DEATHRUN TV

If you love your games to be fast-paced and thrilling, then you might want to keep an eye on recent release DEATHRUN TV. Developed by Laser Dog and published by Merge Games, this little title is beginning to get a lot of excitement from fans of twin-stick shooters.

It takes many of the classic rogue-lite elements that many people enjoy, and it places you in a maddening game show. Basically, imagine if something like The Running Man was actually real, or the Genki games from Saints Row. This is basically a crazy, top-down shooter take on that kind of game. Is it right for you, though? Or is this another cool idea poorly executed?

The craziest TV show in history puts you in the spotlight

Reality TV can, for most of us, appear ludicrous. However, the idea of having a TV show where people literally fight to the death can seem, uh, extreme. With the release of DEATHRUN TV, though, we have something that takes this idea and runs with it. A vintage bullet hell shooter in rich 2D, this invokes games like Enter the Gungeon in that you have to get used to being dextrous with both analogue sticks.

The gameplay is fast and furious, and you need to get used to jumping around, dodging bullets, and firing back when you can. The whole thing is insane, with incredible speed and reaction times needed to get good at this one. We loved the overall appeal, though we have to say that the game does suffer from getting stale a little bit too quickly.

Too many of the enemies and missions can feel identical, and that can take away from some of the fun. Waves can also feel poorly balanced, with one wave being yawn-inducing before being met with a ridiculous next wave. Overall, though, there is a fair amount to like about DEATHRUN TV if you enjoy breakneck pace video gaming.

Slapstick madness that needs a little polish (7/10)

The main premise of DEATHRUN TV is great – the gameplay loop is fun and aggressive. You feel like your pulse is racing constantly. You never feel as if you are having a problem getting to grips with the game and how it operates. Generally, though, the main thing to note about DEATHRUN TV is that it is pure chaos – and sometimes it feels a touch rough. As we mentioned, loops can feel inconsistent and the general gameplay can soon feel a little repetitive. Some levels can feel too similar and thus it can feel like you are simply going through the motions. When the gameplay is right, the level is challenging, and the waves feel balanced, though, DEATHRUN TV is a wonderful time.

Pros

• Highly entertaining action brough to life in a vibrant, fun 3D world
• Engaging choice of weaponry and options for working through rounds

Cons

• Inconsistent approach to waves and rounds, making it hard to predict
• Some of the arenas can feel a touch too similar to one another in comparison