Jackal

About

Jackal is a single player shooter game with drama and violence themes. It was developed by Transhuman Design and was released on February 5, 2026. It received very positive reviews from players.

Execute ultra-violent raids in retro 1970s hotels. Master precision and timing to take out bad guys in unforgiving top-down close-combat. No two playthroughs are alike with stackable gameplay mutators and randomly generated rooms.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+11

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 211 reviews

gameplay38 positive mentions

optimization1 negative mentions

Unique and stylish top-down shooter with a distinct art style, blending a 70s Vegas, Egyptian mythology, and psychedelic theme.
Fast-paced, brutal, and satisfying combat with physics-driven mechanics, including kicking and sliding, offering creative ways to dispatch enemies.
Excellent soundtrack and voice acting that enhance the immersive and chaotic atmosphere, with solid replayability due to procedural level layouts and modifiers.

Short campaign length with a story that is somewhat confusing, minimal, and anticlimactic, offering limited narrative payoff.
Gameplay issues including inconsistent hitboxes, clunky controls, enemy spawn mechanics that can feel unfair, and some jank or bugs impacting the experience.
Randomly generated levels occasionally lead to unintuitive layouts and frustrating design choices, with some late-game mechanics and spells feeling underutilized or removed.

gameplay
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
49%
5%
The gameplay is generally praised for its fast-paced, addictive nature and unique mechanics like sliding and spell usage, offering satisfying and dynamic combat reminiscent of Hotline Miami but with its own twists. Some reviewers note occasional clunkiness, inconsistent weapon mechanics, and gimmicky later levels that detract from core gameplay, though the overall experience remains enjoyable and replayable thanks to randomized levels and modifiers. While not flawless, the game delivers a solid, energetic top-down shooter experience with a distinctive style.
- “The gameplay is tight, responsive, and deeply satisfying thanks to physics-driven combat that makes every encounter feel dynamic and unpredictable.”
- “The gameplay here is very fun and reactive and the spells really add something here to make it standout from just being a Hotline Miami clone. The game also has good replay value with randomly generated level layouts and modifiers and difficulty options.”
- “The gameplay is solid and satisfying: a great top-down shooter without unnecessary complexity or artificially stretched playtime - right in the bullseye.”
- “Later levels are gimmicks and strip away core gameplay mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is just not as crisp as it needs to be for something this fast-paced and difficult.”
- “And gameplay segments later on where an absolute mess of enemies on the screen converge on me while I'm kicking and executing multiple in a row leading to such a crazy amount of move speed I start flying around areas and my reaction time not keeping up, leading to constantly mashing leaving me feel like I'm in a fever dream once I finally die to repeat the process over again.”
story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The story of the game is generally described as short, surreal, and loosely structured with a noir, drug-fueled hitman theme reminiscent of Hotline Miami 1. While it features strong voice acting, stylish cutscenes, and an intriguing atmosphere, many find the plot confusing, anticlimactic, or repetitive due to time loop elements. Overall, the story is serviceable and entertaining for its length but not the main draw compared to the gameplay and style.
- “The art style, music, and story were top tier.”
- “It's loose, a stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling about a hitman on drugs, performing ultraviolent hits and indulging in vices, all while Anubis judges him for his every deed akin to an annoyed, divine chaperone.”
- “I thought the main story was pretty good and definitely interesting, the quality of the cutscenes really elevates the narration.”
- “If a lukewarm plot is a dealbreaker for you when playing games, then I'd skip Jackal as you won't be missing much by skipping the plot of this game because damn dude you're telling me he keeps looping himself into killing his boss, getting head over heels for a hooker posing as the boss' wife, stealing his boss' money, getting sober for a moment and then doing it all over again?”
- “The story is kinda nothing, was kinda confused by the ending, won't spoil it but it's a little anticlimactic unless there are multiple endings.”
- “I honestly didn't care for the story whatsoever (it's basically Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas with killing) and at least you can skip the cutscenes.”
music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its originality, energetic style, and strong thematic fit, often described as a standout feature that enhances the fast-paced, chaotic gameplay. Many players highlight the soundtrack as captivating and integral to the overall experience, with some even purchasing it separately. While comparisons to Hotline Miami arise, the game's music is generally seen as a perfect complement to its unique aesthetic and intense action.
