It's been a while since run and gun shooters dominated the gaming world. Although games like Contra and Rolling Thunder were once a major force, over time other genres would come to take over for players with a bit of blood lust. The indie scene has seen 2D shooters have a bit of a revival, and Bite The Bullet continues the trend.
Set in a future where mutant ghouls control the Earth, Bite The Bullet gives the player control over an extremely powerful hero looking to restore order at the behest of civilization. There's a bit of a twist, though, as Bite The Bullet also tasks its players with gathering mass through eating the enemies and nutrients they come across, as well as using their energy to transform into a vicious, hand-to-hand combat hulk to speed through levels. The game describes itself as a 'run and gun and eat' and that's a fairly accurate description of the player's actions, regurgitating their spoils at the end of each level.
From a gameplay perspective, Bite The Bullet combines roguelite elements with a classic shoot 'em up. Plenty of time will be spent causing explosive chaos in 2D environments akin to Metal Slug, including some beastly boss battles. There's a modern twist to the game that fits neatly under its retro art style, though, with aspects like weapon customization (gained through eating rotten enemies) and a skill tree bringing Bite The Bullet into the modern age.
Thematically Bite The Bullet very much feels like an arcade game of the 1980s or 1990s in its approach. From its in-game advertisements to dialogue with characters, there's a tone akin to Smash TV combined with the gore and outlandish comedy of pseudo follow-up Total Carnage. Fans of that era of gaming will find lots to love, particularly when combined with its Shovel Knight-style cast of supporting characters.
It won't be for everyone, and in part that's down to some aspects of gross-out humor that don't always land. It fits with Bite The Bullet's story in general - after all, it is a game where you eat stunned enemies of every kind - but it's sometimes a bit too flat and easy, as well as occasionally steering a little too close to fat shaming for comfort. Get ready to see a lot of vomit, particularly if you choose routes of the skill tree that cut off the player's options for digestible foodstuffs.
This mixture of roguelike elements with a classic game genre is another area where Bite The Bullet follows the path of Shovel Knight, albeit not with a Mega Man-style platformer this time. The procedural upgrades are picked up via skill tree that leads the player down specific play paths, which adds a little bit of a bespoke feel to the surface level of play without actually impacting too much on the run and gun elements. Other elements pack more of a punch, such as the selection of side quests that tie into Bite The Bullet's aforementioned cast of bizarre characters and the ability to complete additional challenges within each level.
As such there's a fair amount of charm, with gameplay that feels cohesive to the overall feel of its game world. Bite The Bullet's combat is satisfying, and the additional balance required to get health back from eating stunned enemies makes the game feel unique in a way that few 2D shooters can. Having a balance to the gluttony is important too, as the player will need to stop from eating too much to keep up their speed, but not being too munch-shy to avoid losing power.
It's not perfect, however, and there are some tweaks to the physics and balance of Bite The Bullet that would make it much more enjoyable as a shooter. Underneath its sassy text and voracious appetite the game can feel a little twitchy, with its dash mechanic a little unwieldy and its wall jumping let down by a sluggish wall slide pace. In short Bite The Bullet lacks the fluidity of other games of its ilk, stopping it from standing out from other retro shooter revivals like Blazing Chrome.
Nonetheless there are enough positives to keep fans of the genre happy. It's a fun romp with fifty levels to beat, so those after more than a quick fix will find plenty of action to plough through. Meanwhile, its unique eating mechanic provides enough disgusting moments to at least engage players curious about just how strange things can get.
Bite the Bullet releases 13 August 2020 for PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided with a Switch download code for the purposes of this review.