Bouncy Bullets (PlayStation 4) Review

By Josh Di Falco 07.04.2020

Review for Bouncy Bullets on PlayStation 4

Bouncy Bullets is a first-person shooter that acts more like a puzzler than a full-blown shooter. Developed by Petite Games, the aim is to make it through various stages without getting hit, by platforming across an obstacle course while taking out various colour-coded enemies. Bouncy Bullets is a light experience that doesn't require deep thought or concentration to get a positive output from it. With easy controls and even easier stages, this is one title that is extremely quick to smash through for those chasing platinum trophies, or looking for a few hours of some light-hearted fun.

Bouncy Bullets is a vibrant and colourful first-person shooter/platformer that acts more like a puzzle title. The main objective is to reach the portal at the end of each stage in the least amount of time as possible to earn a three-star completion on each stage. Like most other titles of this calibre, the three stars that are earned are tied to different time milestones: with one star being the easiest to achieve as the bar for receiving that is to simply finish the stage. The stages are pretty quick, and can be completed in less than 30 seconds each. With very minimal loading screens to speak of, the ease of jumping into stages and beginning the stage-rush is a highlight.

The quick pace of it all is also thanks to the simplistic colours and design scheme - the stages are simply made up of basic geometric shapes, with enough detail to paint the picture, without being too focused on the minute details or intricacies. Of course, simply reaching the end of each stage would be too easy without having some obstacles in the way. In Bouncy Bullets, there are yellow and pink enemies, and these can only be killed by shooting them with the same coloured bullet. R2 shoots out the pink bullets and L2 shoots out the yellow ones. Skinny pathways also contain yellow and pink boxes that need to be shot, keeping with the consistency of using the right coloured bullets.

Further increasing the difficulty is that getting hit results in having to restart the stage. Simply making it through to the end, in the fastest time possible, without getting hit, or falling off the platforms into the water below. There are also civilians who cause a restart if they get hit by a stray bullet, or enemies who requires bullets bouncing towards them, hence the title Bouncy Bullets. However, the key part of Bouncy Bullets is navigating across platforms - this is a platform game first before it is a shooting game - and the shooter elements are only there to make traversing the stage trickier.

Screenshot for Bouncy Bullets on PlayStation 4

Having a fast-paced platformer backed by the on-screen timer generally makes experiences more fun - and in Bouncy Bullets it would've been fine. However, the jumping mechanics are a bit wonky at times, and it can make the jumping onto platforms very inconsistent. Even the button responses seem to be randomised most of the time - oftentimes pressing the jump button results in missing the jump altogether, and falling down for the fail. The movement also has a bit of "floatiness" to it - as in, it feels like the main character is simply hovering across the stage rather than actually running across the platforms. For a title that relies on making timely jumps to pass through certain obstacles, the jumping mechanics and button response times should've been a bit tighter.

Everything else, from the running, aiming and shooting mechanics work as they should - and nothing really sticks out. Bouncy Bullets isn't trying to invent anything new, and it merely acts as a lighter and more casual version of Mirror's Edge. The stage designs, from the green pipes that scream Mario Bros. to the large ice-cream cones that stick out of the water like icebergs, show that this isn't an experience to be taken seriously. It's silly, over the top, and the enemies resemble those inflatable men found outside car dealerships - but this is the design charm that Petite Games has brought to this experience, and it works well here.

With 42 normal levels, and an additional set of 42 special levels that are the normal stages with increased difficulty, there is enough content here to last for a few hours. Beyond earning three-stars for completion, there are online leaderboards for ultimate bragging rights. However, beyond that, there isn't anything else tying this experience together. While developer Petite Games has built a game with easy-to-learn mechanics that allows for anyone to simply jump in and begin playing, after a couple of hours the lack of substance begins to wear thin.

Screenshot for Bouncy Bullets on PlayStation 4

Cubed3 Rating

5/10
Rated 5 out of 10

Average

It's unlikely that Bouncy Bullets was designed to be a time sink, and rather it merely exists to provide a few hours of fun for a low price. It features simple stages that requires fast reflexes to navigate through a series of platforms, while gunning down any enemies or obstacles, with the sole aim to score the fastest completion times for the maximum three-star accomplishment. Bouncy Bullets is fun in short-bursts but it won't last any longer than a couple of hours and it probably won't be an experience worth going back to after the initial run, due to its lack of depth. If anything, the easy-to-get platinum trophy may be the only redeeming factor to make this experience one worth thrashing out for a couple of hours.

Developer

Petite

Publisher

Ratalaika Games

Genre

Shooter

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  5/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

Comments

Comments are currently disabled

Subscribe to this topic Subscribe to this topic

If you are a registered member and logged in, you can also subscribe to topics by email.
Sign up today for blogs, games collections, reader reviews and much more
Site Feed
Who's Online?
Insanoflex

There are 1 members online at the moment.