Gun Rounds is a turn-based take on Downwell set to blast onto mobile next month

Gun Rounds is now available for pre-order on the App Store. It'll launch on August 2nd. 

Downwell is among my favourite mobile games ever, and I estimate that it's also among my most-played. So, naturally, an upcoming release pitching itself as "what if Downwell was turn-based?" instantly drew my attention.

That game is Gun Rounds, a cutesy roguelite shooter from solo developer Blabberf. The idea is that you'll take on enemies in turn-based combat encounters and have to time your block to avoid incoming damage. It sounds like an interesting blend of ideas and genres, mixing together strategy gameplay, timing challenges, and even some sharpshooting.

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Every one of the game's 4 worlds is said to be populated with distinct enemies to face off against. Along the way, you'll gather new weaponry with which to blast, explode, and chop them up. Some of these include a guillotine, a beam of sunlight, and a trusty pistol.

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There are also some gameplay-altering upgrades to try out. For example, you can suddenly learn ninjutsu, summon a demonic familiar, or even clone yourself. There's clearly a lot here to mess around with, which I have to imagine will feed nicely into the roguelite structure.

Money earned during each run can then be spent on acquiring all of these fancy upgrades and items. New colour palettes can also be unlocked, hopefully keeping the lovely pixel art fresh, and at the end of it all lies a mysterious final boss.

The iOS and Android versions will set you back $2.99, meaning there are no ads or IAPs to speak of. Gun Rounds will soon go live for pre-order on the App Store. PC players can grab the game from over on itch.io, where it was also included as part of the hugely popular Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.