RATING: 
3/4
TYPE: June 2019
WHEN: eShop
Dinky li'l platformer for a bang-up price.
(reviewed June 26 2019)
[NEW!] For a Ł2 purchase, you get a short and sweet little Mega Man-like that's got a lot of polish for its price! Where other games of its ilk tend to focus on the intense difficulty, presenting tough foes and limited resources as hurdles to mount, Gunman Clive presents a somewhat gentler challenge.
There's still tricky platforming that had me dying a foolish number of times, and enemy placements that caught me off-guard, but its Normal difficulty setting seems to emphasise personal improvement most of all. There's no checkpoints, so every death kicks you to the beginning, but it's a reminder to do it properly next time. Levels are short enough that this never feel like a slap in the face, and you have an unlimited number of lives - it never feels like an insult or an unfair blow. I just gotta do better!
On top of that, there's always a timer ticking up from the start of each stage, and your best time is recorded on the stage select screen. Surviving each individual challenge and eventually completing the level is your first accomplishment - why not build on that and do it faster?
It's a relatively low-frills game - even embellishments like the gun power-ups feel underused since they're totally random and lost in a single hit. Stage gimmicks are typically a one-and-done affair, like the mine carts or gravity panels. Its short nature might not be what folks want, but it's nice to see a game appear to intentionally design itself for short, pick-up-and-play sessions with an emphasis on replay value and personal improvement. Sometimes that makes a grander impression than overloading in grandiose features!
Completion: Finished on Easy and Normal as Clive and the duck.
