Shotgun Legend

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 394 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • music
Shotgun Legend Game Cover
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"Shotgun Legend" is an action RPG that pays homage to classic console games, with a modern twist. You play as Eugene, who must navigate through a strange land filled with alien technology and creatures to find his way back home. The game features 10 dungeons to explore, 16 items to collect, and a unique multiplayer experience where a second player can join and share health with the main player. With minimal hand-holding, the game encourages players to figure things out on their own, and offers the thrill of eventually dual wielding shotguns.

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Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 394 reviews
gameplay15 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Shotgun Legend is a fun homage to the original Legend of Zelda, featuring engaging top-down exploration and a humorous storyline.
  • The shotgun mechanics add a unique twist to combat, requiring players to balance risk and reward by getting close to enemies for maximum damage.
  • The game offers a nostalgic experience with its retro graphics and sound, making it enjoyable for fans of classic action-adventure games.
  • The lack of customizable controls can be frustrating, as players are stuck with a default key layout that may not suit their preferences.
  • Some players find the difficulty spikes, particularly with certain bosses, to be frustrating and not well-balanced compared to the rest of the game.
  • The music tracks are limited and can become repetitive, detracting from the overall experience during longer play sessions.
  • gameplay49 mentions

    The gameplay of "Shotgun Legend" is heavily inspired by the original "Legend of Zelda," featuring exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving in a familiar yet distinct world. While the shotgun mechanics are praised for their innovation and balance, some players find the controls awkward and clunky, leading to frustrating moments. Overall, the game offers straightforward, enjoyable gameplay with a nostalgic feel, though it may lack the depth and variety to sustain long-term engagement.

    • “Gameplay is as zeldaesque as it gets: you explore a familiar yet foreign land, fight spiders, skeletons and other god-knows-whats, solve puzzles and shoot your shotgun, of course.”
    • “Good density and variety of gameplay elements crammed into a remarkably small map.”
    • “Despite this, Shotgun Legend has fun mechanics with its diverse weapons and items to use, and though the game isn't as hard as Zelda (except for maybe the final boss), there are some fun challenges to be had playing it.”
    • “The mechanics are just trash and the movement gets stuck.”
    • “The lack of a strafe mechanic becomes an immediately glaring issue after dying multiple times to a misplaced tap of the d-pad, and the way the game controls in general leads to many more cases of being screwed over even after just an hour of playtime, such as awkwardly bumping into a note on a table repeatedly until it registers that you've read it or the multiple times in the fourth dungeon where you're meant to evade quickly-sliding hazards under conditions that end up being far more precise than they should.”
    • “In the end, Shotgun Legend, while enjoyable, doesn't offer a wide variety of gameplay elements to maintain long-term engagement.”
  • story43 mentions

    The story of the game is a light-hearted parody set on a tropical island invaded by aliens, conveyed primarily through found notes that add humor and context to the gameplay. While some players appreciate the comedic elements and the gradual unfolding of the plot, others find it shallow and lacking depth, with many noting that the story is not the main focus of the game. Overall, it serves as a fun backdrop to the action, but players looking for a rich narrative may be disappointed.

    • “The story is a funny, light-hearted parody of the genre, which normally takes itself extremely seriously, and is gradually told throughout the game via concise notes written by either an ally of yours or the antagonists.”
    • “The game provides a very basic concept for a story during the intro, but this becomes more fleshed out as you advance and find various notes left around the world that add more to the game's backstory.”
    • “Overall, I highly recommend it because it's a good game which is reasonably challenging, it's short and isn't a huge time commitment, the redneck theme is humorous while the story is a light-hearted parody.”
    • “The game's presentation leaves a ton to be desired; from the way the cliché-reliant story is kind of just thrown at you upon starting a new game to the several locations, enemy designs, and behaviors that are almost directly lifted from classic games, many aspects of this title feel not very thought-out and end up devoid of uniqueness.”
    • “The story is too shallow for my personal taste.”
    • “There's a vague plot in the background that you can almost completely ignore if you're more worried about just shooting things.”
  • music31 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its nostalgic and vibey qualities, while others find it repetitive and lacking variety. Many appreciate the retro style and fitting compositions, but a significant number of users express disappointment over the limited number of tracks, leading some to turn off the in-game music entirely. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it may not sustain engagement throughout the game's duration.

