"The Good, the Bad, and the Mega Man"

Gaming love letters can be nice. These newer games, whose sole intent seems to be to pay homage to classic games, can be a wonderful reminder of our gaming roots. Enter Gunman Clive, an indie title available on 3DS, PC and mobile phones. It's a little rough around the edges because of its unavoidable control scheme, but its heart is in the right place. I rated the game a six, but it's a high six; if you can handle the virtual touch screen, you'll be in for quite a treat with Gunman Clive.

The game is a Mega Man homage (clone?) through and through. In the year 18XX (get it?), the lonesome cowboy Gunman Clive's special gal has been kidnapped. It's up to Clive to grab his gun and trek through the forest, the plains, the desert and even to some unexpected locations to capture the bandits. Gunman Clive is a 2D platformer with upgradeable weapons, and the "references" to Capcom's once-favorite character shine through.

The enemies all have attack patterns much like those in Mega Man. They'll rotate along edges, shoot and duck, walk around in a straight line without dodging or attacking or chuck dynamite at you from faraway. Some of these enemies even look like the classic baddies. It's not only in the enemy types; you'll encounter moving platforms, fans, rolling rocks to help you make it across spiky gaps and even small rocks which disappear and quickly reappear like the ones in the original Mega Man series. You'll even encounter some sections not unlike the 2D portions of the Super Mario Galaxy games, in which gravity is reversed or rotated to the side. The game earns its classic platforming chops.

You'll chuckle as you slowly immerse yourself in the classic design of Gunman Clive, but you'll likely cringe at the controls. The developers seem to know of this inherent problem and let you move the virtual control pad to wherever you want on the screen; you only have to tap in the direction you want Clive to go. However, this is imprecise; you'll often duck when you don't want to, or you'll change direction, thus leaving you open for attack. The health meter is generous, and so are checkpoints (at least in the first bundle of 16-or-so levels). The stages are short, too, so it won't be too long before you can put off the game and sigh in relief after the most recent platforming challenge, made all the more difficult thanks to the controls. At least the game gives you infinite lives.

It's sad to say, too; it makes me wish I played the game on the 3DS or PC, where I can use buttons to control Clive. That said, one can still enjoy this game, regardless of how short it is; one can complete Gunman Clive in less than an hour. Even with its strong Mega Man influence, the nuances of taking enemy's powers, sliding up walls or dashing are not in this game (although there are various weapons, like a spread-shot and a one-shot-kill rifle). What you'll find is a bite-sized, Western-themed 2D platformer with fun bosses and a great classic vibe.

It's easy to overlook these unfortunate flaws, though, thanks to the graphics. Gunman Clive looks like a "Wanted" poster from the Old West: sepia tone, minimalistic and shadows composed of thin lines drawn closely together. Everything moves in a kind of "Squigglevision" kind of way as well, except for Clyde himself. This adds a wonderful bit of charm to the game. The music is also nothing to sneeze at; it combines 8-bit sensibilities with the occasional Western influence. The game's soundtrack will remind you of the great chiptunes from the 80's.

Gunman Clive was designed by gamers, for gamers. If you're willing to put up with the virtual gamepad (or have somehow gotten used to it by now), you can put in a good hour into Gunman Clive to relive the old days of gaming. It's nice to see a mobile game with so much TLC behind it, even if the price is kind of questionable. The graphics are impressive, the levels are charming with a fine injection of retro flavoring and, while the game certainly could have been longer, it gets my recommendation.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10 | Originally Posted: 02/06/13

Game Release: Gunman Clive (US, 04/03/12)

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