Gunpoint: sneak around and rewire world to trick foes

Gunpoint puts you in the role of a freelance spy, performing jobs for the highest bidder. Joining elements of Taito classic Elevator Action and puzzle-based hacking sims, it's a one-man heist experience complete with guns, gadgets, and carefully-laid plans. Everything can fall apart at any moment.

Since an early alpha-stage walkthrough, described by developer Tom Francis as “an ugly, awkwardly voiced video”, I've desperately wanted to play. Francis, a writer for PC Gamer UK, isn’t a programmer by trade. Looking at Gunpoint, you wouldn’t know it: the user-friendly GameMaker development environment and a call for artists and musicians helped bring it from idea to reality within months.

In a nearly-overwhelming tide of submissions, Francis favored the pixel-heavy modernist style offered by artists John Roberts and Fabian van Dommelen, whose work now embellishes his prototype graphics with near-future neo-noir. Songs from Francisco Cerda and John Robert Matz, and dynamic music from Ryan Ike, add a bass-driven spy flick soundtrack.

At its core a puzzler, Gunpoint's primary objective is to steal data from computers found throughout each level. Your goal is to enter at the left, hack in, then exit right. You have a number of gadgets to use toward this end, but the most unique and useful is the Crosslink.

With a spin of the mouse wheel, the Crosslink allows you to see and manipulate the cause-and-effect connections between electric devices in the building. Bypass palm scanners by rewiring security doors to light switches. Lure guards from their posts by remotely turning their lights out. Solutions to puzzles can be as elegant or kludgy as you need them to be. That’s a lot of the appeal of Gunpoint; there’s rarely a single solution and you are free to do things your way.

The titular threat of your pistol forces guards into a standoff, but actually firing it triggers a 20-second countdown. Upon completion, a sniper makes your exit practically impossible. Gunpoint wants you to use brains, not bullets.

The build I played isn’t quite finished; the story elements aren’t in place, the mission progression hasn’t been finalized and the final complement of purchasable and upgradeable gadgets remains unsettled.

Even without all of the missions, gadgets, and storyline, however, the core gameplay mechanics shine. That’s what’s exciting about it: the gameplay not only informs the rest of the development process, but makes it worth watching.

Gunpoint currently has a release date of “later than May 2012” for Windows. A Mac port is under consideration. Pricing is currently open to suggestions.

Brian Easton gets to play new video games before you do.

• [originalritz]

  This looks fantastic! Can’t wait until it comes out.
  Seems like just the type of thing we might see on a future Humble Indie Bundle. Although it is just the type of game I’d pay full price for!

  I love the back-to-basics approach many developers are using these days. Applying classic style graphics and controls (perhaps with a touch-screen twist) to modern and innovative modes of gameplay. Games which have both style and substance, that are great for casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike. 

• [Derek Vandivere]

  Sounds a little bit like Bob the Robber, but a lot more interesting.

• [James Holmes]

  Looks so fantastic, it makes me jealous. 

• [MiG]

  Modern version of Impossible Mission for Commodore 64 ?

  Very cool.

  • [Adam Coe]

    Yeah I was just gonna say…very reminiscent of Impossible Mission. “Stay awhile…stay forevaaaaaaaaah!”

• [RemainsInLight]

  Any game inspired by Elevator Action is a friend of mine.

• [Egypt Urnash]

  This looks like a really awesome system that doesn’t quite have a game built around it. I dunno. It might be a LOT better when actually playing it, but it seems like most of the pleasure of this game is in actually BUILDING the system – the same trap Introversion’s “Subversion” went into.

  I guess it’s all going to come down to the mission and story…

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  Looks like the whole middle section of Quantum of Solace.

• [retchdog]

  if you want similar, but simpler, gameplay right now, check out yahtzee’s “trilby: the art of theft”.

• [Dan Hibiki]

  I think Yahtzee is currently getting a phone call from his lawyer.

• [what]

  wish you guys would reboot offworld