Holy Shoot! is a roguelite FPS game that is set in a giddy version of hell. If you ever need an excuse to feel like a hard-boiled gunner in an (under)world brimming with wonderful satirical undertones, then Holy Shoot is the game for you!
Story and Characters
The game is set in a fun and witty version of hell where players are dispatched by a secret organisation called The Sanctum to retrieve seven holy artifacts that were stolen by demons. The artifacts were previously used to protect earth from evil, which means players will have to take on the role of agents sent by The Sanctum to defeat seven bosses, each representing one of the deadly sins, in order to retrieve all the artifacts and restore order to the world.
Though the story and narrative aren’t the main focus of Holy Shoot, the world-building done by the game is sufficient for players to grasp their mission and what they are trying to achieve, with signs of progression shown by each artifact appearing in the lobby after their respective boss is defeated. This gives a satisfying indicator of the progress that players have already made.
Moving on, the characters are not anything out of the ordinary as FPS games come by. However, their personalities are playfully exaggerated, giving some uniqueness to their stereotypical personas, with some side characters not being afraid to challenge you with their dramatic banter.
Graphics and Design
The art style of the game looks like a distant cousin of Borderlands, but with a more cartoonish and vibrant palette. The design of the game does a very good job in communicating the vibe of the game, as players can instantly tell that this is a satirical version of hell. It is colourful and energetic, but also tells players that it does not take itself too seriously.
However, if I had to nitpick, I think some of the enemies need better visibility. While the game does have a symbol to indicate farther enemies, a highlight system might be easier for players to find enemies through walls. During my playthrough, I had quite a few runs where I found myself having to take some time just to look for enemies.
Gameplay
The combat for Holy Shoot is satisfying, with satisfying controls that make shooting down enemies with one powerful shot or unloading your whole magazine equally thrilling. The ability to slow down time on top of the dashing and gliding mechanics are extremely gratifying when used to evade enemy attacks, eliminating the need to constantly strafe left and right. Being able to double jump is also a welcome addition.
However, I do feel like the game missed out on fulfilling their movement’s potential due to the lack of parkour (or the need for it). If the map was more dynamic, with players being able to climb over the shorter walls that act as map borders, I think the movement of this game will be excellent.
On the bright side, each character’s abilities are quite fun to use, and they really help players who are in a pinch by being useful but not totally overpowered. The in-game challenges are achievable and fun to complete as well, but could use some rework, as there seems to be a bug where players can fail their challenges in the upgrading room in between rounds.
Since it’s a roguelite game, players can upgrade themselves on two occasions: during a run, granting a temporary upgrade that will be removed after dying; and before a run, which is permanent and lasts for future runs. Upgrading during a run doesn’t really make that big of a difference compared to upgrading before a run (which is completely understandable) but sometimes it can feel quite pointless to kill every enemy in every round, as “in-run” upgrades aren’t significant except for one or two buffs.
This comes at the detriment of the game, as it will make impatient players want to breeze through rounds just to get better weapons and reach the bosses of each stage faster, especially as the first stage consists of nine rounds, which is quite overkill in my opinion. This problem is further amplified as you can’t save your progress during a run. Even if you don’t die, you’ll lose your progress as soon as you quit. As this is an Early Access title, hopefully this will be addressed before the game’s final release.
Sound and Music
The robust soundtrack of the game really gets players in the mood to do exactly what the game wants you to do – dash around the map and shoot down demons. The creative mixture between heavy metal rock and orchestral choir will get players licking their lips for some demon takedown while also staying true to the heaven vs hell theme of the game.
The persisting usage of heavy metal guitar makes the game feel lively and vigorous, and fits very well with the overall theme. However, the game could do with more variety as well as a longer playlist to stop the soundtrack from feeling overly repetitive.
Conclusion
All in all, Holy Shoot shows promising signs of being an extremely fun game that will satisfy the average roguelite player, and I hope to see further expansion into co-op multiplayer. The gameplay is satisfying, fun and dynamic with colourful designs and an energetic soundtrack that gets you in the mood. I would give it a 7/10, and it can only go higher once some slight tweaks are made to its upgrading mechanics and challenge bugs.
This article was conjured up by Seth Foo, your overly passionate writer with a deep fondness for overly passionate poems. Check him out on Instagram @seth_youngers to get to know more about him, or to enquire about any entertainment-focused writing.
