Gunpowder

Developer: Rogue Rocket Games
Steam Release: Jul 2015
Hours Played: 2.2
Similar To: Khaba / Lines / Lowglow / OMG Zombies! / Scarab Tales
Rating: 5/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
Gunpowder is a super-compelling and very well-done puzzler that, put simply, tasks you with the responsibility of blowing up safes and piggy banks that have been left out in the desert. All is done in top-down view as you start a level by perusing the lay of the land and figuring out how best to destroy said items. Your best friends are the barrels of explosives and the camp-fires that have also been left unattended. So how do you set about going to work? Well, by utilizing the supply of the limited gunpowder that you're given of course. Sprinkle this around to make little trails that, when lit, become paths of destruction. In short... ignite the fire, watch the sparks follow the lines you've made and watch the kegs go kaboom in little explosions of delight.

BALANCE & PACE
First off you'll draw simple lines to create simple chain reactions before moving onto new mechanics. You'll then soon graduate to placing barrels yourself; figuring out how to pass the spark over bodies of water; igniting cannons and exploding rocks so they fall off cliffs. By the time you move onto later chapters you'll be facing speeding trains and waterfalls plus ever-more elaborate means to embellish those route-making skills. The volume of gunpowder you're allowed to use is shown in a convenient meter at the top of the screen and you get an erase mode, with a broom icon to click on, if you wish to sweep back up poorly placed gunpowder. There is also an explosion icon that, when clicked on, displays how much of an area is covered by blasts. All in all, levels are moved through at a good steady pace.    

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
The vibe of Gunpowder is all about the vibrant and sunny world of the wild wild west. A huge clear blue sky, large rocks and bright golden barrels adorn the desert landscape as you start the game. The title is set in that umistakable Redemption font-style as are the path names nailed to a signpost in the foreground. As you complete levels and liberate gold and cash, Robin-Hood style, the screen becomes a sea of crackling explosions as the safes and piggy banks shatter and crack. Satisfaction is heightened all the more as the outraged evil Boss Grimshaw fumes in a screaming rage in the corner. All, of course, brought to you with that thoroughly enjoyable and distinctive Mariachi sound of Mexico.           

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Thankfully, there is no convoluted or complicated progress system here. The game is divided into five chapters that are represented tastefully by leather-bound books at the Level-Select screen. You may open each book to reveal 25 cards or stamps that represent each level. Destroy the safe and you complete the level before moving onto the next one. For each level, there is also the added challenge of destroying up to three piggy banks making it possible to acquire 75 piggy banks in total. This figure is actually significant as subsequent chapters can only be unlocked if a certain piggy-bank goal has been hit. Finally, for the hardcore, there is a speedrunning element to the game where your best-time gets uploaded and placed onto the leaderboard for each level you complete.  

CONCLUSION

Interestingly, although a simple concept to absorb, Gunpowder is quite a unique game. Sure, there are the limited ink mechanics used by the pens of the player in Your Doodles Are Bugged and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood but none are used in such a way to spark gunpowder, ignite kegs and to cause such satisfying explosions! It's really the way that this simple yet unique concept is built upon and the way ever-more inventive levels are created that makes Gunpowder the quality game it is. However, as someone who is not too deep into the game, I have heard that frustrating elements get introduced at the later levels. But hey, with a price tag of just £1.59 at the time of writing, Gunpowder is well worth it for Chapter 1 alone and comes as a high recommendation.