Mullet MadJack Review (Xbox) – Live Fast, Die Hardly

Most people, when they think of anime in the late 80’s/early 90’s, will often recall Akira. If not, it’ll be that really cool trailer that the Manga label used to put out: the one with all the wild, adult-content ones we weren’t allowed to watch: Wicked City, Project A-Ko, and the cat girls from Dominion Tank Police. What does Mullet MadJack have to do with this, you might be thinking? Well, everything, and we’ll get to that.

A game so simple in concept, barmy to play, and dripping in aforementioned “vintage” anime style, Mullet MadJack is as mad as the title suggests. A roguelike shooter that isn’t too far removed from endless runner-esque gameplay, it’s a frantic and colourful shooter to go all business up front, party also up front in.

Does it have that typical roguelike longevity, or like most Manga sensibilities in retrospect, is it too over the top to even discuss in polite society? Let’s lace up those high tops, comb back that mullet, and find out.

The Plague Of Influence

If I were to say the story to Mullet MadJack is “a bit odd”, you probably wouldn’t be surprised. There’s a dash of satire aimed at influencer culture, some madness on par with your Hotline Miami’s and Katana Zero’s, all lined with the craziness of a Suda 51 game, or “trip” as the man himself refers to them.

In “the future”, due to all the neon, humans have become addicted to dopamine. In a clumsy allegory for current screen addictions, if people go more than ten seconds without dopamine, they die. Yes, it’s as on the nose for viral consumption as it sounds. In classic Donkey Kong-style subversion, an influencer princess (yes, that’s a thing) has been kidnapped. Only our hero with the fabulous hairdo can save her, climbing the floors and ranks of the Nakamura high rise as his mission, thinning out robillionaires along the way.

Jack Banhammer is one such individual who needs his fix, as well as a Moderator. Not only does he have to find the princess before something bad happens (without spoiling), he also has to keep killing robot billionaires, aka robillionaires, to keep his ticker ticking. It’s a bit like Crank meets Die Hard, in a way.

Neon Knightmare

The gameplay loop in Mullet MadJack couldn’t be any simpler, or even more literal, if it tried. Players will literally start on the ground floor, with nought but a pistol and basic sneakers. Oh, and let’s not forget, that fabulous mullet in tow.

Each section of the game is broken up into ten floors, in which Jack must hop, kick and shoot his way through waves of robillionaires. These come in all flavours, from disco suit droids to spiderbots from the DOOM scrapbook. Before long, there are shield – and afro – wielding robos, samurai, chainsaw-handed types… It’s certainly a mixed bag.

These foes will be in your way, but they won’t impede you as such. No, Jack’s own mortality will, creating that literal mad-dash dichotomy style gameplay. Does one meticulously kill every single robillionaire and ensure more life, or live on the knife’s edge and dash towards the exit each time?

Jack’s not invulnerable, mind. He will lose seconds of life when shot. So it’s not just a case of avoidance for time’s sake; there will be elements of risk at play. As will pitfalls, lava traps (don’t ask how they installed lava on the 30th floor) and good old fashioned lasers too.

But this is no mere endless runner with a bit of gunplay, there’s a nuance to the violence too.

Ride The Lightning

I lied, there’s no nuance or subtlety here at all. If you want the abridged version: if you’ve played Anger Foot, you’ll know what to expect. Well, a modicum of what to expect, except that Mullet MadJack ramps even that up. That’s right, even madder than a Devolver game.

Jack is quick, Jack is nimble, Jack will hop over anything in his way. Combining gunplay and dashing is the meal ticket here, proceeding room to room to the elevator at the end of each level. There will be chained doors that require precision shots, or explosions, as well as vents to slide down. Some levels have slides (don’t ask about the logistics), whilst others have some Ghostrunner-esque wall running moments.

There’s no looking back, quite literally. The clock is ticking and Jack just has one goal. Canned drink machines replenish health/the timer, but that’s your only reprieve.

If I’m making it sound simple, well… it is. It’s very much like an endless runner in principle, but sped up. I play pretty much constantly mashing the triggers: right to shoot and left to dash/kick. Add the occasional platform or gap to jump up/onto, and that’s it. But it is fast, like German army blitzkrieg fast. But, you know, without the methamphetamines, just guns and perks.

Tooled Up To Level A Building

So, let’s go down to brass tacks: what does Mullet MadJack offer besides literal run and gun? Well, it’s a roguelike, which means no skill/level retention (I’ll expand on that), so each run is fresh. So, Jack needs some variety to keep it interesting, right? Fortunately, he does.

Whilst he may start with a pistol, at the end of each level our handler, the Streamer, offers boons for Jack. These come in weapon form: machine pistols, rifles, shotguns and even swords. The swords even have elemental properties too, if one is feeling fancy. Freezing an enemy before shattering them is quite satisfying, by the way.

Besides the weapons, there’s the perks too. Above is a small selection, and that’s putting it lightly. There’s directly offensive types, from piercing and ricocheting bullets, to more explosive fire extinguishers. Or later on, there’s randomly placed barrels, for some OTT Deus ex machina shenanigans.

