Enter The Gungeon

The entire gameplay consists of a very simple move set that only takes a few interactions to get a really firm grip on. Aside from the regular moving around and shooting, players also have a roll ability, which makes them invincible for a short time (For those familiar with the Dark Souls series this is a pretty similar rolling mechanic), however if you roll next to a table you will quickly slide across it instead.

Then there’s blanks, blanks work as a sort of stage clearing move that erase all enemy bullets from the stage, its for moments when you’re backed into a corner and a bullet wall to thick to roll through is approaching (or if you’re anything like me a boss is shooting a lot and you panic).

Your final move is your special ability, this really depends on your character to start with or what you trade it for later in the gungeon, but it can range from a molotov that sets a small area on fire, to a rope that instantly teleports you into the shop. These abilities do take a long time to recharge though, so use them carefully!

On every floor of the gungeon there are about 20 rooms, they can hold enemies, chests with more weapons, unlockable NPCs, and a shop to purchase health, blanks, or guns. In any room you may also find teleporters, which allow you to quickly travel back by using your map, a nice timesaver for those of us who like to speedrun, and also to keep the action and adrenaline flowing. But before you advance to the next floor or are allowed to save your progress, you must be your current floor’s Gungeon Boss!

Playing on the SymGym itself is actually pretty smooth, using the arms to control the aiming manipulates the position of the crosshair like a mouse or left joystick. When set in the middle of the arms’ range of motion the crosshair will sit in place, using the left side will control the ‘up’ and ‘down’ position of the crosshair, while the right arm will move the crosshair left and right. The numerous buttons on the arms can also be configured to the user’s preference (I personally chose the right trigger for shooting, and all the buttons on the left for my abilities).

The leg movements are mirrored to the arms, in that the left leg controls your movement ‘up’ and ‘down’, and the right moves you ‘left’ and ‘right’.

After about 15 minutes I started to really get the hang of it, and though it was physically more challenging than playing with an old fashioned controller or mouse and keyboard, it was significantly more rewarding any time I cleared a room and genuinely had me working up a sweat.

Overall I think Enter the Gungeon shows a lot of promise for the SymGym, with a combination of a fun gameplay loop, smooth controls, a great soundtrack, and enough cardio to both be challenging and rewarding.