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Heavy Bullets

The game has a bizarre aesthetic, but the gameplay is addictively simple with enough challenge to keep it interesting for multiple playthroughs.
Heavy Bullets Game Cover
81%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
optimization, story
81% User Score Based on 1,272 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

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Heavy Bullets Game Cover

About

Heavy Bullets is a single player shooter game with comedy and science fiction themes. It was developed by terriv and was released on September 18, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Heavy Bullets is a challenging rogue-lite shooter where you navigate neon corridors armed with a revolver and just six bullets, which must be retrieved and reloaded carefully. Players collect unique items and perks to aid progress, balancing cautious movement with strategic use of limited resources. Death is permanent, but banked money persists for future attempts to reset the security mainframe.

Genres & Tags
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81%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,272 reviews
gameplay95 positive mentions
optimization50 negative mentions
  • Unique bullet retrieval mechanic adds depth to gameplay and encourages careful aim.
  • Challenging and engaging, with a good balance of tension and strategy.
  • Visually striking with a retro aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
  • Frequent micro-stuttering issues can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating deaths.
  • Limited enemy variety and repetitive level design can make the game feel monotonous over time.
  • Some items and upgrades feel underwhelming or situational, lacking significant impact on gameplay.
  • gameplay
    293 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Heavy Bullets" is characterized by its unique bullet-retrieval mechanic, which adds a layer of strategy and tension to encounters, requiring players to balance careful aiming with quick reflexes. While the game offers a fast-paced and challenging experience, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in depth, with some mechanics feeling underdeveloped or frustrating. Overall, it presents a mix of engaging moments and tedious gameplay loops, making it a decent choice for fans of roguelikes, especially when on sale.

    • “The gameplay is both challenging and addictive, requiring quick reflexes and strategic thinking as you navigate the procedurally generated levels.”
    • “I love the mechanic of reloading bullets after firing—it's a clever touch that adds an extra layer of tension and strategy to every encounter.”
    • “The combat feels tight and responsive, the enemies feel varied enough to present unique challenges while not being so complex that you need to think about something other than shooting them, and the items add a pleasant spice to gameplay to change up your runs a little each time.”
    • “The gameplay is boring and frustrating, and most other aspects are rather bare-bones, with nothing beginning to make up for the aforementioned issues.”
    • “The gameplay is repetitive; you peek around a corner and a room of enemies wakes up and immediately runs at you in a straight line, giving you a brief time to shoot them, and they all die in one hit due to the titular heavy bullets.”
    • “The actual gameplay and mechanics are really basic and not fun at all.”
  • graphics
    225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a vibrant, minimalist aesthetic that combines neon colors and geometric simplicity, creating a visually engaging experience. While some players appreciate the unique art style and its retro influences, others criticize the simplistic and occasionally chaotic visuals that can hinder gameplay clarity. Overall, the graphics are seen as a defining feature that contributes to the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on their effectiveness and appeal.

    • “Its neon colors, geometric simplicity, and bold contrasts create an aesthetic that is both minimalist and hypnotic.”
    • “The retro-inspired graphics and catchy soundtrack create an engaging atmosphere that draws you in right from the start.”
    • “The graphics are simple but clear and easy to look at, and it looks smooth enough at 60fps, the aforementioned stutters notwithstanding.”
    • “The graphics are primitive and chaotic and not in a particularly charming way; the setting and atmosphere are inane, and the gameplay mechanics are just utterly barebones.”
    • “The visuals are an assault of neon textures without any lighting or distinction between what's a wall, prop, or opening to another room.”
    • “The level aesthetics are so blocky and repetitive, which I guess stems from the plot, but it got old before I beat the game.”
  • music
    113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game, composed by Doseone, is generally praised for its atmospheric electronic tones that enhance the surreal visuals and gameplay experience. However, many players express frustration over the sporadic nature of the soundtrack, which often only plays during combat, leading to moments of silence that can detract from the overall immersion. While some appreciate the unique sound design and its ability to build tension, others feel the music could be more consistently integrated to better complement the gameplay.

