BUTCHER

This is a game for 2D shooters fans, even though we can't help but feel it is an unpolished gem that could have been so much more.

BUTCHER doesn't innovate the videogame market, but it's fun and should be enjoyed by gamers who are searching for a nice challenge.

Butcher is a fun, addictive riff on a classic genre with an uncompromising approach that makes it feel both rewarding and frustrating. You're unlikely to get much mileage out of it unless you like a lot of repetition and a torturous level of challenge but if you're attracted by its over-the-top retro aesthetic, it's definitely worth checking out.

While you're making your way through its main story on the default difficulty, Butcher is great. In addition to thoughtful, satisfying gameplay, the whole thing just gives off this impeccable sense of attitude. But when you try out the higher difficulties, its control layout becomes its Achilles' heel. If we look at the game as a whole, it's a combination of high quality and wasted potential. If we only include the stuff that's worth playing, there just isn't enough of it. Either way, Butcher is a middling experience bolstered somewhat by its sense of character.

Butcher is a game that will mainly appeal to those who like hardcore shooters, where one wrong move can cost you progress. For others, that style of play could prove frustrating, especially when testing your platforming skills. Though it’s built around the idea of being a relentless killing machine, that doesn’t really feel fully realised with most enemies on a par with you when it comes to dealing damage. Butcher shows potential, but it doesn’t reach it in its short campaign.

This grim, pixellated gorefest successfully channels the spirit of 8 and 16 bit shoot-’em-ups but doesn’t stand up to sustained play; spend too long with Butcher in one sitting and it starts feeling like an infuriating grind.

The level design is generally good, albeit quite generic. It’s not like Butcher has many surprises for the players, but the action flows nicely and the game knows how to be punishing without feeling unfair. All in all, it's a generally smooth game let down by its idea of scale.