Uragun explodes on Early Access with thrilling top-down Mech action – Hands-on impressions

Mech games are common on Steam, but Uragun stands out for its immaculate weapons and impressive difficulty curve. While the repetitiveness of top-down shooters rears its ugly head, Uragun has a lot of potential as it grows into a full title over the next 12 to 18 months. 

Lacking story, 99% action

In this game, you play as an awakened mech trying to find its pilot in a world taken over by corrupted AI robots. You must shoot and slash your threats to venture forth into the deadly world ahead. There isn’t much of a storyline to dissect in s the current Early Access build. As the game continues to develop, it would be great to see the narrative evolve in the gameplay itself, not the unlockable comics. 

The main meat and potatoes, however, are in the top-down shooting. for the most part, it succeeds in every way. The minigun allows you to send a satisfying flurry of bullets to your enemies, and the rocket launcher blasts everything in sight. In addition, you can unlock new weapons as you proceed through the game like a sword and a rail gun that shoots out a devastating laser toward your foes. 

Uragun so far has a great range of enemies that will test you at your limits. There’s a rolling ball mech that will act as a grenade. There are worm-like machines that will scurry towards you and resist the minigun easily. Cannon fire will hurtle itself down on you from artillery-style machines. The developer Kool2Play does a great job of upping the stakes with each level, adding a great difficulty curve. In addition, the bosses give you just the right amount of challenge and are thrilling to fight. 

While it is repetitive fighting the same enemies, Uragun will succeed if the developers can provide a wider range of enemies with each update towards release. It will also need to add new scenarios in the levels. There are only so many times you can protect a point of interest or take down a control tower before it gets old. 

An in-tune presentational style

What Kool2Play has, however, is a hard metal foundation that will shine with time, not rot. Using an Xbox Series X/S controller, the aiming of the right stick feels precise, and you’ll never hate the game for any kind of inaccuracy. The reaction time is also spot-on as dodging quick attacks feels polished. It’s a thrill to play Uragun as you take out waves upon waves of foes that come right up at your face. You can also upgrade your mech and weapons with different modifications like a longer firing spread or increased damage, making for a customizable experience. 

Uragun has simple visuals, but the cartoon art style truly works. The mech you control has a pleasant blue design with some neat blinking light elements, while the enemies have a corrosive red look to them. You can easily tell who’s good and who’s corrupted. In addition, the landscapes, while repeated too often, look stellar. The neon signage of Hong Kong and the rocky landscape of a post-apocalyptic Barcelona pops with the cartoon art style. 

Something that needs to be worked on, on the other hand, is the music. It makes a great first impression as the upbeat techno vibe matches the game’s chaotic bullet fest. However, you’ll hear the same music over and over again on each stage. I ended up turning off the music and blasting other video game soundtracks instead like Kingdom Hearts and Halo.

Overall, Uragun’s first Early Access build is a success. Its responsive controls, variety of weapons, and smooth difficulty curve make it addicting to play. Just keep in mind the lack of a narrative and that it can be repetitive in the latter half of the current build. 

Disclosure: Gamepur was provided a game code for review purposes.