    • “The music is f'n legit, I keep catching myself humming it.”
    • “The soundtrack is composed of a few standard adventure songs which are fitting and don't overstay their welcome even though they loop endlessly.”
    • “Good music and cool sound effects are available in the game.”
    • “One of the few things that might be considered negative about the game is the music.”
    • “Entire game takes around 6-7 hours to beat, but I had to turn off the music after 2 hours of playing.”
    • “The mostly chill and infantile music just does not match with the shotgun annihilation you do in the game.”
  • graphics23 mentions

    The graphics of the game feature a nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic that evokes the charm of classic titles from the 90s, with sharp visuals and a unique art style reminiscent of "The Legend of Zelda." However, some players feel the graphics lack coherence and detail, particularly when comparing the quality of different elements, such as the graveyard ghosts versus the pixel art characters. While the overall presentation may appeal to fans of retro games, there are criticisms regarding the limited graphical options and texture variety.

    • “8-bit aesthetics, including both visual style and sound, dip you into that good ol' 90s vibe—great medicine for those reminiscing about the titles of old.”
    • “The graphics have a certain charm and are crispy and sharp.”
    • “It's fun, the graphics may look old school, but effects of weapons and camera shaking— all those little things add up.”
    • “Graphics are a letdown, uglier than the original NES titles.”
    • “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
  • humor15 mentions

    The humor in "shotgun legend" is characterized by its light-hearted parody of classic adventure games, particularly "The Legend of Zelda," featuring a comically absurd protagonist—a shotgun-wielding redneck. Players appreciate the game's funny references, amusing notes, and clever easter eggs, which enhance the overall experience and provide a refreshing twist on the genre's typically serious tone. The humor, combined with a fair difficulty curve, makes for an enjoyable and entertaining gameplay experience.

    • “There are a ton of funny references to it.”
    • “The story is a funny, light-hearted parody of the genre, which normally takes itself extremely seriously, and is gradually told throughout the game via concise notes written by either an ally of yours or the antagonists.”
    • “A short, harmless homage to the original Legend of Zelda (and possibly the Phalanx SNES box art)...but with a shotgun and a funny story.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the need for backtracking through dungeons and repeatedly clearing the same areas to achieve completion. While some enjoy the nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic Zelda games, many feel that the grinding required for achievements and resource gathering detracts from the overall experience, making it feel unnecessarily laborious.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “This makes backtracking in dungeons absurdly tedious as the same rooms lock themselves multiple times until cleared of enemies.”
    • “After finishing the game, I was trying to go back through to get the achievements, but walking to all of the different dungeons and then fighting through each one to see if there was a possibility that I missed something was a little too grindy for me.”
    • “As a result, it gave the game an unnecessarily tedious feel.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is mixed, with some users reporting a smooth experience on platforms like the Steam Deck, while others highlight significant issues, including frequent crashes and glitches. This inconsistency has led to frustration, particularly for those who feel that early access should not come with such instability.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “The game is stable and bug-free.”
    • “The game is crash-prone and filled with glitches.”
    • “I was already leaning towards a mediocre review based on it only being a mediocre game; but when it's also buggy and crashes a lot, it's not even worth the $1.”
    • “"Early access" to me indicates buggy and/or unfinished games, that I would basically be paying to be a playtester for.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that Gamemaker Studio is frequently associated with the creation of low-quality, retro-style games that are perceived as cash grabs, suggesting a trend of monetization strategies that prioritize profit over quality.

    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profit over player experience.”
    • “In-game purchases are heavily pushed, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
    • “The constant ads and paywalls ruin the overall enjoyment of the game.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users indicate that the game offers minimal replayability after achieving 100% completion, suggesting that while the experience is enjoyable, there is little incentive to revisit it once fully completed.

    • “That being said, there is close to zero replayability once you 100% it, but I can't complain.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game successfully captures a vibrant retro 80's atmosphere, immersing players in a nostalgic and engaging experience.

    • “This gives the game a great retro 80's atmosphere.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express that the game lacks a strong emotional connection, with many feeling unengaged and not fully immersed in the experience.

    • “Only a bit into the game right now, but it has already gripped me, pulled me in, and made me feel welcome.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
3-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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