If you think the bounty hunters are colourful, they're nothing compared to the bosses, and there's a whole bunch of these hard-skinned offenders to beat down. Then there's the action parody John Sawyer, who completes the playable trio. For example, it's super entertaining to at one moment enjoy the cocky axe-throwing Sarah Connor/Ellen Ripley-inspired Anna Conda before switching to killer robot Mow Man, who cold-bloodedly states that your opponents are dead after you've burned them all to death with fire. The three playable characters also enhance the experience, because even though they play more or less identically to each other (they have different guns and firearms), the choice keeps the experience energetic and vital for considerably longer than if there was only one protagonist available. Admittedly, we did think that the tunes were at times a bit anonymous during our first play, but they grew on us the longer we spent playing as one of the game's three charming bounty hunters. The music is cut from the same studded 1980s-cloth, where epic synth melodies and heavy beats blend with screaming electric guitars and synthetic drum beats. It takes inspiration from movies like Terminator, Robocop and Blade Runner, although the homage never feels tasteless, nor does it cheapen the experience, not even for even a second. We lost more than one hectic firefight with a bunch of trash-talking bikers just because we saw something in the background that caught our eye. The overall dystopian theme remains consistent throughout and in this vision of the future punk rockers and the like roam the concrete-filled back streets and rain-soaked rooftops. Admittedly, we have been spoiled with delicious pixel graphics in recent times in great indies like The Messenger and Blazing Chrome, but Huntdown offers a whole new level of detail and a deeper, more thoughtful style that ensures every level oozes personality. However, the first thing you will probably notice when kicking off this meaty action-adventure is that the graphics are absolutely magnificent. Sliding on your knees in front of a crowd of enemies before emptying your mighty shotgun is a feeling everyone should experience. This feeling extends throughout the experience and everything from the weapon handling to the movement delivers a sense of balance and power, and our thoughts were often drawn back to Doom 2016, where one can also sense this kind of mastery and freedom in an otherwise extremely hostile environment. The difference, however, in contrast to many past examples, is that Easy Trigger Games has managed to craft spotless controls that come to life on screen with each button press, where simply firing your primary weapon creates an indescribable pleasure that refuses to get old no matter how long you play. If you have played any classic action platformers from the Super Nintendo era then you will probably feel at home in the arms of this two-dimensional time capsule.

It all sounds very straightforward, and Huntdown is easy to grasp on a fundamental level, but there is also a complex game to master here, and much of the entertainment lies in experimenting and developing yourself within its simple framework. There are four areas to visit and all in all, there are twenty rascals that you have to defeat in order to finally reach the neon-drenched credits. The premise is simple you play the role of one of three bounty hunters, and it's your job to take down the criminal gangs creating disorder in an '80s vision of a post-apocalyptic 2000s. In this hard-boiled action game, we are offered a retro flirtation of oversized proportions, and this is delivered at the same time as gameplay that feels fresh, all wrapped up in a great concept and presented with style. Many game developers have tried in recent years (with varying results), but now the question is whether anyone has ever succeeded to the same degree as Easy Trigger Games and its new indie adventure Huntdown? Although there is obviously a lot of potential in trying to recreate successful recipes from the past, it is at the same time extremely difficult to capture those golden memories and turn them into something new that awakens the same kind of passion that the original material did all those years before.

Nostalgia can be a difficult thing harness.

Huntdown switch release date