Enter the Gungeon (NSP, XCI) ROM + v2.1.92 Update

Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows four player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can “kill the past”. The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons.

Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.

Development on Enter the Gungeon started in 2014 when four Mythic Entertainment employees left the company to form Dodge Roll. Lead designer Dave Crooks gained inspiration for the term “Gungeon” after listening to the soundtrack for the game Gun Godz. Dodge Roll designed and playtested each room of the Gungeon’s levels, and used procedural generation to assemble them into a random configuration.

Many of the guns were inspired by earlier games such as Mega Man and Metroid, while other mechanics were implemented to encourage players to utilize the layouts of levels.

Enter the Gungeon was released on April 5, 2016, for Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows 10, while ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in April and December 2017. By June 2020, it had sold over three million copies. The game received positive reviews on release, with critics favorably comparing it to The Binding of Isaac and Nuclear Throne.

Reviewers praised the creativity and designs of the guns, while also commentating on the game’s difficulty. After launch, Dodge Roll developed and released several content updates. A platform game sequel called Exit the Gungeon was released in 2019.

GAMEPLAY

Enter the Gungeon is a top-down bullet hell shooter with roguelike elements. The player takes control of one of four player characters, the Marine, Convict, Hunter, or Pilot (collectively called the “Gungeoneers”), who must reach the bottom of the Gungeon to find a magical gun that can “kill the past”.

Although each Gungeoneer starts with items and weapons that are unique to the character, they can all shoot guns, knock over tables to provide cover, and dodge attacks by performing a “dodge roll” that allows them to be temporarily incapable of losing health.

The player also has a limited number of “Blanks” which can be used to delete all enemy projectiles in a room. Combat is heavily reliant upon memorizing patterns of enemy behavior, and using both cover and dodge rolls to avoid bullets. The Gungeon is made up of five different floors, each having roughly twenty rooms inside. The layout and rewards of each level are procedurally generated from several pre-created rooms and are inhabited by bullet-shaped enemies called Gundead.

To defeat Gundead, the player must use a wide variety of guns and items; they can be obtained by unlocking chests or through shops and boss fights. As players slay enemies, they obtain in-game currencies called bullet casings and keys; the former can be spent at shops in exchange for guns, and the latter can be used to unlock chests.

Obtained guns can range from conventional pistols and rifles to more exotic firearms such as a unicorn horn that fires rainbows or a mailbox that shoots envelopes. Each level ends with a random boss that must be slain to advance to the next floor.  Similar to other roguelikes, Enter the Gungeon has a permadeath system; If the player dies, they lose all items and guns obtained on a playthrough and must start again on the first floor.

As the player progresses through multiple playthroughs, they may encounter non-player characters (NPCs) inside the Gungeon. Once encountered, NPCs either set up shop inside the Gungeon or travel to the Breach, a hub world. At the Breach, the player can unlock new items that are randomly generated inside the Gungeon or can talk with NPCs to accept services and quests.

Both actions involve spending an in-game currency acquired from defeating bosses, with unlocked guns increasing the weapon options available on a playthrough.