MULLET MADJACK Review (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Time, as much of a thorn in our side as it is, has often reminded us that not everything needs to innovate in order to nudge the dial on the clock forward. It’s the same with video games, in ways; time marches on, as do technological advances in the field of digital media. But, contrary to popular belief, not everything has to sport the revolutionary qualities of a cutting edge piece of art to amass universal appeal. Take MULLET MADJACK, for example. Yes, the game lacks the same amount of complexity as a modern-day first-person shooter, but where it lacks in depth, it finds another thread on the spindle to tug on—a woolly string that, although not as ironclad as a piece of fiber wire, has the potential to induce an interesting product with its own distinctive charm and selective fodder.

MULLET MADJACK forgets the hourglass and yields to another dimension. The game idles, if anything, in the golden age of classic first-person shooters—a time where vibrant locales were commonplace and tasks wouldn’t exacerbate their problems with the inclusion of unnecessary side quests, collect-a-thons, or pointless jargon that would add little to no value to the experience. In an attempt to squash these things, MULLET MADJACK opts to use a simpler approach; it removes the risk of losing its primordial properties by full throttling a single, albeit numskull-like element — and that’s action. There is a story, for sure, but what this game is, really, is a vessel for the adolescent heart—a static timepiece that doesn’t mindlessly tick away and desperately attempt to surpass the unforgiving expectations of being a modern-day masterpiece. And you know what? It doesn’t need to be anything more than that.

As if Time Stood Still

If you’ve seen Crank, then you’ll be pleased to know that MULLET MADJACK more or less follows the same basic pattern as the movie’s premise: Crank sees our untamed hero desperately mining for adrenaline to stay alive, and MAD JACK sees the (apologies in advance for this) jacked-up gunslinger carving through enemies for ten-second bouts of dopamine to stay afloat. It’s a simple concept, and one that largely revolves around ten-second battles and a basic multi-layer stepping stone system. But that’s where the game capitalizes on its first major victory — in the arms of simplicity. There aren’t any perplexing details for you to critically evaluate here; on the contrary, it asks only that you hop from one floor to the next, and rack up kills to boost your health bar. And that’s it.

Of course, it isn’t just about unleashing bullets and slapping a few baddies in the face with a good old-fashioned pistol whip. Well, it is — but there are a few smaller details that sneakily slide into the mix, like a rogue-like progression module, for example. In each section of the mountainous tower, there are powers to unlock, which effectively grant you additional access to better inventory, weapons, and stat-boosting perks. And with each new level that you climb, there are also additional obstacles to overcome, randomly generated pickups to unearth, and a solid variety of enemy types to shovel through with both melee and ranged weapons. There’s also an endless mode to chomp through, a fully-animated campaign to knuckle down on, and even a treasure trove of classically revamped anime cutscenes to onboard, too. So, quite the love letter to legacy FPS titles, all things considered.

Working Overtime

While the premise of the game is simple, the actual gameplay experience is still a whole lot of fun. It’s thanks to the high-octane mechanics and the endless infatuation with bloodlust that continuously ejects from the battlefield that you’re never able to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Oh no, this isn’t your typical summer vacation or family outing; it’s a mindlessly hectic day at the beach during spring break—the place you’d least expect to find secluded spots or a significant lack of foot traffic. From the moment you begin your ascent, the only thing you can do is load up on dopamine and unleash bullets in exchange for a few more seconds of life. As if to illustrate the saying, flattery doesn’t charge these batteries, the battlefield magnifies the importance of your energy, and how each pelt that you obtain can remediate your greatest downfalls.

I’m grateful, in ways, that MULLET MADJACK isn’t your generic corridor shooter with a half-baked eye-rolling twist, but rather, a full-fledged ode to nineties first-person shooters and retro arcade benchwarmers. It’s almost like returning to the root of a timeless classic—to the comfort of a virtual slice of heaven that offers a pleasant combination of ludicrously paced action and stupendously vibrant anime artwork. It’s there, between nostalgia and a sacred memoir, that MULLET MADJACK finds its place atop the apex. And to give credit where it’s due, it does just about everything it initially set out to accomplish incredibly well. Again, it’s a simple game with a recognizable cliche, but when its combat and progression are that invigorating, it’s hard to turn a blind eye to it. To that I say, hats off to you, HAMMER95.

Verdict

With a fantastic soundtrack and an addictive bullet-brazen combat system to elevate an otherwise chaotic and primitive retro first-person shooter experience, MULLET MADJACK immediately becomes an epic ode to its intended, albeit somewhat seasoned fan base. Moreover, thanks to its clever inclusion of a rogue-like progression tree and a compelling anime-inspired art style, the game has all of the appropriate elements of a captivating arcade shooter that could quite easily spout out countless tours and time-based adventures. For the record, I, too, align with the seasoned collective, and so perhaps I’m just as easy to coerce as the other folk of my generation. Still, I can’t help but shovel it down the throats of anyone who might cross paths with it, as it does manage to scratch that itch surprisingly well.

The good news is, with MULLET MADJACK making its global debut on Xbox Game Pass this week, you haven’t got much to lose by slotting it into your rolling catalog. To say that it’s worth the admission price alone wouldn’t be true, mind you, for it isn’t likely to appeal to the entire subscriber base and resonate with the usual RPG-obsessed crowd, so to speak. However, if you’re hell-bent on voyaging into the timeless and spiritual depths of a structurally sound arcade first-person shooter, then you’re probably going to enjoy a lot of what HAMMER95 has to offer in its latest incarnation of a universally beloved time capsule. It’s quick, witty, and absolutely bursting at the seams with time pieces that could make a grown man shed tears. Thanks for that, team.