Have you ever wanted to play ‘Super Meat Boy’ with combat? No, neither have I, but now I have you thinking, would that even work? How would that work? Would Peter pick pickled peppers with or without gloves? Some of these questions I can answer for you after playing the demo of ‘Shotgun Cop Man’ from developer Deadtoast Entertainment and publisher Devolver Digital.

Shotgun Cop Man has you playing as – wait for it – Shotgun Cop Man and you are on a mission to arrest Satan. As this is only a demo, I only got to experience the first two of the ten available levels. So, the plot was very light, and I can only assume it will unfold more from completed levels. I predict, however, the story will be secondary to the gameplay.

Shotgun Cop Man is a two-dimensional platformer where you control Shotgun Cop Man through the stage, shooting demons with your two firearms to reach the portal at the end. The firearms are not only for defeating enemies but also for traversal. As there is no command for jumping, you must aim and shoot to propel yourself vertically. The pistol makes you lift only a little bit vertically, whereas the shotgun makes you lift massively.

You can only shoot a set number of times for each weapon before it requires reloading, so you can’t indefinitely stay aloft. When you are back in contact with the ground, you will automatically reload, allowing you to retake flight.

This is what makes Shotgun Cop Man challenging. Not only do you need to defend yourself from attackers, but you also need to navigate the perils on the stage, like saw blades and spikes. I can already tell Shotgun Cop Man will require some slick movement, fast reflexes, and a lot of patience to complete, as it will become more challenging in later stages.

Alternative weapons to the pistol are available in some stages or will sometimes drop from defeated enemies. Sawn-off shotgun and sub-machine gun, to name a couple, will change your approach to situations with enemies and environmental navigation.

Retaining the alternative lasts until you get hit, at this point, you will drop the weapon and revert to the pistol. Being hit will also make you drop your heart, which you can grab again to stay in the fight. Otherwise, if you take another hit, you die and must try again from the last checkpoint.

The graphics are minimalistic, with bold hard lines and a chunky pixel block feel. There is more detail when there are close-ups of characters, but it is still basic. Again, I predict that the graphics are secondary to the gameplay, like the story. This minimal approach allows the player to focus on the action and movement as the animation is smooth and fast.

The music accompanying Shotgun Cop Man is hard rocking synth beats with a deep base to get your head bopping along with the action. I thought as much as I liked it, it would soon become annoying over the top of the action. I was pleasantly surprised however, by its blending, allowing it to be part of the background and not disturbing. The sound effects were all a general affair of gun blasts, whirring blades, and meaty mincing splatter noises as enemies are killed by gunfire or saw blades.

Shotgun Cop Man is fun but begs the question of how intense or potentially frustrating it will get in later levels. If you like games like ‘Super Meat Boy’, you will also enjoy this game with its added combat challenge. With additional goals to strive for in each stage of killing all enemies, taking no damage, and speed running, there is replayability for those who want bragging rights over their friends.

Written by: Ashley Barnett-Cosgrove