Running VoltGun is a very cool Gunstar Heroes-esque old school side scrolling arcade shooter in which each weapon has a high power and low power mode, with you toggling between the two to conserve energy.
While you blast your way through the game world in Running VoltGun your health bar is continually depleting, with it dropping even faster if you’re hit by an enemy. You can recharge your energy from energy crystals that are scattered around the levels and from slain enemies, so as long as you don’t dawdle and avoid damage you should be okay (but things can get pretty tough later on!)
All of the guns you pick up have two fire modes, low and high, with low mode doing far less damage than the high mode but using less energy in the process. The low fire mode is best just reserved for areas with few enemies as they’re very weak (particularly your starting gun) and can take some time to dispatch enemies. There’s a nice selection of weaponry on offer, from shotfuns to rocket launchers, some of which are handy in low power mode, but all of which are a blase to use in high power mode!
Considering Running VoltGun was created in just 72 hours for Ludum Dare, it’s packing a lot of content – with 10 levels and three big boss fights spread across three differently themed worlds.The pixel artwork and audio are superb too, perfectly complementing the old school arcade gameplay. A glorious little retro run n’ gun rampage well worth checking out.
Note: Remember you can swap your weapon to High Power Mode with the ‘F’ key – you won’t get far without it!
Check Out a Full Playthrough Here
Download Running VoltGun Here (Windows)