Or if one is feeling saucy, there’s passive novelty ones too. From Jack either going full Bruce Campbell with quips, to last-seconds-before-death slow motion aids. These will stay until the next block, or if one picks the right perk, can be carried over if you have a good build. Death knocks Jack back to the beginning of each block, resetting the perks. So if you die on floor 45, you’ll go back to the 41st with just a pistol.

Ultra-Vibrant Ultraviolence

So, what do I mean when I say Mullet MadJack has the aesthetic of the anime films of old? For one, the colours are big, bold and basic. Not as over the top as 2021’s Cruelty Squad, but similar. Enemies have that early DOOM flatness, as if they’re 2D regardless of where they are facing. I’m also not very technical, so this might sound weird, but: it’s got a faux-3D style to it. Think DOOM, or Duke Nukem 3D, but better. I’m sure someone who knows how old school hardware worked could break it down, but if in doubt, go and watch the trailer again. The actual art of the game, however, is honestly glorious. It’s not quite cel-shaded, but it has that vibe to it.

Everything flies at the screen at breakneck speed. Jack’s life timer, his sneakered foot kicking robillionaires into fans, bullets bouncing around everywhere. Again, perhaps fitting with the “constant feed” analogy, it’s all so very in-your-face. If I were to make a comparison mash-up, and you know I love doing that, Mullet MadJack is a hybrid of MadWorld’s visual style (albeit with colour), Killer7’s rail-like gameplay, with a dash of oft-forgotten Bullet Club’s kill-and-combo mechanic. Wacky enough for you?

But if you need one more thrown into the pot, the most tip-of-my-tongue example regarding the story would be No More Heroes. It’s not just me making reference to the classic Manga stuff, it seems the game is too. Not directly, of course. But all the characters are over the top, from Banhammer’s corny dialogue, the Streamer’s no-nonsense commentary, to all the bad guys and bosses hamming it up.

Now, whether you’ll enjoy this kind of thing is entirely up to you. Humour, as always, is subjective, but it helps if you know what’s being referenced. I grew up on a healthy diet of Manga films I shouldn’t have watched, old shows like Knightmare and current, aforementioned games. So yeah, I appreciate the nods, the pastiche and the silliness. Any actual influencer under the age of, ooh let’s say about 20, is going to be as confused as they are trying to read analogue clock faces.

Hit Another Go, Jack

Despite being a roguelike, Mullet MadJack is a bit of an odd one in that regard. Normally, the whole point is if players die, they start again. MadJack is different, in that there are save slots for the earlier-mentioned tenth-floor checkpoints. So thankfully, it’s modern enough to allow players a break rather than tackle all 100 floors and their bosses in one hit. But if there’s no skill progression to keep on a new run, what else is there to do in here?

Well, if you have horrible flashbacks from the FFVII Shinra building stairwell climb, you can just play the Boss Rush mode. As in any other game, this mode allows players to tackle the near-dozen bosses, in all their varying styles. Death is a strict penalty this time, however, so don’t be expecting a walk in the vertical park. There’s also an Endless mode, which… well, that’s pretty self-explanatory, surely?

The spin on this is that rather than a straightforward run, the floors are all mixed. So it could go from standard, to laser-filled, acid – or lava – floored, or even a combination at each floor. The gameplay loop is exactly the same: keep on runnin’, keep on gunnin’.

And as a neat little extra extra, there’s even an unboxing mode. Both poking fun and offering a painful reminder about how fun purchasing actual games are, it’s a virtual tour of a boxed copy of Mullet MadJack. It’s worth doing to see it through, but I won’t spoil why. Just do it.

Business Up Front, Party In The Back

Normally this would be the “what’s wrong” section of a review. Fortunately for Mullet MadJack, there isn’t much to whinge about so this will serve as the conclusion too. There’s only one slight grumble, but it might make sense.

The boss fights, if only at first, are a little jarring. We’re taught the gameplay loop is inherently “Chaaaarge!” from the off. Bosses, however, become arena-style fights, requiring a lot of moving about. So when all you know is charge, to actually put FPS tactics in is a slight tonal lurch. However, it’s only a minor gripe, and by the third one I’d imagine most have gotten used to it.

The only other negative might be, as I said earlier, that the tone is lost on those that don’t get the references by hey, can’t win them all. It’s not a negative on the game, just that it might not have the same impact as it does to someone old like me.

To conclude, Mullet MadJack is a fast-paced riot throughout. The violence is quick and chaotic, the deaths are deserved but you’ll bounce back quickly enough. With six scaling difficulties, there’s enough challenge to keep players occupied. There’s a wealth of wacky trophies/achievements to keep the interested plugging away, but mainly, it’s just fun. It’s a throwback to the silliness of old school anime and 90’s era shooters. What more could you want?

Mullet MadJack is available now on Xbox One and Series S|X (review platform) and PC via Steam.

Developer: Hammer95 Studios

Publisher: Hammer95 Studios

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.

Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels. Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.