Jackal

About Jackal

Jackal is a single player shooter game with a violence theme. It was developed by Transhuman Design and was released on February 5, 2026. It received 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

+15

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Reviews

89%Audience ScoreBased on 296 reviews

gameplay55 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Fast-paced, brutal, and satisfying gameplay with physics-driven combat that rewards creativity and improvisation.
Stylish presentation with a strong, immersive 70s Las Vegas-inspired art style and a highly praised soundtrack.
Engaging voice acting, memorable characters, and a surreal, darkly comedic story that complements the chaotic gameplay.

The game is quite short, with most players completing the main story in around 2 to 3 hours.
Procedurally generated levels often lead to inconsistent design and cheap deaths, which can frustrate players seeking strategic challenge.
Gameplay issues include clunky controls, erratic hitboxes, janky enemy AI, and occasionally buggy or unintuitive combat mechanics.

gameplay
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The gameplay is a fast-paced, top-down shooter heavily inspired by Hotline Miami, featuring satisfying combat, slide mechanics, and procedural level generation that enhance replayability. While many praise its style, soundtrack, and core mechanics, some find the controls occasionally clunky, the difficulty uneven, and the game too short with limited depth in later stages. Overall, it offers a fun, adrenaline-fueled experience with unique twists, though it may feel rough or repetitive compared to its inspirations.
- “Replayability is another major strength thanks to procedural room generation, randomized encounters, unlockable abilities, and various gameplay modifiers that significantly alter each run.”
- “The gameplay is sharp, snappy, and feels satisfying when you pull off chaotic moves successfully.”
- “Gameplay is tight, responsive, and deeply satisfying thanks to physics-driven combat that makes every encounter feel dynamic and unpredictable.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't live up to the presentation; movement often feels unresponsive and I frequently got stuck on something.”
- “One or two hit deaths can be exciting but only when the controls, combat and level design are extremely polished; here it feels too janky to fully support that kind of gameplay.”
- “Don't get this game. I got this game hoping it would have maybe 3 hours of gameplay and a pretty polished finish, only to finish the game in under 2 hours. There is no workshop or endless mode. The only 'replayability' you can do is to play the game on harder modes, which would be fun if the game wasn't a buggy mess. I had times where my character would phase through walls or sometimes the enemies would go through walls.”
story
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The story of the game is often described as surreal, psychedelic, and heavily inspired by works like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, featuring a darkly comedic, drug-fueled, and somewhat confusing narrative. While some players appreciate its unique style, voice acting, and atmosphere, others find the plot short, anticlimactic, or lacking depth, making it more of a quirky backdrop rather than a strong driving force. Overall, the story is serviceable and entertaining for fans of the genre but not the main highlight compared to gameplay and presentation.
- “The game has a lot of character and personality, its surreal art style complements the story, at times it feels like you're playing an indie film, the writing pulls you in with its dark comedy, it's one of those stories where it's difficult to tell what's real and not.”
- “Rather than presenting a realistic interpretation of Las Vegas, Jackal delivers a stylized vision where casinos, organized crime, psychedelic hallucinations, and surreal storytelling merge into one unforgettable world.”
- “I genuinely would prefer this as a short film--again I cannot stress enough, I adore the dialogue, the writing, the music, the acting, the story--all of it really captivates me.”
- “The main story point of the main character betraying his boss and trying to get out of town was okay but it never stayed on it long enough to feel impactful in any way.”
- “The story itself is.. eh.”
- “I honestly didn't care for the story whatsoever (it's basically fear & loathing in los vegas with killing) and at least you can skip the cutscenes.”
music
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The music is widely praised for its energetic, stylish, and atmospheric soundtrack that strongly enhances the game's high-octane, Hotline Miami-inspired gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack memorable and fitting to the game's unique 60s Vegas vibe, with several highlighting it as a key reason for immersion and excitement. While some note the tracks are short or not quite matching Hotline Miami’s legacy, overall the music is considered a standout, often compelling players to purchase the soundtrack separately.
- “The soundtrack and sound design further strengthen the presentation, providing energetic music and impactful audio effects that heighten the tension during combat.”
- “The story immediately sucks you in with its surreal visuals and fantastic high octane 60s rock soundtrack.”
- “What really elevates it, though, is the soundtrack—absolutely phenomenal.”
- “I really dig the soundtrack, though I wish the songs were longer (most are only one to two minutes).”
