Shotgun Joe - Love & Monsters brings 12-gauge side-scrolling action to iOS

• Shotgun Joe brings the action to iOS as it's now available on the App Store
• Take on the forces of evil as shotgun-armed redneck Joe
• Blast your way through the hordes, but watch where you step to avoid being overwhelmed!

After releasing earlier in January for Android, there's 12-gauge action coming to mobile once again, as developer Gameaki's Shotgun Joe finally makes its way to iOS. So, what does your trucker cap-wearing hero have to offer in the way of diversion? Quite a bit as it turns out.

The set-up of Shotgun Joe is as simple as it gets. You play the titular stereotypical redneck Joe, whose girlfriend is suddenly kidnapped by aliens. Naturally, that leaves it up to you to pursue them and rescue your beau while blasting aliens, monsters and undead with your trusty shotgun.

The gameplay itself is also relatively simple. Rather than manually aiming each shot, you're given a static area that, when monsters enter, Joe will blast at anything trying to harm him automatically. All that's up to you is how you manoeuvre and where Joe actually goes.

Git 'er done

I've said it before, but Shotgun Joe is an interesting new release, albeit one with a bit of a caveat. I think the simple gameplay and story are quite fun, and a definite throwback to the good old days of the App Store. But at the same time, the spectre of AI assets looms in the background.

Again, I don't want to make a judgment call on the use of the tech, but in Shotgun Joe, with its quaint cartoon graphics, the assets which aren't crafted by human hand stand out like a sore thumb. Still, if you can look past that, there's plenty here to be intrigued by.

Speaking of intriguing, if you've still got an itchy trigger finger after playing Shotgun Joe, then we've got you covered. Why not check in on our list of the best shooters on iOS for our curated picks in terms of blasting?