Developers: Claeys Brothers Art, GGC
Publisher: Crazy Monkey Studios
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Wii U
Tested on: PC
Release date: Early 2015
Guns, Gore & Cannoli – Preview
Guns, Gore & Cannoli is a fast-paced action-packed game that features an epic gangster story and combines it with the overly used concept of zombies. All of this epicness in a side-scrolling action game that is simply a blast to play.
I don’t often get all giddied-up for a game but I’ve been looking at Guns, Gore & Cannoli every single time I passed their booths at various events such as Gamescom, GameForce and even Antwerp Con – conventions we’ve survived and covered as well. This preview is not based on any gameplays at previously mentioned conventions but it is based on the demo that has been released only a little while ago.
The story in the game is as gangster-related as possible. You’re playing as Vinnie Cannoli, a rough gangster who has entered Thugtown – set in the ’20s. Thugtown however is a city owned by two rivaling mafia families who are doing everything they can in their power to distribute their illegal liquor. Trouble has found its way into Thugtown and lowlifes has been turned into hungry zombies. Vinnie’s quest is to find a ‘goodfella’ as they call it that has been missing since the uproar. In the meantime, you will unravel the mystery of where these undead came from.
Guns, Gore & Cannoli is fast-paced which means that you need to have a fairly good reaction time – especially since there is a good variation of things that can damage you. Since the game is a side-scrolling game, it plays somewhat like a platformer although the level design isn’t as straight-forward as most platforming games. While you need to move to the right for the majority of times, there are certain rooms where you need to go back in order to open a gate or even fall through a ladder, landing in an alley. The variation of enemies from zombies to the mafia themselves as well as the weapons is simply great. This will keep the game refreshing. What’s your favorite way to blow up the incoming hordes of zombies to bits and pieces? A shotgun? Great, you’re in luck! If you want to use a less powerful weapon that has a bigger clip you can always use the traditional Tommy gun – an iconic weapon known for being used by the most notorious mobsters of that era. Most weapons have a limited amount of ammo and once that has been used up, the weapons will vanish from your equipment – this is a sad feature but since there are so many weapons to pick up it doesn’t really matter much.
While the game is perfect for solo gameplays, you can always drag your friends with you to unravel the mystery of Thugtown in a local co-op mode. Having a friend tag along can come in handy since certain zombies are rather vicious and once they are huddled around you, it’s hard to get rid of them. Your partner may be able to help here but he will also be able to help you defeat the bosses. The boss-fights are in a way more challenging than the zombies themselves since the boss is fairly fast and more enemies spawn to aid him. Not to mention the fact that the bosses has a huge health pool compared to yours. Of course, there is only one boss you will encounter in the demo but I’m pretty convinced that this is not the only boss you will have to face in the full game.
Not only is the game a blast to play, the game is also visually pleasing. The hand drawn 2D cartoon styled graphics are certainly great to look at and the animations are flawless. The background and foreground are cleverly designed and objects can be interacted with – food cartons will regain a small percentage of health for example. Thanks to the cleverly designed levels, you will often feel like you are truly standing in a large room and not just on a small pathway. Additionally the game also has some great hand-drawn cut scenes that will reveal more of the storyline over time.
The sound design in Guns, Gore and Cannoli is certainly catchy and completely in theme. If you’ve watched a lot of gangster movies, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that the soundtrack of the game sounds like the good old days during the ’20s. Even the weapons and zombies have a nice variation of sounds. The voice-acting is done fairly well and also in theme.
As far as controls go, both the controller and keyboard work flawlessly. The controls on the controller however are somewhat awkward and will take some time to get used to – although you can change them to how you’d like the controls. I kept the default controls and here’s how it looks like with an Xbox controller. Shooting with your weapon is done with RT while reloading is done by RB. Your secondary weapons can be switched with LB while you can throw them at enemies with LT. Moving your character is simply done with the D-pad but you can also use the directional pad for that. Switching weapons is done with X and Y while kicking the enemies away from you is done with the B-button. Additionally you can also crouch and jump in the game. Crouching is necessary if you’d want to hit the crawling zombies.
Conclusion
Guns, Gore and Cannoli is a great fast-paced action platformer in general. The fact that you can drag a friend into the zombie infested era of the mafia makes it even more fun. The concept, the visual and audio design all mixed together has given us a great and visually pleasing game. The demo was quite short and only revealed a small portion of the game but it was enough to leave me even more giddied-up about the full game which is set to release in 2015 on Xbox One, PS4, Wii U and PC.
You can download the demo here or read up on the game via their KS-page.
Guns, Gore & Cannoli - Preview,
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