    • “The art design pairs beautifully with the soundtrack by Doseone, which leans into atmospheric electronic tones that balance between eerie stillness and sudden intensity.”
    • “Impeccably detailed sound design and a throttling soundtrack from Doseone color this hallucinatory roguelike-inspired shooter with physical bullets you have to pick up and reload one by one after firing like arrows.”
    • “The vibrant colors and music add a nice layer to the intense gameplay.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game only has two audio options that you may tune in the menu: 'global volume' and 'music volume', making it so that at any of the global volumes, from 1-10, the music is drowned out by the sound effects.”
    • “The music is minimalist, both in quantity and style.”
    • “The music doesn't play constantly throughout the game.”
  • optimization
    63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe stuttering issues that significantly hinder gameplay, especially during intense moments. While some users experience smooth performance, a substantial number face constant micro-stuttering, regardless of their hardware capabilities, leading to frustration and diminished enjoyment. Overall, the game's performance problems are seen as a major drawback, overshadowing its otherwise fun mechanics.

    • “I have not had any performance issues running this game, though others have mentioned some.”
    • “This game runs smoothly on my less-than-spectacular computer and has genuinely enjoyable gameplay to boot.”
    • “Finally, as far as performance, it runs great; maxed out, including FXAA, I get about 100 FPS on a GT 640 / AMD FX-6100, which is a rather budget setup.”
    • “The game is a reflex-based shooter that undergoes constant stuttering the more enemies are on-screen.”
    • “The massive con to this game is the glaring issue of regular stuttering.”
    • “In a game where quick reactions and responsiveness is key, such micro stuttering ruins the whole experience; this is unforgivable for a game that is pretty mediocre in graphics and should be able to run on a high-end rig.”
  • story
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal, primarily serving as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a central focus, with players quickly thrust into action without much narrative depth. While some reviews note that the sparse story elements encourage player creativity in building their own context, many agree that the lack of a compelling plot detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is more about gameplay mechanics and challenge than storytelling, with only a few lines of text to set the scene.

    • “This tiny, and only, story excerpt sets up everything you need to know about what is occurring, particularly well.”
    • “The spare story elements and art style encourage, nay, demand a level of creative investment on the part of the player, ensnaring you into building a character, plot, and context for your motivation to survive.”
    • “Every decision matters in Heavy Bullets, which is strange for a game with a 2-sentence story and maybe as much dialogue.”
    • “I will say, if you need a game to have a story, then this won't be for you as there's no story other than an explanation of what's happening and your role in the situation.”
    • “Don’t expect a deep plot or story in this title; it constantly contradicts itself (on purpose) and anything regarding the ‘plot’ is told via flavor text and some small things within the game.”
    • “There is little to no story in Heavy Bullets whatsoever; though given its gameplay, there's not much to go off of.”
  • replayability
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its engaging mechanics and procedural generation that enhances replay value, while others criticize its lack of permanent upgrades and variety, leading to diminished interest after initial playthroughs. Some users report enjoying the game for several hours due to its fun concept and random elements, while others feel it becomes repetitive and lacks depth post-completion. Overall, the consensus suggests that while there is potential for replayability, it varies significantly based on individual player experience and expectations.

    • “Overall, I like the game, and having it be a rogue-like game with each floor having a different layout with enemies scattered around gives it nice replay value.”
    • “The rooms are procedurally generated, which adds to the replay value of the shooty shoot game.”
    • “This game has a ton of replayability; that being said, the experience from one playthrough will likely be very similar to another once you have learned most of the hidden items, but even then it'll be fun because it tests your application of experience.”
    • “Seems to have no replay value, no permanent upgrades, so it will be somewhat fun for 2-5 hours, until you beat the game or get tired of trying.”
    • “Although the game draws interesting ideas from other roguelites, it certainly lacks in replayability and variety of content.”
    • “Despite the pseudo-random levels, I don't think it has too much replayability after you beat the game, mostly as a result of the very repetitive combat.”
  • atmosphere
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging blend of retro-inspired graphics and a haunting electronic soundtrack, creating a tense and immersive experience. While some reviews highlight the game's chaotic visuals and simplistic gameplay as drawbacks, many players appreciate the intense ambiance that enhances the overall gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as surreal, unnervingly odd, and capable of drawing players into its world, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The art design pairs beautifully with the soundtrack by doseone, which leans into atmospheric electronic tones that balance between eerie stillness and sudden intensity.”
    • “Really great rogue-like shooter with amazing atmosphere.”
    • “The action and combat are more than solid, intense and the atmosphere is engaging; with enemies that can pop out of bushes killing you in a heartbeat, the panic of realizing you haven't loaded all those bullets you picked up, all powered by a pulsing electronic soundtrack that creeps up on you as you come closer to dangerous areas.”
    • “This game doesn't have much to offer beyond its atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics are primitive and chaotic and not in a particularly charming way, the setting and atmosphere are inane, and the gameplay mechanics are just utterly barebones.”
    • “But the atmosphere I get when it's not playing feels a lot more tense.”
  • stability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of frequent crashes, frame drops, and stuttering that disrupt gameplay, particularly during critical moments like boss fights. While some players experience minimal issues, many others report frustrating glitches and bugs that can lead to unfair deaths and hinder overall enjoyment. Overall, the game remains buggy even after early access, making it difficult to recommend for a smooth gaming experience.

