Hot Shot Burn! isn’t my usual sort of game. After all, I generally prefer single player experiences over multiplayer ones. So I don’t do a lot of party games, other than the occasional bout of Smash Bros. But I am a fan of trying new things on occasion, and the art of Hot Shot Burn! looked fun, so I decided to give it a shot.
The first thing you should know about Hot Shot Burn! is it’s by Artifex Mundi. I admit to not being all that familiar with their work, but it looks very different from their usual fare. Most of the games they publish are visual novel or adventure games. So right from the outset, this is a bit different. But I’m okay with that, since the colorful and cartoony art of Hot Shot Burn! hides an intense, yet fun, party experience.
You start by picking a character, and there’s a wide assortment, ranging from what appears to be a mutant chicken to a cacti-guy and more. Each character has various color swaps, but regardless, they each bring something different to the experience. Take the chicken for example. It has a special ability where it puffs out its body like a bubble, rendering it capable of deflecting bullets for a moment. That’s important, since every character has a gun handy. There’s another character that can turn completely invisible, at the expense of the person controlling it not knowing exactly where they are. Each stage has a unique gimmick or threat you can utilize to your advantage as well. Diversity and mayhem are the themes of the day, and you can be wiped out in mere seconds if you’re not careful. Thankfully, the game rates you on how many wins you have, but also who you’ve defeated. If you beat the champion, you’ll get more points. There’s also random item pickups you can find to increase your options.
Once you’ve reached a point threshold, you could be crowned the big winner, if you survive the next round. If not, you’ll have to try again. Hot Shot Burn! was a lot of crazy fun, even though I wasn’t that great at it. If you’re a fan of fast paced party games, this one is currently in Steam early access, and is slated to release on consoles in 2020.
