A maze of hotel rooms stands in front of me. I have nothing but my sunglasses and my fists. I slide into the nearest door, slam a thug to the ground, take his baseball bat, and chuck it at another baddie on the other side of the seedy bedroom. Before the first thug can get back up, I execute him real fast, hop over the bed, and do the same to the other knocked-down enemy. This thrilling sequence happens in less than five seconds. Later, when I walk by the carnage on my way out, I see my partner in crime, Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, clad in a slick purple suit, weighing the souls of those dead losers. He’s a weirdo like that.
Jackal, out now on Steam, is a new top-down indie shooter that is clearly inspired by Hotline Miami‘s fast-paced one-shot-and-your-toast action. But where Hotline Miami emulated the look of retro games, Jackal is a stylized 3D adventure that mixes realism with psychedelic art, Egyptian magic, lots of guns, and Max Payne-like noir voiceovers from the game’s coked-up “hero.”
In Jackal, you have Anubis by your side. He’s a bit stoic and quick to criticize the main character, but does offer up spells that can be used during levels. These can stop time, blind enemies, or make you move really fast. Popping one of these during an ambush is a great way to get out of trouble, but you can only use a spell once during a mission, so knowing when to use it becomes part of the deadly puzzle-solving.
Anubis and his magic aren’t the only strange parts of Jackal. It’s clear that this version of 1970s Las Vegas is oozing otherworldly vibes. The game’s cutscenes reinforce this with some truly trippy and wonderful uses of color, lighting, and sound. Of course, the main character is also fucked up on 20 different kinds of drugs and pills. So, how much of this is real and how much is in his rotting mind is an interesting question to ponder as you murder every gangster and cop in Vegas.
Yeah, Yeah, But What About The Killing?
As with any Hotline Miami-like game, what matters more than anything else is the movement and combat. Sure, the aesthetics and atmosphere are great in Jackal. But in these kinds of games, death must come swiftly, as well as the reloads. Likewise, action needs to move fast, but you should always feel like you have at least one option to get out of the chaos alive. Jackal nails all of this.
Combat in this new indie shooter is all about being smart but relentless. Kick a guy down, grab his gun from the air, and shoot the other folks nearby; then, as he stands up, toss the gun back at his face, knocking him down again and letting you finish him with a quick execution.
A lot of time in Jackal is spent tossing knives, bats, swords, guns, and more at enemies to stun them, and it always feels good. There’s also a lot of focus on making sure that you always know what’s going on. Enemies are pointed out via visual cues, guns are highlighted red so you know who to focus on, and when they run low on ammo, they go yellow. Smart choices like this help combat feel chaotic, sometimes out of control, but never messily or frustratingly so. And unlike in Hotline Miami, you can kick tables, chairs, and other items at enemies, which—along with the spells—adds a lot of useful options during fights.
After about an hour and a half of playing Jackal, it looks like I’m about halfway through the game’s levels. So it doesn’t seem like this is a long experience, but there are many difficulty options, and nearly every level can be replayed with a new random layout of enemies, rooms, and weapons. That should offer a lot of replayability, especially for those chasing perfection. Just remember, someone is judging all those corpses you leave behind. And one day, will judge yours, too.
