Game Review: Bouncy Bullets (Xbox One)

If you’ve played the likes of Lovely Planet then you’ll feel right at home with Bouncy Bullets. It has a similar look and style about it, vibrant and colourful visuals with easy to understand gameplay.

It’s a fun time-waster of a game but has very little substance and once you’ve hit that 1000G you’re unlikely to come back and play it.

There’s no story, you simply control a character from the first-person perspective armed with a gun that shoots coloured bullets. The left trigger for one colour, the right trigger for the other. This is important as enemies are colour-coded and need to be taken down with the corresponding colour.

However, this is not an FPS. The gun mechanic is there but not often used, instead it’s a platformer where the aim is to make it through the map to the end portal as fast as possible. All while jumping, dodging traps and hazards.

Each level will award you stars based on how fast you completed it. Get through a level quick enough and 3 stars will be yours. Some can be challenging but not to a hair-pulling extent and the game handily shows you the time to beat to get the most stars.

Levels are short, some lasting only a few seconds while the odd few can take upward of a minute. With an immediate restart available, failed attempts rarely feel like that much of a big deal. Except for a couple of the more tricky later levels that really test your jumping skills.

It’s a nice looking game, the colours really bright and vibrant and the level design, cute and childlike, really appeals. It’s a little rough around the edges but excusable considering its simplicity.

What isn’t so excusable are the floaty controls and awkward turning. A bit of an issue considering it’s a platformer where speed and good reactions are necessary. It’s not horrific but often a failed run will come at the hands of the controls letting you down rather then anything you did.

Overall though, Bouncy Bullets is worth a look because it’s fun and you’ll get a good few hours out of it.