Mullet Madjack PC Review

The initial moments of the newly released indie first-person shooter, Mullet Madjack, are filled with heart-pounding excitement and madness. These few minutes had my eyes wide open in some sort of frantic energy state, as if I had been injected with a surge of sugary foods and thrown into a pool of brightly coloured E-numbers. The game’s core gameplay thrives on chaotic madness. It leaves me wondering if the developers brainstormed wild ideas inspired by the intense Jason Statham movie, Crank, and infused it with a stylish 1990s anime aesthetic for a fast-paced, visually stunning experience. This is Mullet Madjack, ladies and gentlemen, and boy is it a blast.

In the year 2090, the world has undergone a dramatic transformation where humans have lost their dominance to AI. The era of “Robillionaires ” has begun, as hyper-intelligent and rich robots have taken over. This new reality has been shaped by the immense power of the internet, which has not only revolutionized lives but also pushed humans to seek more extreme forms of entertainment. The fusion of humans and the internet has given birth to a new entity that craves constant dopamine fixes every 10 seconds or else they die.

The most recent main character to be featured in the upcoming livestream show is Mullet Madjack, the titular anti-hero who fully embraces the mullet haircut of an 80s action hero. Peace Corp. has picked Madjack to win a pair of amazing sneakers by saving the influencer princess from the robot scum, “She’s got two billion followers, you know.” As the player, the responsibility falls on your shoulders to guide Madjack through the challenges ahead and keep him alive by encouraging these viewers to enjoy, comment, and like what you are doing. Doing this will boost dopamine from their positive interactions, which will help you in your mission to defeat robots and stay alive. The success of this rests in your ability to keep the death count rolling, which is the core mechanic of Mullet Madjack.

In Mullet Madjack‘s campaign, players are tasked with navigating through 82 floors to rescue the princess. The campaign is divided into chapters, each consisting of 10 levels. These levels are designed to provide an adrenaline experience, often featuring boss battles or bespoke gameplay elements that serve as a conclusion to the chapter. As players progress, they will notice a recurring event where the princess always seems to be just out of reach after reaching the tenth floor of the chapter, clearly a shoutout to “But our Princess is in another castle” from Super Mario Bros. Levels are frantic and short, usually lasting a minute or so. With 10 levels per chapter, this often has a chapter lasting 14-20 minutes. This does mean the campaign is short. My total time for it on the standard normal difficulty was around 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not long, but the game is not about length but replayability, which comes in the game’s six difficulties and the endless mode, which I’ll get onto later.

Madjack moves with ease and speed, reminiscent of the 90s first-person shooter, this makes it easy to traverse the levels. The game also does a good job of showcasing how much time is left on the clock, as in his left hand is a phone that shows his remaining time, while his right is dedicated to his weapon. Madjack can also jump, dash, kick, and use items, but those last three options are assigned to one button (mouse 2 by default) and are context-sensitive depending on if a door or enemy is close to the action. This might seem awkward, but it works and I have never had an incorrect action performed.

Movement undeniably feels great, but what helps the flow of the game is the level design. It is compact and precise, made so that players are funnelled down a direction with no chance of getting lost. There are split paths and shortcuts with vents, which are cracked open with a kick, but they all lead back to the same path towards the exit switch. Levels are crafted in such a way that they are high-speed, with enemies planted in just the right spots to await a kick or shot from Madjack. Not all enemies die in one hit, but they never felt like bullet sponges bar the shield guys. These have weaknesses to take them down faster, such as a kick to the shield and then a swift shot to the head – ammo is unlimited with only reloading stopping the release of bullets, which is a brilliant idea to incorporate.  Environmental hazards are also another good way to get rid of tough enemies as they swiftly eliminate them no matter their life. Electric walls, fans and explosive objects can help rack up the dopamine timer. These hazards are strategically placed in plain view to make it easy to interact while navigating through the level.

As players progress through the tower, they will encounter an increasing number of hazards. These include drops, lava pits, acid pits, and the ability to run on walls over bottomless pits. Despite the high-octane pace of the game, these obstacles are strategically placed in a way that does not disrupting the flow of the game. One of the key strengths of Mullet Madjack is its emphasis on fluidity. The high-speed nature requires players to be able to perform actions quickly and efficiently without any hindrances. The game ensures that players can easily interact with the environment, such as picking up special items that are hung on the walls, such as hammers, which are used to instantly kill an enemy, are auto-picked up when close to them and become part of the context-sensitive button. Kicking foes into fans, smashing their faces in with hammers, popping a few caps into their metallic asses, all the action and movement is adding dopamine to the timer and at the same time making the player feel great because of how it delivers its action without hitches.

