Hollowpoint from Ruffian Games is a game I want to play more of. It is also a game that wants you to play it more. It’s a gorgeous 2D shooter played on the x-axis, with z-axis interactivity. This is a game that can be played solo, or cooperatively, and it is very fun to play.
I got immediate hands-on as the Creative Director, Billy Thomson guided us through the game. Everything you do earns XP, and when you level up, you earn skill points. You can only reach level 30, or have 30 skill points, but there are limitations to their usage. But Ruffian Games wants you to keep playing, and so after you start the game over in like a New Game+, you will get to level 45, with 45 skill points. Despite that increase, you will never be able to unlock everything, they don’t want you to.
Playing the game, it’s very intuitive and fun. Using WASD, I moved the character around, with F switching between two weapons. Left-click shot on the x-axis, and holding the right-mouse button allowed to shoot into the background, or the z-axis.
Switching hollowpoints is easy, and should you fall in combat with the current hollowpoint. New characters can be earned by leveling up. Customization is a big part of the game, from weapons to their attachments to suit types, and being able to interchange different pieces for whatever you want it to be. You can even color the suits to be as hideous or as sleek as you want them to be.
Contracts are a way to make money and be put up against tough opposition based on different tiers. Along the way during a contract, each prong of the contracts has different objectives, each of which becomes a random thing to accomplish. Each room of the level is randomized and how each of these pieces fit together is anyone’s guess.
Hollowpoint is smartly designed, and behind some creative forces. It’s fun, deep, and highly replayable. I look forward to spending much more time with the game.
