Gonner 2 Review

 

A Rotting Tree With Pretty Leaves-A Gonner 2 Review

I went into Gonner 2 hoping to see improvement over its quite lackluster first installment that I played right at the start of the switch’s lifespan. What the sequel brought was moderate improvements, but nothing substantial enough to make that original formula all the more enjoyable.

Downright Frustrating Mechanics

To make things blunt, the way that taking damage works in this game is beyond salvageable from a game design perspective. Art in heart has doubled down on this frustrating system of being hit, losing your skull, then frantically trying to get back to your skull without any way of defense. This mechanic literally invalidates the form of having any hp, as more times than not you will die when put in that helpless form and either have to pay currency gained throughout the run to get another chance, or just go all the way back to the start (Not to mention, when you get hit your gun, backpack, and skull can fall off cliffs and be completely unrecoverable).

Gonner 2 left me with one central question: Why abandon the purely horizontal aim, less appealing artstyle, and less responsive control of the first game but keep this archaic and bland damage system? 

This, alongside key accessibility options like remappable controls and options to turn some obnoxious lighting effects (lighting effects that also make dodging the small projectiles the game throws at you hard to see) to help those with photosensitivity issues, left me infuriated with this game's lack of foresight. It left me feeling like no one playtested the game before release. 

Another issue comes in the form of explanation. Yes, long tutorial sequences are never the right choice, but Gonner 2’s insistence on telling the player nothing about its mechanics and throwing you into the dark is senseless. It took me nearly an hour to fully understand the depth of using all the games controls and abilities. Even after beating the game's final boss, the player is thrown into this peaceful end area where they can only run around. You are just supposed to end your run manually from the menu. No credits, nothing for closure.

Wasted Potential

All these issues wouldn’t bother me as much if the game was wholly terrible, but that is not the case here. The game feels polished control and combat wise, with a wide variety of weapons and different skulls to collect, but these nagging issues bring it down so hard. 

I really liked the game feel of blasting monsters with a variety of weapons, and excellent sound design kept the game engaging. The boss fights of this game are a huge improvement over the first one, and I genuinely liked all the enemies thrown at me. 

Gonner 2 also features a cute little combo system if you keep racking up kills and pushing forward, rewarding you with vibrant blasts of color when you really get going, it's just a shame that this isn’t a toggleable option for the visually impaired. These choices really make the game stand out compared to the bland aesthetic of the first title, but it still isn’t necessarily perfect. A lot of the game comes off as fairly bland, consisting of simple shapes that barely any definition.

Verdict

As a baseline experience, Gonner 2 is fairly enjoyable on paper. In practice, however, frustrating hit mechanics and lack of options leave this game in an uncompelling slog. With all this alongside a $13 price tag, be sure to stay far far away. 

4/10-Wasted Potential In Videogame Form