Completing a level successfully opens Mullet Madjack‘s roguelike game elements; the opportunity to choose from three different powerups. Along with these powerups, players can also acquire new weapons like the submachine gun, shotgun, or railgun, which can be further upgraded by collecting more powerups by beating more levels. While the weapons may not feel as precise or impactful as those in traditional shooters, I do think making them feel that way would hinder the hyperactive experience. In addition to guns, players can also opt for melee weapons such as a fire katana, providing more intimate combat. Various powerups include increased ammo capacity, extra life, double damage, speed boost, and headshot bonuses available. With around 50 different powerup options, players may find certain combinations more effective than others, leading to repeated use of preferred boosts. Upon completing the 10 levels in a chapter, all acquired powers except for the weapon will be removed from Madjack, prompting players to start fresh in the next chapter.

Mullet Madjack offers different difficulty settings that significantly impact core mechanics, particularly the timer and the way dopamine is earned. These difficulty settings are divided into three groups, each with two options. The first group is the “Accessible” difficulty, which includes playing without a timer. While this may seem to defeat the purpose of Mullet Madjack it is designed for players who want to explore the levels without any time constraints. The developers have even included a prominent warning on the screen, emphasizing that this option deviates from the intended gameplay experience and is solely provided for accessibility. Easy difficulty setting increases the protagonist’s life to 15 and grants an additional 3 seconds to the dopamine meter for each kill. This setting suits players who prefer a more relaxed and forgiving gameplay experience.

Normal is where the average players should be, but again this is not the recommended setting, even though it’s the default health and seconds earned on kills. Challenge difficulty is where the developers state the true experience of Mullet Madjack. This is the same 10-second life, but only 1 second is gained on killers. There are also fewer seconds earned for stylish kills and bosses are harder as they do double damage. The final set includes Hard and Permadeath modes. In Hard mode, players have only 10 seconds of health, and standard deaths do not extend the time limit. Instead, players must focus on headshots and environmental kills, with fewer soda machines to heal and instant kill items available. Permadeath is self-explanatory. It’s like Challenge but there are no checkpoints, meaning no saving after 10 floors and instead the game must be beat without dying…not an easy thing to do! Both Hard and Permadeath modes offer a twist on the core experience while upping the difficulty requiring players to strategize and frantically perform their stylish kills to get the dopamine hit.

The late 1980s early 1990s anime vibe, from graphics to sound, is perfectly capitulated in Mullet Madjack’s in-your-face presentation. From beginning to end it oozes the distinct charm of that art style, be it the game’s cool introduction or how the animated anime face of the Peace Corp. presenter is screaming at you from the other end of the phone. It successfully combines this with colourful graphics to create a visually striking look, almost sensory overload, but in a positive way. Everything is packed with colour and brightness, and it never stops. The only issue is that some of the levels can feel repetitive. Even with a new theme, the level is in essence the same design but with a new coat of paint. Once experienced, the new elements of that chapter do not become as exciting when repeating the process in the game’s Endless Mode. Still, that mode is a nice addition and is sure to give the game some extra playtime. Endless mode is what it says, but it still implements the concept of losing the power-ups after 10 levels to keep it within the same playing rules as the campaign.

Mullet Madjack goes full pelt with its cyberpunk anime theme inspired by all the anime greats from that 80s/90s period. The gameplay is stimulating and hectic, never dropping a beat for downtime, and always keeping the player on high alert. Mullet Madjack is a rush of action, a pump of dopamine throughout its entirety, just like the core mechanics of the game. This is fast, frantic and chaotic which goes all in with its well-executed life countdown gameplay. Everything is built solid to support that concept; it never frustrates. The game focuses on what makes a fun shooter, the speed, the violence, and the addictive gameplay loop. Mullet Madjack delivers that engaging rush that keeps players on their toes. It could do with more elements, more powers, and more building blocks for its levels, as those soon begin to lose their spark. But, for the affordable price (£16.95) and the compelling gameplay within its Endless Mode or difficulty settings, it is worth spending time with to enjoy its energetic gameplay.