God's Trigger PC review: A Hotline Miami-inspired shooter that'll blow your mind

Seven years ago, Hotline Miami, a fast-paced and brutally violent top-down shooter, was released to the public and was met with critical acclaim. Fans loved the intensity of the combat mechanics, the satisfying gameplay depth, and the brilliant musical score, and when Hotline Miami 2 released in 2015, the franchise's following only continued to swell in size. However, since then, no new games have been made, and most Hotline Miami fans have been waiting for a game that captures what made the series so special.

God's Trigger, a new title that takes heavy inspiration from Hotline Miami, is an excellent new top-down shooter with engaging gameplay, awesome visuals, and fantastic music. If you're looking for a game that's bloody, tactical, and gorgeous at the same time, God's Trigger is for you. It's expected to be released on April 18, 2019.

Put foes in the dirt

God's Trigger's gameplay is engaging, tactical, and tense. To combat enemies, you have two types of weapons: melee or ranged. Your melee weapon is on-hand at all times and can be infinitely used but lacks range, while ranged weapons have long-range killing potential but can run out of ammo. This means that you'll have to think carefully about how you go about fighting; for example, wasting your bullets on baddies that you could have easily killed with your melee attacks may haunt you in the long run if you end up needing that firepower. Likewise, choosing to tackle several foes at once with melee is extremely dangerous, and you'd be better off shooting some of them before they all reach you. Since you die in one hit, there's no room for errors. Thankfully, God's Trigger has generous checkpoints and doesn't punish you in any way other than by lowering your scoreboard total if you die.

Most enemies die in one hit, too, although many of them have special abilities that they'll use to try and get an advantage. One enemy type is armored and can take two shots before death, for example, while another one will always opt to throw explosives at you. Learning how to combat these special foes is great fun, and each of them also offers a nice change of pace from standard enemies.

You can swap between the two protagonists of the game, Harry and Judy, whenever you please. Each of them have their pros and cons; Harry, for instance, is equipped with quick dashes and swift sword strikes that are perfect for close encounters, while Judy's longer-range whip and teleporting make her ideal for combat in open spaces. Sometimes you'll need to use their special abilities to solve puzzles as well, which is a break from all of the killing that I appreciate because it helps to keep the pacing of the game from getting stale. My only real issue with the gameplay is that some of the AI enemies can be exploited easily, but that's not a huge issue.

Looks, sound and performance

True to its Hotline Miami roots, God's Trigger is vibrant, visceral, and very bloody. You can quite literally paint the walls and floor with the blood of your enemies, and seeing the bright red splash against the game's gorgeous level environments and characters really makes you feel like you're kicking ass. In addition, the score is a wonderful mix of hardcore rock and metal tracks that suit God's Trigger's violent tones perfectly.

For the most part, God's Trigger runs excellently, though it isn't perfectly optimized. The stuttering problems I experienced during my preview of the game still exist, but they are far less common. Even so, stuttering can and will get you killed in a game like this, so as long as you are willing to die a few times thanks to unlucky software issues, you'll have nothing else to worry about.

Should you buy God's Trigger?

If you loved the Hotline Miami games or are simply just looking for an action-heavy title to play, God's Trigger's excellent gameplay and superb presentation is sure to give you a good time.

While the AI can be a little too exploitable sometimes, and the stuttering can often be really annoying, these are problems people can mostly overlook. The frustration I feel from these issues is a tiny fraction of the joy and love I feel for the game.

Pros:

• Excellent gameplay.
• Awesome presentation.
• Solid overall performance.

Cons:

• Enemies can be exploited too easily sometimes.
• Stuttering still happens.

God's Trigger is expected to be released on April 19 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for $15.