Gunstoppable is a game that couldn’t care less about taking covers/ shmawers or thinking carefully about every, single encounter. Who even has time for that nowadays? This is a game that throws you into arenas and shows you how standing still for even a second feels like failure. Every mechanic is built around one simple idea: keep moving.
Imagine the free-flowing movement of Mirror’s Edge mixed with the relentless pace of Ghostrunner, then throw in a roguelite progression system, dual-wielded weapons and the ability to slow time whenever things become too chaotic. That, ladies and gentlemen, is Gunstoppable in a nutshell!
Movement first, shooting second
Wall-running, double-jumping, grappling across arenas, grinding on rails and sliding beneath incoming fire all blend together surprisingly well. Once you stop thinking about individual buttons and simply react, the game becomes incredibly satisfying. One moment we’re grappling across an enormous gap, the next we’re attaching ourselves to a spiraling rail that feels like a roller coaster before launching straight into another group of enemies without ever touching the ground. Those moments are what Gunstoppable does best. They don’t happen because of scripted sequences but because the movement system gives you enough freedom to create them yourself.
Combat rewards that aggressive style. You fire two weapons at once while constantly weaving through enemy attacks, and whenever precision becomes difficult you can activate slow motion. Better yet, slowing time isn’t something the game wants you to save forever. Landing shots quickly refills the meter, encouraging you to jump right back into the action instead of playing cautiously.
There’s also a satisfying risk-and-reward balance. The faster you move, the more devastating your attacks become, so the game constantly pushes you to stay in motion instead of hiding behind cover.
Every run feels a little different
Leveling up during a run lets you pick temporary augments. Maybe your maximum health increases, maybe your slow-motion lasts longer, or perhaps grappling restores ammunition. Other upgrades reward critical hits, improve mobility or strengthen specific weapon combinations. Individually they aren’t revolutionary, but together they can completely change the rhythm of a run.
The weapon variety helps keep things fresh as well. If one firearm isn’t working, you can replace it with something completely different. Assault rifles, shotguns, melee weapons and other bizarre tools all encourage experimentation, especially once augments begin creating unexpected synergies.
Some combinations become wonderfully ridiculous, and discovering those powerful builds is one of the biggest reasons to keep coming back after another inevitable death.
The story is there… but the action steals the spotlight
Technically, Gunstoppable has a proper campaign. There are voiced characters, cutscenes, memorable villains and a revenge story centered around saving your sister while taking down the billionaire responsible for turning you into a killing machine. We never felt particularly invested in that narrative, though.
It mostly serves as an excuse to send you through increasingly creative locations and pit you against larger-than-life bosses. That’s perfectly fine because the gameplay is easily strong enough to carry the experience. We did enjoy the voice acting, especially the wonderfully over-the-top Scottish giant mechanical crab that serves as one of the early boss encounters. The different accents give the cast a bit of personality, even if the story itself never became the main attraction.
Progression plays it a little too safe
After every failed run you spend collected currency on permanent upgrades. You can improve your health, extend slow-motion, reduce incoming damage or increase your offensive power before heading back into another attempt.
The system certainly helps smooth out the difficulty curve, but it’s also the least interesting part of the game. Most upgrades simply increase statistics by small percentages. They are useful, but they rarely change how you actually play.
The same criticism applies to parts of the weapon progression. Unlocking another small percentage bonus for a favorite weapon isn’t particularly exciting. It helps, but compared to the creativity found during individual runs, the long-term progression feels surprisingly conventional.
An exhausting rush we couldn’t put down
Flying through arenas at absurd speed, chaining movement abilities together and wiping out entire groups of robots while time slows around you creates moments that few shooters can match.
Players without quick reflexes may struggle to keep up with everything happening on screen, especially later in the campaign when enemies become far more aggressive. But for anyone willing to learn its movement system, the reward is one of the most exhilarating first-person action games we’ve played in quite some time.
The permanent upgrades may lack imagination and the story rarely reaches the same heights as the gameplay, but neither issue is enough to overshadow what Gunstoppable does so well. It understands that movement should feel fun first and everything else second. Once you master its ever-growing arsenal of abilities, every successful run becomes a blur of bullets, rails, grapples and slow-motion chaos that’s incredibly difficult to walk away from.
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Also Available On: PC (Steam)
Developer: CAGE Studios
Publisher: CAGE Studios
Genre: Roguelite First-Person Shooter
Release Date: 2026
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