Game Reviews

Gunman Clive

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3DS
| Gunman Clive
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Gunman Clive
|
3DS
| Gunman Clive

If Super Mario World involved guns and shooting, it would probably play out something like Gunman Clive.

That may sound like a bold statement, but this latest Nintendo 3DS platformer - previously a mobile offering - features controls that are Nintendo-tight.

Thanks to that and the gorgeous scribble-based visual style and you can add Gunman Clive to your list of Nintendo 3DS essential downloads.

Run and gun

You play as Clive, a wild west gunslinger on a mission to save a damsel in distress.

Enemies are lurking behind every barrel, box, and obstacle, and the game plays out like classic platformers of old as you fire off a few warning shots, then duck down to dodge the return fire.

What really makes Gunman Clive tick is the tight controls, which let you pull off some pretty nifty maneouvres both in the air and on the ground.

The original mobile version had pretty good controls already, but this 3DS version proves that you really can't do better than good old-fashioned physical buttons.

Western gaming

It's not only the controls that enhance the original experience - the new stereoscopic 3D visuals are utterly gorgeous. It was already an attractive game, but the added depth to the background scribbles makes this one of the best-looking games you can grab for the 3DS to date.

The gameplay itself is identical to the original - you keep moving through stages, killing enemies, beating clever bosses, and occasionally falling down traps and being forced to restart from the beginning of the chapter.

You could accuse Gunman Clive of being rather linear, but you still undoubtedly have a huge amount of fun romping through its campaign. If you own a Nintendo 3DS, you ought really to own this too.

Gunman Clive

A great mobile offering just got even better, as Gunman Clive emerges as one of the best platformers on the 3DS
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.