- “Overall an incredibly fun game with a banger soundtrack to back it up.”
- “The music doesn’t just accompany the action—it fuels it.”
- “What really elevates it, though, is the soundtrack—absolutely phenomenal.”
- “Soundtrack is fine but nowhere near close to either Hotline Miami.”
- “I missed a few more powerful pieces of music in a comedown/climax game.”
- “It's not licensed works à la Hotline Miami, either; it's all original music that, while maybe a little out of place for the 70s, does its job, adding to your chaotic, frantic dance with death itself.”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
32%
12%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique, stylish art style that blends retro low-poly aesthetics with vibrant, gritty visuals, creating a distinct and immersive atmosphere. Many compare it favorably to titles like Hotline Miami, highlighting its polished, high-energy look that complements the intense gameplay. However, some note that while visually striking, the graphics can sometimes feel cluttered or hard to interpret during fast-paced action.
- “Jackal's overall aesthetic can best be described as somewhere between late PS1-era graphics for the characters and most of the environment, meeting the 1970s, and then going out for drinks with the PS3 for the copious amount of blood splatter.”
- “Many have compared it to the well known Miami themed title, but Jackal does an excellent job of branching out and becoming its own thing with its setting, graphics, and unique spell mechanics.”
- “It's art style isn't anything new for transhuman design, but it still pulls the low-poly look off with no small amount of grace.”
- “What if Hotline Miami had looser combat with harder to read visuals, many times more dialogue but with nothing to say.”
- “And like El Paso once I got through the halfway point started to like them, this game's especially with how out there the visuals get.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
Though the game is relatively short, its replayability is bolstered by randomized levels, unlockable modifiers and spells, multiple difficulty options, and alternative game modes, offering variety and extended playtime. These features create a dynamic experience that encourages repeated playthroughs despite the brief main story. Overall, the game provides a strong replay value with engaging gameplay elements that differentiate it from similar titles.
- “Real short, about an hour or less to complete on repeat playthroughs, but the randomized levels make it very replayable, as do the unlockable modifiers and spells (which function like Hotline Miami masks).”
- “The gameplay here is very fun and reactive and the spells really add something here to make it stand out from just being a Hotline Miami clone; the game also has good replay value with randomly generated level layouts, modifiers, and difficulty options.”
- “I can't recommend it enough, and even though it isn't long, the level reroll option, random spawns, several difficulties, and time attack make it replayable.”
- “Passive powers would have been more unique, which would have added more replayability.”
- “It is also short, but it has a little bit of replay value to unlock everything.”
- “While on the short side, the game does have a lot of replay value via random level seeds, gameplay modifiers, and speedrun levels.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is hit-or-miss, with some players finding certain dialogue and character interactions genuinely funny despite a predictable story. The comedic moments, especially in combat and character banter, provide entertaining and lighthearted relief that many users appreciated.
- “Although the story is absolute nonsense, Anubis and the main guy have some funny lines and bounce off each other well.”
- “The combat is probably the most entertaining thing for me, as multiple times I couldn't stop laughing at certain enemy reveals.”
- “It genuinely had my attention and even made me laugh here and there despite being extremely scatterbrained by design.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and well-crafted ambiance, enhanced by a compelling story and engaging combat. Users highlight the game's authentic aesthetic details and the evident passion behind its design, which improves notably towards the end.
- “Good atmosphere, good story, good combat.”
- “Rarely does media accurately recreate the aesthetics of some combination of illicit substances to add to an atmosphere.”
- “It got better towards the end, but the gameplay and atmosphere are fantastic; a lot of passion has been put into this game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is lacking, resulting in subpar performance that could be significantly improved.
- “Performance isn't what it could be.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is generally solid, though some visual glitches appear on certain levels. These glitches may be intentionally designed to reflect the character's drug use rather than representing technical issues.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that while character development is generally sound, the character design itself appears somewhat off or visually inconsistent.