Steam Tip: Not a Hero brings OlliOlli's pixel-perfect precision to the arcade shooter
Five more years
Not a Hero might not immediately seem like the next game from the guys behind indie skateboarding sim OlliOlli.
This is a gory shooter, with a darkly nihilistic streak running through its veins (but with a cheeky, cartoon exterior - like a clown brandishing a flamethrower).
The game's all about committing heinous acts of violence, in service to wannabe world-leader Bunnylord, who hopes to get votes by murdering gangsters and criminals.
So you'll slide through levels, gun down crooks, turn baddies to red mush, and shout swear words in a Glasgow accent. All in all, it's a bit like a side-scrolling, happy-go-lucky twist on Hotline Miami.
But when you start hitting harder levels, and start trying to go for those sub goals, the links to Roll7's dangerously difficultly skater sim become clear.
Finishing a mission in a set time or racking up kill streaks requires awesome timing, a good memory for level layouts, and frenetic fingers. If you don't make judicious use of timing, critical hits, execution moves, special weapons and ammo, and cover, you'll be a splattered puddle of blood, oozing into the floor tiles.
It's not quite as clever as OlliOlli, and the humour - bawdy and grungy - can be a little hit or miss. And it can start to feel a little monotonous after gunning down your millionth goon.
But you can't argue that it's not fearsomely frenetic and pin-sharp, and when it's at its best, trying to chart a perfect course through the messy, gory, chaos of a level is as thrilling as nailing a run in that indie skateboarding game.
Not a Hero is on Steam right now, exclusively for PC, and will cost ya £9.99.). All hail Bunnylord.
