This pixellated, brutal 2D shooter is one of three games on this list that comes to us courtesy of indie-oriented publisher Devolver Digital. In many ways, this game inherits the super-violent fast-paced pixel shooter crown from Hotline Miami - whose 2015 outing didn't quite live up to the far tighter original. Not A Hero adeptly uses cover and dodge mechanics, which add an element of strategy to the relentless shootouts and violence throughout the game. Your characters are as vulnerable to bullets as the enemy is, and one mistimed move could see your pixellated little skull smashed open, causing your brain to adorn the wall behind you. If that visceral description of violence sounds good to you, then you'll appreciate the shedloads of blood and skull-stomping on display here. Despite its innocuous visual style, Not A Hero has a John Woo-movie kind of appeal about it, as you stylishly slide out of the way of bullets, before countering with fusillades of your own. It's far from the deepest or most profound indie game of the year, but it does ultra-violence in the most fun possible way, which makes it carnally appealing.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
