El Gancho | PS4 Review

It would seem that EastAsiaSoft's latest indie release, "El Gancho" takes place in the same sci-fi setting as Task Force Kampas. Task Force Kampas being a shoot'em up with a colorful cast of characters who are also out against all odds facing a particular enemy threat. Like that game El Gancho is also a spacey arcade adventure, but one with it's own unique take on gameplay. It's centered around a nameless cheddar cheese colored dino known as a Coco. Coco's, the happy little critters that they are, are the target for a power hungry space conquering empire known as the Pogovon. The Pogovon, being the dastardly villainous scum that they happen to be, see power potential in the Coco's happiness supply. They aim to capture the entire Coco population, harvest their infinite supply of happiness, and put it to use in their latest weapon designs. Standing between them, and that endgame though is a lone Coco with a pistol whip. A literal pistol that fires a laser whip. With this weapon the daring Coco can not only grapple to higher surfaces within a given area, but also fire deadly bullets at enemies. Something that will have to be put to good use if the Coco hopes to rescue it's kidnapped mates.

El Gancho, as a game, is a two dimensional pixel populated platformer that scales down it's inhabitants while making the randomized platforming stages the main Coco is to complete via a collect-a-thon of sorts, a large scale challenging affair. The Coco protag that you control has four hits of health marked by a meter filled with four eggs. That, and an equally as small in stock bullet supply. There's even a gauge for collecting all the fast food items which will, in turn, refill lost health. With these things up front via a corner display the controlled Coco must use his pistol whip to collect food items, bullets, and captured Coco's that are scattered about on harder to reach floating platforms. Collecting the quota of Coco's is how you ultimately complete a stage. Standing between your Coco, and that goal though are enemies that can either be avoided or shot, supposing you do or do not have the bullets to do so with.

Making the tasks at hand a bit more challenging is a setup of controls tied mainly to the shoulder buttons, and two thumbsticks. L1 allows the Coco to jump. R1 in tandem with the aiming reticle (R3) allows the Coco to aim, and shoot the laser whip which acts like a grappling hook. Last, but certainly not least is the walking. This is done with the L3 thumbstick. With these mechanics you must grapple to higher platforms, and collect all the collectibles within the stage including the captured Coco's. It's a feat easier said than done due to the controller layout, and is probably the reason the developer added a challenge mode with handicaps, and a race against time for trophy sake.

In total there are three modes of play, if you count the tutorial stage. There's the tutorial with background text letting you in on the game's mechanics as you apply them through a hands-on experience. There's also a roguelike "Play" option which acts as the main mode. In it you face off against numerous stages that are randomized in structure as well as lesser enemies, and 6 bosses that require you find their weak spot, or switch to turn them off. As a sort of side option to the main game mode there's also several challenges in a "Challenge' mode that each have three different trophy rewards for timed completion. Each trophy has a set time to meet or beat, and will reward the player, accordingly. Gold, Silver, or Bronze. All of the challenges are titled, and that title hints towards that challenge's handicap. It's a deviation from the main gameplay focus, and is purely about the challenge at hand.

When it comes to options there are a couple worth noting. Aside from the volume sliders you'll fond an on/off CRT scanlines toggle as well as a selection of creatively designed reticles to aim with in-game. As you progress, and free your Coco pals you'll also unlock them as a cosmetic choice before each playthrough. It's a little something extra that gives some added replay value to the game. 

The Verdict ...

El Gancho is a very challenging to master platforming collect-a-thon style gaming experience with roguelike elements. I feel that where most of the challenge comes from though is in the developer's choice of controls. They are awkward, and in my opinion, could have been done better. As they are it feels like an artificial difficulty was added through the controls, and not particularly the gameplay mechanics alone. That aside the game is not that bad. I like certain design decisions like the food items for HP, and the Coco you control is in, and of itself cool looking. Enemies you kill, and the bosses also add some proper eye candy to the game. Even the soundtrack, and it's synth sounds add something worthwhile to the experience. Something I forgot to mention in the bulk of the review up above is the game's feat/stats tally menu which not only shows your accomplishments or lack thereof in-game, but also has an animated bestiary featuring all the enemies you defeated along the way. It's things like this that give this game personality, and a more professional polish. Overall, this $6.99 priced indie is a proper budget title, and does earn said price tag. Perhaps even more so. If you fancy a control based Coco challenge with roguelike platforming stages, and a couple of bonus features this might just be the indie for you!