    • “Finally, as far as performance, it runs great; maxed out, including FXAA, I get about 100 FPS on a GT 640 / AMD FX-6100, which is a rather budget setup.”
    • “Tried to play it recently and it's now a buggy mess, crashing every ten minutes or so.”
    • “The final boss fight becomes impossible because of them, since at that point of the game the stuttering evolves to at least a second long freezes every 3-4 seconds.”
    • “Currently it has some glitchiness: there are many, many frame dropping freezes, especially when 'seeing' an enemy after a lull in the action (I have actually lost my best run due to the game freezing my character and magically making my bullets go through enemies, all at 4 fps).”
  • grinding
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, particularly due to mechanics like the money-bank system and the need to collect bullets and coins. While some appreciate the game's design choices, many feel that these elements encourage repetitive farming runs rather than enjoyable gameplay, leading to a slower, more cautious playstyle that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players still find value in the game, especially as a casual option between more intense gaming sessions.

    • “This is a conscious design decision that makes sense for the game, but it also invites tedious strategies like backpedaling and waiting for a cluster of dimwitted imps to charge you in a straight line one after another.”
    • “Most of the damage I've taken is from snakes, who are near impossible to see sometimes, which pretty much means you have to play the game very slowly and carefully so you don't take damage, which in my opinion makes the game very tedious to play through.”
    • “The banking system kind of encourages grinding and money grubbing more than actually enjoying the game the first times through; although you don't have to play the game like this, and there's even an achievement for ignoring it altogether.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending hilarious moments with a touch of darkness, making the experience both entertaining and emotionally engaging. Players appreciate the comedic elements that enhance gameplay, particularly in the context of roguelike mechanics. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm that keeps players coming back for more.

    • “The mechanics, the music, the humor, the secret items (cursed gem is the best... exploding bullets! changes the tactics entirely)... I'm a sucker for roguelikes and this is one of my favorites.”
    • “Dying ranges from hilarious to heartbreaking.”
    • “Funny, a little scary, epic game! I like it when my mind is burned out on CS:GO!”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the emotional experience of the game to be a rollercoaster, with moments that can shift from humor to deep sadness. However, the frustratingly small pickup range for coins can detract from the overall emotional engagement, as it leads to missed rewards even in close encounters.

    • “Dying ranges from hilarious to heartbreaking.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some users feeling it leans towards a cash grab aimed at retro enthusiasts. However, others appreciate the developer's intent to gather player feedback for improvement before the final release, contrasting it with the trend of charging high prices for unfinished products.

    • “Lots of wasted potential for this one, and it feels more like a cash grab for those sweet retro dollars.”
    • “It seems like the developer genuinely wants quick feedback from players to help polish the final copy before release, rather than doing a quick cash grab to make everyone pay $40 to $80 for a glorified wireframe alpha build like everybody else does these days.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is well-received, with users praising the character design, which scores an impressive 8/10. This suggests that the characters are visually appealing and thoughtfully crafted, contributing positively to the overall gaming experience.

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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8h Median play time
8h Average play time
7h Main story
18h Completionist
7-12h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Heavy Bullets is a shooter game with comedy and science fiction themes.

Heavy Bullets is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

The main story can be completed in around 7 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 18 hours to finish. On average players spend around 8 hours playing Heavy Bullets.

Heavy Bullets was released on September 18, 2014.

Heavy Bullets was developed by terriv.

Heavy Bullets has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Heavy Bullets is a single player game.

Similar games include Strafe, Bunker Punks, GoNNER, Ziggurat, Eldritch and others.