Thanks to the massive budgets and need for a return of investment in the game industry, there are some genres that really don’t get any love. A perfect example of this is the run and gun genre. Run & guns have a set amount of stages that you must work through by dodging, shooting, and taking out bosses, amounting to a somewhat short experience, something that wouldn’t fly in an era when games cost millions to make and over $70 to purchase.
However, the run and gun genre does get some love in the indie scene with great games like Blazing Chrome and Cuphead. To pay tribute to this fine genre that will hopefully see more love in the future, here are 10 of the best the genre has to offer.
Updated March 13th, 2021, by Gene Cole: The shoot ’em up genre has gotten tons of options over the years, but this format has evolved in plenty of ways that make the definition of a run & gun game vary wildly from person to person. As a result, we felt this list deserved some newer games to showcase the huge variety of games this genre has expanded into, as well as some other classics you might not normally think of as run & gun games.
15 Super Time Force Ultra
Super Time Force Ultra is a relatively new game that builds off of the high speed and active bullet hells of the modern day, while also reminiscing to the run & gunners of the past. This game puts you in the perspective of an action hero jumping through the future, with a unique mechanic of rewinding time to guarantee your success.
This makes the game quite easy to play compared to other games on this list, but extremely satisfying to do special runs with. This game is also full of additional content from challenge rooms to secret unlockables, making it a wonderful game to try if you want to see the evolution of the run & gun genre.
14 Super Star Wars
On the more classic end, Super Star Wars is much more famous for its difficulty than its gameplay for the most part. This game puts you in the seat of several characters in strange platforming levels where all you have in most cases is a blaster, and you’ll have to tread very carefully to make your way through the story and diverse planets of A New Hope.
Many run & gun games aren’t necessarily about hoarding weapons or going from battleground to battleground, and many modern examples build off of the adventure style that games like Super Star Wars did excellently. That said, be prepared for a whirlwind of deaths as you try to complete this unforgiving SNES classic.
13 Super Ghouls’n Ghosts
Speaking of unforgiving SNES games, Super Ghouls’n Ghosts is an especially unique run & gun game thanks to its medieval aesthetic. Unlike other games that rely on guns, this gives you all kinds of fantasy weapons as you get through a tough game that uses your platforming skills alongside your ability to aim at rapid enemies.
Much of the challenge to this game is that you bounce very far back after getting hit, meaning you can easily fall into a pit or out of your ideal path if you get caught off guard. Nonetheless, it’s a great challenge for those who can handle the other classic games that fill you up with more advanced and rapid weaponry.
12 Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Even though many people consider run & gun games to be specifically sidescrollers, there are tons of gamers who will likely feel that top down shooters fill an extremely similar role in their hearts. Because of this, it’s impossible not to mention Zombies Ate My Neighbors, one of the most fundamental games in the world of top-down shooters.
Much like any other run & gun game, you’ve got to be cautious with ammo and keeping an eye out for random weapons and gear, but this game has a much more explorative nature due to its different perspective. The higher mobility gives you many other options as you survive your neighborhood, and that diversity makes it feel wonderfully familiar to other games of the diverse genre.
11 Enter The Gungeon
Enter The Gungeon is essentially the culmination of every run & gun and top-down shooter in existence, with the difficulty and style turned up to 11. It’s entirely themed around the weapons you get, varying in all sorts of styles from references to other media to unique in-game jokes.
It might be a top-down experience, but might feel more familiar to classic sidescrollers since it puts you in various arena rooms to clear all foes before moving on. Since many open-world shooters like this end up being more like Metroidvanias, it’s great to see Enter the Gungeon maximize on the action-hero feeling of the run & gun genre.
10 Cyber Lip
Cyber Lip was released for arcades by Neo Geo in 1990 and was later brought home to the Neo Geo AES which was Neo Geo’s only home system. The games for the Neo Geo AES came on massive cartridges that were worth $200 at the time and cost a small fortune today.
Cyber Lip takes place in the distant year of 2016 where the government has put in place a space colony due to the world being overpopulated. As with many other games in the genre, you make your way through levels, picking up power-ups and taking out enemies until you reach the boss.
