I don’t usually gravitate toward shooters.
But when I finally got to the front of the line and picked up the controllers, I completely forgot there was a line behind me.

The moment that sold me: I grappled between two enemies, drew the katana, cut one in half mid-air, then landed a headshot on the other before I even touched the ground.

It took maybe two seconds.

That’s Gunstoppable.

It’s not really a shooter - it’s a movement game that happens to have guns in it. You’re constantly chaining actions: jump, grapple, dash, slash, shoot. And when it clicks, it doesn’t feel like you’re reacting - it feels like you’re choreographing.

That’s the part that sticks.

Everything flows. Nothing catches. Nothing breaks your rhythm. It just works. And for a solo project, that level of polish is honestly hard to believe.

There are still rough edges. The weapon selection screen, for example, wasn’t immediately clear - I didn’t fully understand it in the short time I had. But to be fair, I also didn’t want to stop and figure it out. I just wanted to get back into the action. With a line forming behind me, I dove straight back in.

That’s probably where it needs a bit more onboarding - especially for new players who won’t have that “jump in instantly” context.

The developer, Salaar, used to be a gameplay engineer at Sony Santa Monica - and it shows. But more importantly, this feels like something he chose to build, not just something he knows how to build. There’s a confidence in the design that usually only comes after multiple projects.

And he’s incredibly humble. When I told him it was the best game I played that night, he just said thank you - and meant it.

I was supposed to take a photo.

I didn’t.

I was too busy playing.