- “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.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51% positive mentions, 41% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The game features a unique, stylized art style with colorful lighting, retro and noir grindhouse aesthetics that create a cinematic, surreal atmosphere reminiscent of indie films and titles like Hotline Miami. While not graphically intensive, its exaggerated visuals and fantastic art direction, combined with a groovy soundtrack, deliver a distinctive and polished experience that strongly reinforces its identity. Some find the visuals impressive and atmospheric, though a few note that the style can feel jumbled during gameplay.
- “The visual style reinforces this identity with colorful lighting, retro aesthetics, and exaggerated effects that transform every firefight into a cinematic spectacle.”
- “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.”
- “Graphics, sound, music, such slick combat and UI, 10 out of 10.”
- “Despite it not being a very graphics-heavy game, setting everything to high on a good PC will still make it heat up a bunch.”
- “What if Hotline Miami had looser combat with harder to read visuals, many times more dialogue but with nothing to say.”
- “While I don't mind it too much and I do see that its campiness is due to the time period and aesthetic, it's just not well written at points.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through procedurally generated levels, randomized encounters, unlockable abilities, and various gameplay modifiers that keep each run fresh and engaging. Although its main story is short, features like speedrunning modes, challenges, and difficulty options significantly extend playtime and appeal to fans of intense, arcade-style shooters. Some users note it lacks achievements and could benefit from more unique passive powers, but overall it provides a rewarding and stylish experience with substantial replay value.
- “Replayability is another major strength thanks to procedural room generation, randomized encounters, unlockable abilities, and various gameplay modifiers that significantly alter each run.”
- “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 (of 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 and modifiers and difficulty options.”
- “Criminally short, with some replayability, though I probably won't replay it much if any since there's no achievements (rip).”
- “That'd be fine on its own but the game has very little replay value beyond speedrunning it or trying the other difficulties.”
- “It is also short, but it has a little bit of replay value to unlock everything.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique, retro-inspired and psychedelic style, enhanced by cinematic influences and a cohesive blend of music and art. While some find the tense mood effective, others feel it can feel gimmicky at times. Overall, the atmosphere powerfully complements the drug-fueled narrative, creating an immersive and passionate experience.
- “Its retro-inspired presentation, psychedelic atmosphere, and cinematic influences immediately establish a unique personality that stands apart from many modern action titles.”
- “The music, art, and atmosphere are all beautiful and vibe together in our lead's drug-fueled life as a hitman/fixer.”
- “It got better towards the end, but the gameplay and atmosphere are fantastic; a lot of passion has been put into this game.”
- “This can make for a tense atmosphere, but here, it starts to feel like a cheap trick quickly.”
- “Rarely does media accurately recreate the aesthetics of some combination of illicit substances to add to an atmosphere.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's humor is praised for its unexpected, often dark comedic moments, quirky character interactions, and entertaining combat scenarios that elicit genuine laughter. While the story can be nonsensical and predictable, it still delivers amusing dialogue and lighthearted twists that enhance the overall experience. Many players find the humor especially enjoyable when playing in a relaxed or altered state.
- “Loved the gunplay, and the times I thought I had died "randomly" I actually died throwing a weapon that bounced back to me, which made me laugh.”
- “It's the best Hotline-like game I've played in a long time. Great soundtrack, and while 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 aspect for me, as multiple times I couldn't stop laughing at certain enemy reveals.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game suffers from multiple stability issues, including bugs where characters phase through walls and various visual glitches, leading to a janky and often frustrating experience. These technical problems undermine the gameplay, making it less enjoyable despite some potentially intentional artistic effects.
- “I got scammed by the positive review, this game is horrible, extremely buggy, janky, and not fun.”
- “Don't get this game, I got this hoping for a polished finish, but it's a buggy mess with characters phasing through walls and enemies doing the same.”
- “Expect little glitches here and there, with a few funky things happening now and then.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
Optimization is generally solid, with many users experiencing flawless performance and no crashes, though some feel there is still room for improvement in overall performance.
- “Game ran flawlessly for me, no crashes, no performance issues whatsoever.”
- “Performance isn't what it could be.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Character development features creative concepts, strong references, and fitting soundtracks, but some users feel the character design appears slightly off.