9 Super Turrican
Super Turrican was developed by Factor 5 and released for the Super Nintendo in 1993. It had a sequel, Super Turrican 2 which was also released for the Super Nintendo. In Super Turrican, you have the basic power-ups and guns you would find in any other run & gun, but you also have the ability to roll up in a ball similar to Samus Aran from the Metroid series.
There are 4 separate worlds in Super Turrican until you reach the end of the game, which has a large alien-like creature that resembles the work of H.R. Giger. It’s a spectacular adventure for those wanting a true classic and an influential game on the genre as a whole.
8 Rapid Reload
Rapid Reload is a Japanese and European exclusive that is set in the same universe as Wild Arms with a steampunk aesthetic. When it was released, it was criticized for being too similar to Gunstar Heroes, a game that will be featured later in this list.
In Rapid Reload, you can either play as Axel, the male character, or Ruka, the female character. Each character has 4 exclusive weapons, making for 8 total guns in the game. They have a machine pistol, flame thrower, multi-directional cannons, and a homing laser.
7 Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid was released by Behemoth, the same developed who later went on to make both Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theatre. The art style used in the game is reminiscent of that found on Newgrounds, as it was originally a flash game on the site and some of the developers used for Newgrounds.
Alien Hominid was originally released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance but was later remastered and brought to the Xbox 360 and IOS. A new game in the series, Alien Hominid Invasion, was recently announced for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
6 Sunset Riders
Konami single handedly created the run and gun genre when they made Contra in 1987. They created a few other games within the genre as well, with Sunset Riders being one of the best among them. Sunset Riders is essentially Contra in the wild west and was originally made for arcades before being brought home to the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.
You have 4 different cowboys to choose from, all with different guns. You can play 2 player through the 6 difficult levels that also include some that take place on horseback, making for a ton of diverse gameplay styles for the era it was released in.
5 Metal Slug 3
The Metal Slug series offers some of the best sprite work ever. You make your way through each level finding different weapons and saving hairy prisoners of war until you run into a boss, with Metal Slug 3 being one of the most polished and deep entries in this amazing franchise.
Metal Slug 3 is also notable for its zombie-themed level. If you are puked on by one of the zombies, you yourself will turn into a zombie and will slowly limp around the level with the ability to throw up massive piles of blood on enemies. It is quite the sight to behold, and a great change of pace from the military aesthetic.
4 Alien Soldier
Alien Soldier comes from Treasure, creators of Ikaruga and Gunstar Heroes. Alien Soldier plays out more like a boss rush with small sections of typical run and gun stages sprinkled between each boss to let you regain health and ammunition.
You have the ability to hover dash, and super dash when you are at full health which will deal massive amounts of damage on bosses. As enemies and bosses shoot projectiles at you, you can deflect them and they will turn into health, in turn keeping your super dash fully charged. This is the best way to take on the game’s challenges.
3 Contra 3: The Alien Wars
Contra 3: The Alien Wars was developed by Konami and released for the Super Nintendo. It introduces the ability to carry more than one weapon at a time as well as carry and set off screen-clearing bombs.
Contra is known for having a steep difficulty curve, and Contra 3: The Alien Wars is no exception. Players will occasionally encounter overhead stages they will have to navigate. The game is known for its massive bosses & the ability to play it all with a friend.
2 Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes is the first game developed by Treasure, aside from McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure. Treasure was a group of developers that previously worked at Konami and were apparently tired of making Contra games all the time, and this was one of their first great properties in this endeavor.
Gunstar Heroes takes the classic run and gun gameplay that was developed in Contra and adds beat em’ up elements. Treasure used many of the trademarks they became known for in their future games for the first time in Gunstar Heroes including multi-staged bosses, various gameplay modes, and masterful sprite work with little slowdown.
1 Cuphead
Cuphead is the newest game on this list and is set in a 1930s cartoon. The game is stunning to look at with its vibrant colors and highly detailed animation. The game is more of a boss run with a gimmick that allows you to bounce off pink bullets to help raise your super meter. It plays much like a Treasure game but with a beautifully stylish coat of paint.
Cuphead has proved that there is still love for the genre and that it can be a long and engrossing experience. Cuphead will also soon see some new DLC in time, and while its release date has been pushed back a number of times, it’s hard to deny anyone who plays this game will be waiting on the edge of their seat for more of Cuphead’s polished gameplay.
