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Just Shoot asks two questions: What separates one Survivor-type from another? And why should I buy this one over the best Survivor-types out there now? Just Shoot isn’t as difficult, it’s not as balanced, and it doesn’t sound as good. And yet, I had fun because numbers go up. But it was empty calories. I wasn’t fulfilled or satisfied.
You play as characters that look like animated versions of Happy Days characters. They carry guns. So original. The only characterization they get is through their stats. Even Vampire Survivors recorded voice lines to add some character. The cover image artwork looks great. I wish that translated to the game. During gameplay, all the artistic charm is lost because the guns cover their face. They’re mostly distinguished by their hair or skin color. It’s a thoughtful way to make each character identifiable beyond clothes. But the guns are that big because you could pick up a piggy bank. Gotta see that, right? What the developers have forgotten is that we’re not focused on what we’re using to shoot, we’re focused on what we’re shooting. The fun is seeing the weapon on the ground in its full silhouette and artwork, then picking it and realizing what it’s firing. Let the character shine during combat. Let the ammunition do the talking for the gun.
Of course, you’re walking around a map, shooting enemies, and trying to survive for the allotted 15 minutes. The selling point, if we want to call it that, is that you manually shoot. You hold the trigger, you aim the shots. When Vampire Survivors first launched, I wondered what the appeal was for a game where you just walk around and let the game shoot. I quickly understood that focusing on positioning is very liberating. And the real challenge is that you don’t get to choose what you’re aiming at. It’s important to choose upgrades wisely. Just Shoot answers the question: What if you did everything yourself? The answer is that it’s pointless to hold the right trigger.
But aiming provides a different feel. In auto-aiming Survivor-types, your positioning is based on what the game is shooting at. Just Shoot lets you create your own paths based on where you’re aiming. It changes how you play, but it doesn’t change the overall strategy. Enemies still swarm, and the best way to avoid that is to run to where there is the most open space—whether you create it or the game creates it, the pressure you feel is the same. So, ultimately, aiming is pointless. The auto-aim formula proves you can’t beat maximum efficiency.
It’s strange how fast you level up. I felt like I was choosing upgrades more than shooting at times. The constant pauses breaks the flow. I didn’t realize how important it was to space out leveling because every other Survivors-type I’ve played does it properly. Again, numbers go up, so it’s exciting to pick something and become stronger, but it makes the game too easy.
This is also another indie developer that doesn’t understand the benefit of sound. You can be sure they gave the guns sound effects. You also get a sound when you pick up a heart, but in my first run, while I was bobbing and weaving through enemies, I didn’t notice I was getting hit. I didn’t think I was. If I don’t catch the invisibility blinks because I’m focused on positioning, I have nothing to tell me I’m taking damage. Enemies don’t make any sounds when they die, either. It’s okay for a Survivor-type to have dying sounds. Picking the right one is difficult because you don’t want to annoy the player, but something might be better than nothing. It’s joyless to kill something, and I don’t get to hear their pain.
Thank you for reading The Daily Demo! Did you play it? What’d you think of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.