It’s hard to know what to say about Shotgun Cop Man that I didn’t already say when I previewed it back in February. The demo presented me with a game that was so fundamentally rock-solid that all I could really do was conclude it was excellent and move on.
However, if the demo only gave me a taste of shotgun justice, the full game delivers a double-barrel blast of excellence. Much like its predecessor, My Friend Pedro, Shotgun Cop Man continuously evolves as you play, growing more complex and increasingly engaging the deeper you go.
I touched on it briefly in my preview, but I’ll reiterate in case you don’t feel like searching for it. Shotgun Cop Man’s plot is simple—you are Shotgun Cop Man, elite officer of the Shotgun Cops. You have one mission: to go to Hell and arrest Satan. It’s almost elegant in its simplicity. Throughout my playthrough, I kept waiting for some kind of Dante’s Inferno-style reveal where Satan had wronged Shotgun Cop Man personally, or perhaps kidnapped his beloved.
“Shotgun Cop Man continuously evolves as you play, growing more complex and increasingly engaging the deeper you go.”
But no. At the start of every chapter, Shotgun Cop Man confronts Satan with some piece of police jargon—phrases like “hands above your head” or “I have a warrant for your arrest!”—and Satan simply flips him the bird and flies away. My anticipation for the plot was met with a literal middle finger, and every time I couldn’t help but laugh. Like the infamous opening of Doom (2016), this game isn’t really concerned with plot—it’s all about the action, baby.
And as I said in my preview, the gameplay is really where Shotgun Cop Man sets itself apart. To repeat what I said before: “On his own, Shotgun Cop Man can only really run left or right, and it’s up to the raw power of his shotgun blasts to act as his jump. Players can use the pistol for shorter hops or keep themselves aloft in the air with repeated pistol fire.”
It’s a pretty unique gimmick that seems novel at first, but as the game continuously unfolds, it consistently throws new and complex challenges at you that really test your reflexes and cursor placement. One moment you’re weaving through bullets, dropping between platforms and quickly blasting back up—another you’re using bounce pads to navigate tricky platforms, and the next you’re shooting switches to open gates. Shotgun Cop Man is never content to rest on its laurels.
“Shotgun Cop Man is never content to rest on its laurels.”
Shotgun Cop Man introduces small challenges that never push the player too hard but consistently keep them on their toes. Most notably, its approach to taking damage is both compelling and convenient. If Shotgun Cop Man takes a hit, his vital life force will appear on the map. Players can choose to go back for it or keep running through the level, knowing the next hit will mean death.
As I mentioned in my preview, since every level challenges you to kill every enemy, clear it within a certain time, and avoid taking any damage in a single run, it maximizes replayability. Theoretically, players have infinite health and don’t need to kill every enemy, but being able to do everything both flawlessly and efficiently gives Shotgun Cop Man a deeply engaging “one more try” feeling that’s easy to get lost in.
Not only that, but Shotgun Cop Man constantly keeps things fresh by giving players unique “pistol” weapons that can radically change how a level is approached. This can range from a simple Burst Pistol to a Submachine Gun to a Light Shotgun that has all the spread and firepower of a shotgun but only gives players the lift of a pistol. Players can carry a gun through multiple levels, and much like with the health system, they lose it if they get hit. Wanting to hold on to something good for as long as possible adds even more complexity to the challenge.
“Its simplistic style is hilariously contrasted at times with bizarre facial features that make the game feel surreal and hilarious.”
When I initially previewed Shotgun Cop Man, I played it on PC, where its unique controls were probably best suited, given the simplicity of its movement and the fluidity of control afforded by a mouse. But for this review, I was more interested in playing it on the Nintendo Switch, where I personally think it’s much better suited.
Its addictive gameplay and overall simplicity make it the perfect game for a portable system, and its unique controls are well-suited to a twin-stick playstyle. While the Joy-Con sticks are notoriously bad for their articulation, Shotgun Cop Man implements simple mechanics like a basic lock-on when enemies are in range, so it’s never too bad.
In the audio/visual department, Shotgun Cop Man does a lot with a little. Its simplistic style is hilariously contrasted at times with bizarre facial features that make the game feel surreal and hilarious. Its simple, contrasting colours keep everything clear and identifiable, and its D&B soundtrack is fast-paced and intense, constantly setting the pace and vibe.
Shotgun Cop Man is an absolute delight, and for its low price, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to get this engaging throwback to arcade action platformers. When I previewed it, I said, “Shotgun Cop Man reminds me of some of those really amazing games you’d see on Newgrounds.com—where physics-based gameplay was implemented in interesting and inventive ways,” and I mean that. It’s silly, engaging, unique and incredibly fun, definitely give it a look.
