Shotgun Joe offers classic side-scrolling shooting action on Android

• Shotgun Joe is out now on Android and offers classic side-scrolling action
• Blast your way through zombies, dinosaurs, aliens and more
• Simple one-tap controls make it accessible for virtually anyone

With hump day being here and all, it's time to look at some other cool and unusual launches this week. And one which has caught our eye is that of a real throwback to the good-old-days of mobile gaming, but which has a few caveats, in the form of Shotgun Joe!

Shotgun Joe, now available on Android, reminds me in many ways of early mobile gaming. You play a nondescript shotgun-armed redneck on the hunt for his girlfriend after she's stolen away by a flying saucer. So far, so weird. And to rescue her, you'll have to go on a globe-trotting adventure blasting monsters, zombies and more.

Gameplay-wise, there's a very simple format here as you navigate Joe around the level with the mere swipe of your finger. When enemies enter the designated zone around Joe, he'll blast them. It makes for simple but intriguing gameplay.

Shotgun wedding

Of course, there's that aforementioned caveat, being that there's a little in the way of AI art floating around Shotgun Joe. I don't want to seem like the kind of person who harps on the topic, but I don't think it's unfair to say that the bits of it that pop up in some of the levels in the trailer and on the storage page interrupt a simple yet clean visual style.

Ultimately, Shotgun Joe appeals to me based on the fact that it offers the kind of Flash game-style fun you'd have enjoyed on Miniclip back in the day. So here's hoping that this is what it'll offer for those of you who choose to jump in and give it a go.

In the meantime, if you want to see what else has caught our eye so far this year (all seven days of it), why not dig into our list of the best mobile games of 2026?