I’m probably not into first-person shooters and roguelike video games, so once I say that Mullet Mad Jack was a blast, that ought to imply one thing in case you are into that type of recreation.
This fast-paced first-person retro shooter is one thing else. It’s a recreation created with love and care, full of references to a bygone period that may make you’re feeling nostalgic. It hooks you with a system that criticizes our dependency on dopamine whereas concurrently utilizing it to maintain you taking part in. It’s fairly genius, truthfully.
You Have 10 Seconds
Mullet Mad Jack has a simple idea that, whereas not essentially unique, is executed brilliantly. You solely have 10 seconds to dwell, and every enemy you kill provides a number of extra seconds to your timer, permitting you to maintain pushing ahead. The target is to advance whereas performing fashionable abilities to maintain your self alive. If you attain the tip of a stage, you may choose an improve in a sturdy roguelite type, which you retain for the following stage.
Every part is split into 10 sections, culminating in a boss combat. After defeating the boss, you lose all upgrades and begin over, however with further mechanics launched. As the sport progresses, it will increase in complexity and issue, however not in a manner that feels overwhelming or irritating.
![Mullet Mad Jack Review Wall-Run-Mullet-Madjack](https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wall-Run-Mullet-Madjack.jpg)
The upgrades really feel a bit unbalanced, however there is perhaps builds I’m not utilizing appropriately. You’ve got melee weapons, shotguns, and my favourite, the SMG, which is as sturdy as a pistol however means that you can maintain the set off whereas aiming for the robots’ heads.
I significantly like the concept of losing a number of seconds to go searching and see if there’s a greater method to clear the room. As an alternative of speeding in and capturing all bots on sight. It’s a risk-reward system that may be extremely rewarding.
For example, realizing {that a} pink barrel will kill all of the robots within the room can immediately restore all of the seconds you’ve misplaced, moderately than choosing off every enemy one after the other, which could be dangerous and result in your dying.
Nevertheless, in the event you spend an excessive amount of time in search of one thing like explosive barrels or gadgets to grant you extra seconds, you would possibly waste valuable time and find yourself with nothing. It’s a fragile steadiness that provides depth to the gameplay.
![Mullet Mad Jack Review First-Boss-Behold-Mullet-Madjack](https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/First-Boss-Behold-Mullet-Madjack.jpg)
It took me some time to know why Mullet Mad Jack is enjoyable, however as soon as I received the hold of it and the rhythm of the sport, I used to be hooked. It’s a really intelligent recreation in its design, from its visible suggestions to the size of every part, and it cleverly breaks the tempo with boss battles that allow your mind relaxation for a bit.
The Artwork of Mullet Mad Jack
![Mullet Mad Jack Review Special-Finish-Mullet-Madjack](https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Special-Finish-Mullet-Madjack.jpg)
The sport evokes the loopy retro-futuristic aesthetics of 90s’ cartoons whereas utilizing an artwork type paying homage to anime from that decade. The primary character is your typical robust man of that period, who seems suspiciously like Kurt Russell, and he has to avoid wasting a green-haired influencer that appears identical to any scorching woman from a 90s’ manga.
The visuals are effectively complemented by the synthwave music taking part in within the background as you blast robots’ heads, creating a superb marriage of artwork kinds. The soundtrack and sound results make the sport really feel good to play. Nevertheless, the colourful corridors, enemies, and explosions could be very complicated at occasions, making it laborious to know what’s happening. However I assume that’s the value to pay for such a colourful and identifiable artwork type.
Self-Conscious, However A Bit A lot at Occasions
![Mullet Mad Jack Review Livestream-Save-the-Princess-Mullet-Madjack](https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Livestream-Save-the-Princess-Mullet-Madjack.jpg)
You might be “The Moderator,” a man who will kill robots for a pair of sneakers, doing so throughout a dwell stream to maintain the viewers entertained. In the event that they lose curiosity for 10 seconds, you die. This appears to be a critique of Twitch or some other streaming platform, the place it’s worthwhile to preserve the viewers engaged with fashionable kills to earn extra seconds and keep alive.
The story is as foolish because it sounds, full of 90s tropes about how firms management all the things and also you exist solely to eat and be a slave. Whereas there’s some reality to that, the sport might have toned down the preaching a bit, because it will get annoying after some time. Fortunately, it doesn’t dwell too lengthy on these themes, permitting you to benefit from the recreation with out an excessive amount of distraction.
The Verdict
In the event you’re in search of a recreation which you can beat in about 4 hours, Mullet Mad Jack is actually value its price ticket. It’s a enjoyable recreation that may be performed casually and gives totally different issue settings for many who don’t wish to cope with its unforgiving nature. Nevertheless, in the event you get actually good at it, the upper difficulties can be found for many who search a larger problem. Whereas the very best issue feels unattainable to me, I’m certain some gamers will love the torture of battling mobster androids.
On condition that this recreation combines genres I’m not significantly keen on, and I nonetheless had loads of enjoyable, I can confidently say that in the event you like retro shooters and roguelikes, you’re going to get pleasure from your time with Mullet Mad Jack.
8
Mullet Mad Jack
Regardless that the story is a bit over-the-top, the Mullet Mad Jack’s self-awareness and humor, mixed with its addictive and well-crafted gameplay, stored me totally entertained.
Reviewed on PC