Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 review

The original Guns, Gore and Cannoli released back in 2015, which offered a fantastic over the top side-scrolling shoot em up. 3 years down the line we see the sequel release with added multiplayer and a more in depth story. It can only get better right?

The campaign’s story diverges quite a lot from the original, set 15 years after the prequel during World War 2, Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 has main protagonist Vinnie Cannoli return on the back of loose ends from the past Thugtown Massacre.

The game starts off very familar with added mechanics such as new weapons, the option to double jump and fall damage. You’ll begin in the streets shooting up mobsters, but that transgresses into the World War II battlefield against Nazis and even zombies.

“2D levels are beautifully hand drawn in vibrant and deep colours”

It goes to say the 2D levels are beautifully hand drawn in vibrant and deep colours, which really brings the gameplay and story to life. Dimly lit rooms add warmth and added props such as abandoned cars and furniture are intentionally added for cover or for destruction.

Shooting mechanics are very straight forward with a full 360 degree aiming system and a slight hint of aim lock, it makes blasting up enemies straight forward and enjoyable. The new weapon wheel also makes it easier to swap out weapons in the midst of combat, something that was an obstacle to overcome in the original title.

My only sticking point with the sequel is the lack of dodging mechanics during tight space areas. When a barrage of bullets are flying at you in a corridor and all you can do is jump it isn’t always ideal in low ceiling areas, so I’d love to see a dodge roll or slide mechanic going forward.

I didn’t have chance to check out the online multiplayer which supports up to 4-players due to no one being available to matchmake at the time of having an early review copy. However I did give the local multiplayer a go which seemed to work perfectly fine. The addition of being able to shoot up mob members and zombies with friends and other players can only be a good addition to the series as it offers further enjoyment and replay value.

Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is a fantastically hand drawn side-scroller making small steps of improvement from the original, and with the addition of 4-player multiplayer there’s plenty for this to stand out as a sequel. Now all I want is a roll and slide mechanic to try and do none hit runs on levels.