Gun Force [5/5]
An amazing run and gun game bringing back memories from Metal Slug. Transfers the genre onto mobile screens in a good way, looks great and has non-invasive MTX system, but can get difficult.
Gun Force is a side-scrolling run-and-gun game clearly inspired by titles like Broforce and Metal Slug, with added roguelike elements reminiscent of Risk of Rain. I approached this one with a bit of scepticism—the ads showed sluggish gameplay and visuals more in line with Commando than anything truly intense. But judging by the difference between the game’s earlier promotional art and how it looks now, it must have gone through a major overhaul—because the actual gameplay turned out to be very different, and much better. Falcon Games says on their Play Store developer page, “we make best games”. While I cannot confirm whether that’s true, Gun Force definitely is one of the best games I ever played on an Android phone.
0. TL;DR
Developer: Falcon Games
Release date: 21 Jan 2025
Genre: Run-and-gun, Platformer, Offline, Singleplayer
Price: Free-to-play w/ MTX
Pros: Wonderful gameplay loop, good pixel-art and effects, nice soundtrack and SFX, easy to learn but hard to master
Cons: Sometimes can be too hard, progression requires grinding side missions or paying/watching reward-ads
Download: Google Play
1. Gameplay
Gun Force doesn’t have much of a story. In each of the 20 chapters (typically split into 30 arenas each), the main character is dropped in via helicopter and must fight through waves of enemies to eventually defeat a final boss. The player only controls movement—the character automatically targets and shoots the nearest enemy. The classic formula is enhanced with roguelike elements: every kill grants coins that convert into experience, and each new level lets the player choose one of three randomly offered abilities. These can range from extra bullets, increased penetration power, to passive drones that heal or attack nearby enemies. Each selected ability takes up one of the limited available slots, and with each new level, there’s a chance to upgrade an existing ability—up to level 5. Once all ability slots are filled, the final upgrade is a passive perk, like healing over time, increased damage output, or reduced damage taken.
Gold can be used to upgrade your character (one of several, which can be unlocked with diamonds—the game’s premium currency), roll for weapons (and “schemes” you use to allow increasing their power), and level them up. All of this contributes to the player’s overall Power Level. If your Power Level is lower than the enemy's, the next chapter will be more difficult—but for every point you're under, you deal 1% more damage. If your Power Level is higher, the game becomes easier, but enemies will deal increased damage in return. From my experience, as long as your Power Level isn’t more than 30 points below the enemy's, the chapter is still reasonably doable—anything more, and you're in for a tough time.
Outside of the "main storyline," players can—and should—earn money and gear by playing Operations. At the time of writing this review, there are two types. The first, Rescue, requires you to save as many scientists as possible before they’re blown up by explosives. The second, Escape, has you racing through a series of levels while fleeing from a laser that destroys everything in its path. As the difficulty increases, so do the rewards in these operations. In addition to these two, two more operations are listed as “coming soon.”
The game rewards most activities—for completing daily and weekly challenges, you earn Battle Pass points, which unlock various rewards like gold, diamonds, or items. There’s also a Military Safe feature, where every 5 cleared arenas grants a ticket, and collecting 150 tickets opens a chest containing diamonds—though it’s a very time-consuming process.
2. Visuals, Audio & Performance
Gun Force features a very consistent pixel-art aesthetic, which really appeals to me as a fan of Metal Slug. The models are clear, and after some time playing, you can easily recognize which enemy unit has which kind of attack. Projectiles are large and distinct, so even when there are a lot of them on screen, it's still manageable to dodge them. The music is okay; gun sounds could be more realistic, and along with the footsteps, they feel like they were taken from a free SFX library. I'm not sure where the developer is from, but the English translation has a few unintentionally funny mistakes.
As for performance, I have no major complaints — the game ran smoothly throughout, regardless of what was happening on screen, although my phone did get noticeably warm.
As you can see on the screenshot below, the game managed to sustain the 118FPS throughout a whole playthrough of the Chapter 4, with drops in the beginning and the end of measurements when Game Turbo was switching to and from Gun Force.
3. Ads & Microtransactions
There are no ads between levels, which is a big plus. They may occasionally appear at the end of a chapter, so it’s better to use the “watch ad to increase rewards” option rather than watching one for nothing in return. However, progression is slow, so sooner or later you’ll either have to rely on reward-ads or pay up if you prefer. There are plenty of things to spend your money on — for instance, a Starter Pack with a rare plasma rifle, premium currency, and gold costs £1.89 at the time of this review (discounted from £28.49). Completing a chapter unlocks special reward offers, usually priced at £3.69 or £2.79 (also discounted from £14.99 or £11.99). Gem packs range from £0.99 for 60 gems up to £93.99 for 6,000. There’s also a subscription model (7, 30, or 90 days), granting daily gems, priced from £2.89 to £28.49. Quite a lot for a single-player game with relatively limited content.
4. Verdict
Gun Force is a good game. If you’re someone who dislikes microtransactions and prefers to progress purely through grinding, you might want to subtract a point from the score — in that case, it’s “just” a good game. Still, it’s a well-coded shooter with plenty of content and gameplay that demands attention, and it kept me hooked for many hours before I even started writing this review. I definitely recommend it, and I hope the developer will soon add the remaining game modes — or maybe create something similar, but with a proper storyline.