MDA & 8 Kinds of Fun: Enter the Gungeon
Overview and Mechanics
Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler that requires players to progress through 5 floors of a grueling dungeon. Each floor contains a multitude of rooms with their own quirks, enemies, and loot. To clear a floor, players must find the room containing the primary boss of the floor and defeat them (clearing side rooms is completely optional but definitely encouraged). Players have a small set of actions to work with:
- Move: Primarily used to navigate through rooms as well as to avoid incoming enemy bullets.
- Aim & Shoot: Enemies are shooting at you. You can shoot them back.
- Dodge (Roll) [Note: Also the name of the game developers]: A short hop/roll that can be used to dodge incoming bullets and to traverse gaps in the flooring.
- Use Item: Items you collect along the way have special effects, which can be used to your advantage.
Dynamics and Aesthetics
Despite the simple mechanics, the intricacy of Enter The Gungeon comes from the variation of all the items, rooms, and bosses. These variables are randomly generated before the start of each play through of the game, which makes every run unique. As a result, how players decide to take on each level will differ from person to person.
In general, I would say there are two aesthetics that make Enter The Gungeon a fun experience that keeps me hooked:
- Challenge: I take enjoyment in playing “bullet hell” games. At first, having to dodge seemingly endless waves of bullets seems futile. The first few tries feel overwhelming, to the point where you feel as if you can’t even see what’s on the screen. But suddenly, it just clicks. And then you feel unstoppable. Another challenge is that there are no checkpoints in Enter The Gungeon. If your character dies, you start back at the first floor with nothing. While the penalty of losing seems harsh, each run is short enough that players don’t get attached to their current loadout. In addition, players who do fail usually try again with more experience, as well as a stronger determination to succeed.
- Discovery: While the game presents itself as only having 5 levels, there are actually so many more. After every run, the players learn just a little bit more about the world, the characters, and beyond, which keeps players coming back to uncover more secrets. One example of discovery is the following: After you beat the primary ending with one character, you now have the opportunity to collect certain trinkets, which will unlock another ending that reveals the pasts of the playable characters. Further runs will unlock AN ADDITIONAL ending that reveals the past of the dungeon itself. I have yet to discover all of the secrets of Enter The Gungeon, but I still continue to play in hopes that I will soon.
