Gunbound

Overview

“Gunbound” is an online artillery game similar to “Worms”, seeing players divide into two teams and take turns firing at each other in a 2D arena.

Features

• Easy to learn
• Cash shop items don'€™t imbalance game
• Lots of fun events
• Lots of mobiles to choose from
• Huge community
• In-game messenger system

Review

If I had to choose a single game that I enjoyed playing the most with my friends during my childhood, that game would likely be 'Worms. When it comes to killing your mates, 'Worms€ required that you do it in a way no other game had before; you had to be methodical and cunning, every kill properly premeditated, and subsequently, victory had never tasted sweeter. So naturally, when I first stumbled across 'Gunbound€ and noticed how greatly it resembled 'Worms,€ it didn'€™t take me long to become a complete addict. It'€™s been over 4 years since that day, and keeping with the tried and true method of development, not much seems to have changed.

For those of you that haven'€™t played Worms,€ and in turn don'€™t really have a clue what I'€™m talking about, the gameplay is simple; taking turns, you and your opponent use a variety of different weapons, with the goal being destruction of the opposite team. It is viewed in 2D, and you can always see the entire battlefield allowing you to 'see ahead, similar to how you would in a game of chess. In 'Gunbound,€ each member of the team is controlled by an individual player, and while your choice in weapons is vastly different to that found in Worms,€ the focus shifts more to choosing your individual avatar and dressing them to your liking - which is perfect for an MMO environment.

The first big choice, and also one of the major differences between 'Worms€ and 'Gunbound,€ is choosing your type of Mobile. The first type is Mechanical, which boasts high defense but slow movement. The second is Shield, which have lower Energy (HP) than other types, but can self-heal. Last is Bionic, who have lower armour, but receive better benefits from items. There isn't a great difference between any of the types, but enough to make that small difference in battle -– and enough to make you feel different to other players. The biggest difference you'€™ll notice in Mobiles is in the way they look, as there are many different types in each category. Most players, myself included, choose their mobile not on their statistics, but on their preferred visual style.

Increasing your individual statistics, and building your avatar to your individual liking is done through the use of weapons and armour that can be purchased using gold you'€™ve won from victory in battle, or purchased with your credit card. It is in this department that Gunbound€ greatly succeeds, but also heavily fails. You see, when you begin playing 'Gunbound€ you have a lot of fun playing and upgrading your equipment, purchasing different weapons and items that increase your armour or power and make you look cooler –- but before long you will run into a player that is either filthy rich, or has stolen his parents credit card, and as a result looks and plays like the Angel of Death. It is in these situations that you are forced to make the tough decision to either fork over some cash and beef up your avatar, or be destroyed by those who have.

Aside from spending your money on Angel Wings and Weapons, there is also a wide variety of power-ups that can be purchased and used whilst playing the game to tip the scales of battle in your favour. Every player has an inventory with 6 available slots, with items taking either 1 or 2 slots each. Items have a variety of different effects, ranging from the [Dual] which grants players an additional shot in battle, and [Blood] allowing you to sacrifice some of your Energy for a damage boost, to the more interesting items like [Bunge Shot], which buries an attacked opponent in the ground when struck, stopping them from moving around the battlefield. No matter which items you choose to take into battle, all of them will prove to be useful in one way or another, and all of them give great tactical advantage to those players that use them effectively.

With all that said and done, like Worms€ before it, Gunbound€ takes a considerable amount of skill to become a good player. You can have all the items in the game, but if you can't shoot straight or find cover when required then you will undoubtedly fail before you even begin. And this is exactly why I enjoyed playing 'Gunbound€ so much; even a player that has only just begun can defeat an un-skilled veteran in the blink of an eye with a well placed shot and some tactical thinking. It'€™s hard to explain how this plays without actually seeing it for yourself; it'€™s simply one of those games that you have to see to understand. If you'€™re having trouble getting a picture, check the video and screenshot sections above to get a better understanding of what Im talking about.

'Gunbound€ doesn'€™t really fit into conventional labels; if I had to label a genre, it would be 2D Tactical Shooter Room Based MMO. That'€™s about the best summary of 'Gunbound€ that you'€™re likely to get. On the plus side, 'Gunbound€ is less than 300MB, and totally free to play without purchasing special items, meaning that if you'€™re even a little curious about it at this point you should defi nitely get out there and give it a go. It'€™s a very repetitive style of gaming, and as such you may find that after playing for a few hours you don'€™t much feel like doing so anymore, but it'€™s addictive, and a few hours later there's a good chance you'€™ll be coming back for more.