Developer: HAMMER95
Publisher: Epopeia Games
Platform: Switch (2), Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: Switch 2
MULLET MADJACK – Review
There’s probably some kind of poetic irony to be found in the timing of our MULLET MADJACK review: the game has actually been out for quite some time now, but it slipped under the radar, and we’re only getting to it now, as one of our backlog reviews. What’s ironic about that, you ask? Well, this is a game that is about time management, where literally every second counts… so a delay of a couple of months would’ve certainly spelled death for old Jack. Subtlety definitely isn’t in the cards for this one, but then again, what did you expect from a game titled MULLET MADJACK?
Story
It is the year 2095. Hyper-consumerism reigns, and humanity has become so physically dependent on dopamine hits that people will literally die without a constant supply. Super-rich AI entities, known as Robillionaires run the world. Vigilante robot hunters, known as Moderators, live-stream their violent exploits to keep a bloodthirsty audience entertained. Against this dystopian backdrop, we meet Jack Banhammer, a.k.a. Mullet Madjack, a mercenary who accepts a contract from the so-called Streamer. Jack is sent to Nakamura Plaza to rescue the Influencer Princess, a high-profile target with two billion followers. She’s been kidnapped by an unhinged robotic mastermind named Mr. Bullet, who intends to use her in a dark ritual. By this point, it should be clear that MULLET MADJACK is very in your face. However, beneath its raunchy, over-the-top exterior, you’ll find a surprisingly dark narrative core. The game blatantly satirizes online streaming culture, the rise of AI, and corporate consumerism.
Graphics
The ‘ 90s-inspired anime aesthetic is one of MULLET MADJACK’s defining features. It evokes the grit, saturated colours and attitude of Akira and Fist of the North Star. The influence of this very specific era of Japanese animation isn’t the only thing that MULLET MADJACK takes inspiration from, as the game also leans heavily into vaporwave, synthwave and retro PC UI elements. Together, these elements give MULLET MADJACK an appearance that feels as distinct as it looks familiar. The cutscenes in particular are a highlight here, perfectly blending 3D models with hand-drawn sprite work. Despite the flashy, intense visuals and fast-paced on-screen action, the Switch 2 has no issues with keeping up with the action, delivering consistent frame rates and sharp colours. A quick word of warning though: MULLET MADJACK comes with a photosensitivity warning, and with good reason. Even if you don’t suffer from photosensitivity, the levels can feel disorienting as things start to blend together, and we can definitely see this one causing motion sickness if you’re playing over a longer period of time.
Sound
Given that MULLET MADJACK’s visuals feature synthwave elements, it only makes sense that the game’s music follows suit. Granted, the soundtrack doesn’t consist of just synthwave, as other styles of electronic music and even heavy metal make an appearance, but overall the tunes perfectly match the adrenaline-fueled gameplay. A particularly nice touch is that the music adjusts to the action in unexpected ways: when you pause the game, for example, hold music starts playing. Sound effects are expectedly over-the-top and punchy, delivering satisfying feedback that elevates the game’s sense of speed. The icing on MULLET MADJACK’s soundscape cake is the voice acting. This is deliberately hammy, appropriately mimicking bad English-language dubs from ‘90s anime. We couldn’t help but be reminded of Duke Nukem whenever Jack himself started to deliver cheesy one-liners.
Gameplay
At first glance, MULLET MADJACK may seem like just another by-the-numbers boomer shooter, but there is actually a bit more depth to its fast-paced madness. The gameplay revolves around constant forward momentum. Jack is hooked up to a life-support countdown timer that defaults to just 10 seconds. To prevent his heart from exploding, you’ll need to continuously kill enemies and trigger environmental hazards, as doing so adds precious seconds back onto the clock. You can’t rely on memorizing corridor layouts and enemy locations, as the stages are procedurally generated, so muscle memory is of very little help here. This makes MULLET MADJACK a demanding game, so it’s a good thing that individual levels are very short, typically only taking around a minute to complete. The randomized nature of MULLET MADJACK’s levels is a double-edged sword, however, as the corridors start to blend together after a while, and enemy variety is on the lower side. During that brief 10-second window, you’ll kick down doors, slaughter hordes of robots to regain seconds, select an upgrade once you reach the elevator and repeat this process as you make your way through 10-floor chapters with a boss waiting for you at the end. Interestingly enough, the boss fights feel quite different, as here, your timer doesn’t come into play.
The core experience is not just fast-paced chaos, as the game encourages you to go for creative and skillful kills. Headshots and groin shots (yes, really) reward you with more seconds on the clock than body shots. Melee weapons like katanas or axes found in levels offer guaranteed one-shot kills. You can run, jump, wall-run, slide and dash, with the latter being able to be executed mid-air and doubling as a powerful kick mechanic that you can use to stagger enemies or avoid hazards like acid pools.This really makes MULLET MADJACK feel like skill, rather than dumb luck, is the defining factor. That said, luck does come into play when it comes to the game’s roguelike structure. Between individual floors, you choose a randomized temporary upgrade, such as slowing down time when the clock is low, or a weapon mod, like piercing bullets. These temporary buffs stack across an individual chapter, but are gone once you defeat the boss waiting for you at the end of the 10th floor. However, defeating such a boss awards permanent progression upgrades that persist across future runs, including extra upgrade slots and permanent weapon damage increases.
With individual levels taking only around a minute to complete and a successful run being completable in under 15 minutes, MULLET MADJACK isn’t a very long game, even if it has a high replay factor. It took us around 3 hours at “Lenient” difficulty to see the game come to an end, but with a whopping seven difficulty settings ranging from “No Timer!” to “Permadeath”, there’s enough here for players of all skill levels to engage in robocide. Once you make it past the campaign, you’ll unlock an Endless mode as well as a dedicated Boss Rush mode featuring an Ultrakill crossover, alongside various specialized challenge modes. That’s quite a lot of boom for your €19.95.
Conclusion
A game like MULLET MADJACK was always going to be a niche title for a very specific audience, but if you happen to be in that audience, you should love this one. From the fast-paced boomer shooter gameplay to the overall lack of subtlety in its presentation, MULLET MADJACK knows what it wants to be, and it’s up to you, the player, to decide whether or not you’re willing to go along for a bumpy but very fun ride.
No Comments