mentions

    The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding replayability, with many players noting a lack of variety, collectibles, and a short campaign that limits replay value. While some mention higher difficulty levels and challenges that enhance replayability, others find the overall experience to be tedious or lacking in incentive to replay. A few players, however, highlight enjoyable gameplay and the potential for replay through different playstyles or local co-op options.

    • “Very addictive and high replay value.”
    • “Its pretty short with 2-3 hours for a first playthrough, but the very challenging higher difficulties and challenges through achievements add a lot of replayability to it.”
    • “Overall this game is a surprise, what I thought was going to be a one-note greenlight game, instead turned into a wonderful, and cheap, game that has replayability, and a nice speedy install time where you can just install and play the whole thing again later on when you're bored playing AAA games.”
    • “A 2D platformer with charming graphics in pretty comic worlds and decent gore effects, but hardly any variety and therefore unfortunately little replay value.”
    • “Absolutely no replay value.”
    • “It only took me about 3 hours to beat the story on hard, and I don’t feel like this game offers any replay value.”
  • grinding11 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to unresponsive controls and overwhelming enemy encounters. While some levels are well-designed and challenging, the overall progression feels slow and repetitive, leading to a lack of enjoyment in combat and a diminished sense of replayability. Despite some positive notes on the absence of grindy unlocks or collectibles, the consensus leans towards a negative experience with grinding throughout the game.

    • “No grindy unlocks, no boring collectibles, no superficial score or time counts... this is raw, baby!”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Gameplay becomes somewhat grinding at times when there are way too many mobs around you.”
    • “The entire game just feels like grinding; zombies are not fun to fight, they are just annoying.”
  • stability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while the graphics and animations are praised for their fluidity and lack of glitches, players report significant technical issues, including freezing during keyboard binding adjustments and crashes in certain levels. Additionally, the AI and physics are criticized for being buggy, which detracts from the overall experience. Multiplayer and controller setup also present challenges, further complicating gameplay stability.

    • “The art and animation are the highlights; guns feel great, everything moves fluidly, with no glitches or bugs. The campaign length is good, and it offers a very good degree of challenge that will likely require you to recruit at least one friend.”
    • “Beautiful, smooth graphics, with no glitches.”
    • “I started the game and the first thing I tried to do was edit the keyboard bindings, but the game just freezes when you try to do that. I tried restarting it multiple times and looked for a solution on the forums, and read you need a controller to fix this.”
    • “It's more about technical issues, such as the lack of a multiplayer/coop online, or the ridiculously buggy joypad setup.”
    • “Molotovs and explosions often cause huge freezes.”
  • character development6 mentions

    The character development in the game is highlighted by its impressive and detailed character design, which showcases a strong artistic vision and historical knowledge. The combination of vibrant backgrounds, cartoonish aesthetics, and engaging animations contributes to a distinctive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Additionally, the inclusion of humorous dialogue and pop culture references adds depth to the characters, making them memorable and enjoyable.

    • “The attention to detail in both backgrounds and character design creates a distinctive atmosphere.”
    • “The character design is amazing and clearly made by someone with historical and sartorial knowledge.”
    • “Art-wise, I'm really impressed; the backgrounds and character design are nice and cartoony, and the animation is also impressive for a cheap indie game.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from the overall experience.”
    • “There is little to no growth for the characters throughout the game, leaving them feeling static and uninteresting.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, others experience significant issues such as clunky controls and persistent stuttering, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “Everything runs smoothly the whole way through, and the game is just so much fun.”
    • “Runs smoothly.”
    • “I try to like this game, but the clunky controls, floaty jumping, and ultimately the stuttering make this game unplayable.”
    • “Stuttering is still a huge issue for many, many people seven months later.”
    • “The animations are decent, and the lead voice actor is giving a $100 performance on a $1 script, but this doesn't save everything else.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional engagement when facing zombies, feeling a heightened sense of vulnerability and tension that immerses them in a gritty, gangster-like atmosphere reminiscent of the prohibition era. The inability to shoot when zombies are in close contact amplifies this emotional intensity, creating a visceral experience.

    • “Actually made me feel like I was an Italian gangster from the Prohibition era... except with zombies.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy is perceived positively, with users appreciating the creative integration of elements from popular games like Metal Slug X and L.A. Noire, suggesting that it effectively promotes the game "Cannoli" beyond traditional advertising methods.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

63% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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