My Friend Pedrodeveloper DeadToast Entertainment just announced its next secret plan : Shotgun Cop Man . bring out byDevolver Digital , the action hit man will launch this year for PC and Nintendo Switch at a $ 10 price gunpoint . Ahead of its reveal , Digital Trends demoed its first 17 levels , taking us through its tutorial , first world , and a boss fight .

Shotgun Cop Manis a 2D triggerman about a fuzz who has to go to Hell and arrest Satan . That ’s all you really need to recognize there . It ’s not too unlike fromMy Friend Pedro , DeadToast ’s 2019 shooter that had players operate in aerobatic violence pulled directly from a John Woo movie . Shotgun Cop Manis much smaller in scope , opting for comparatively modest visuals over cinematic spectacle . My Friend Pedro‘s DNA is still very much present , though , as it ’s a secret plan that ties mobility and shooting together .

The basics are simple enough . I need to move through platforming levels fill with enemies and trap like buzzsaws . There ’s just one catch : I do n’t have a jumping button . To cross gaps , I require to use my guns to propel my eubstance . If I want to jump , I need to aim my right joystick towards the ground and fire . Similarly , an airdash would require me to quickly aim in the opposite direction and fire . A basic sidearm is mapped to one of my initiation , which reserve me to poor hops , while my scattergun is on the other and can send me sky high . I only have a few shots in each gun and they do n’t reload until I touch the ground .

The easiest way to describe it is “ Celestereimagined as a twinned - spliff shooter . ” The first 17 degree put me through a gantlet of quick platforming challenge that would require me to time my shots cautiously so I could both blast enemies and avoid obstacles at the same time . That may sound like a complicated juggle bit , but I picked it up quick . The other levels start me off tardily as I blast my way up to in high spirits platforms with my shotgun and fire my pistol to pass over out the minuscule daimon on the other side .

tardy level would storm up by having me dodge spinning blade , want me to apply my shotgun as a panache to cross the screen promptly . Others had me platforming on clods of shit float above spike pit . Once I evoke , the ground beneath me would disintegrate , so I ’d ask to plan my jumps carefully . Two level dropped me into armed combat sports stadium , tasking me with taking out 30 or so minions , while stratum 17 drop me into a boss fight with a spinning buzzsaw who I necessitate to evade while assault . I got a few different grease-gun to replace my side arm occasionally too , from a fast SMG to a 2d shotgun .

Super Meat Boy arrive to mind a bit , but it does n’t seem like DeadToast is looking to make a punishingly difficult plot . In fact , the demonstration offered a lot of flexibleness . When I took damage , a heart would escape my body and I ’d simply need to touch it to refresh up . When I did die , I was normally dropped back mighty during the segment of the level that defeat me rather than go to the start . That was even true for combat arenas , which pick up where I left off every time . Death is n’t really much of a worry in Hell , I suppose . I signify , what ’s the worst that can happen after that ?

That accessible action is counterbalance by spirit level goal . Each one has three potential medals : one for killing every enemy , one for clear it without take damage , and a speedrun goal . That last part seems to tease what DeadToast is really going for here , as this feels like a game custom built for an event likeGames Done Quick . I can see a set actor learning to stupefy it as fast as possible without taking wrong , giving it a meta finish that I envisage will depict in the same residential area that tends to flock to Devolver ’s usual slating of fast - paced shooter , like last year’sAnger Foot .

Shotgun Cop Manalmost feels like the game that would have precededMy Friend Pedro , not vice versa , but I appreciate that . This almost sense like a deconstruction of that game , pull back its spectacle to focus on a fundamental action at law loop that feel great so far . It ’s nothing fancy or new , but it palpate like the kind of concise , well - designed natural process game that Devolver more often than not has a good eye for . The toll especially feels right at $ 10 , which already do it up as a hopeful budget game from a developer with a leaven track disc . Plus , how often do you get to stay Satan ?

Shotgun Cop Manlaunches this yr for PC and Nintendo Switch .