Mighty Goose review code for Nintendo Switch was provided by Active Gaming Media so, thanks to them

Mighty Goose is a fast paced, run & gun 2D shooter developed by Blast Mode and MP2 Games, while being published by Active Gaming Media. Mighty Goose stars a bounty hunting goose, who makes use of a large arsenal of weapons and a variety of abilities, players will battle against full screen bosses across various planets in order to stop a corrupt empire.

Weapons Online

Goose on top of a Train

Mighty Goose controls like your standard run & gun, having the player eliminate waves of enemies with a multitude of different firearms as they push forward towards the objective. Mighty Goose leaves an immediately strong impression, showcasing a mastery of designing fast-paced run & gun gameplay. The player doesn’t have access to many maneuvers, only being able to shoot, jump and roll. These simple moves however, have been refined to the absolute letter, with every jump feeling perfectly weighted and every roll allowing for precise dodges from enemy fire. The player is in complete control with an incredibly responsive tool kit. 

This is further enhanced through the large variety of weapons players will gain access to. Though you start out with an arm cannon similar to the Mega Buster from the Mega man series of games, players’ will be able to obtain new weapons throughout the level or purchase them with currency found in levels as well. All weapons in Mighty Goose are entirely unique from each other and are incredibly satisfying to use. The machine gun can mow down enemies in seconds whereas the lightning ray will track targets, reducing them to dust with powerful lightning blasts. This is further enhanced through skilled performance, allowing players to enter their mighty goose mode, which allows players to lay waste towards anybody standing in their way. All this power does lead to an overall easy experience, but the thrilling and enjoyable gameplay ensures it’ll never be a lackluster ride.

Noting the aforementioned powers, the player would unlock new abilities and partners as they make their way through the campaign. These abilities can range from extra jumps to being able to slow down time. These abilities add a delightful feeling of progress to what the player can pull off in battle as the mobs of enemies increases. Mighty Goose also grants players a number of partners for missions. The partners range from pigs who give ammo to robots who fire bombs. Though never impactful to the overall gameplay experience, the variety added by their inclusion is enjoyable.  It would have been better if the choice of partner enhanced or altered the gameplay loop more.

Army of One

Goose in a battle against the Desert Boss

Mighty Goose features an acceptable level of variety to the enemy types that players will encounter. Aerial foes dropping bombs from above while ground soldiers may  throw flaming bottles at the goose. This provides a decent challenge, not through the enemies’ more intelligent A.I but, through their large numbers. Avoiding a soldier’s flaming bottle becomes significantly harder when there is an entire army of them. This turns encounters with enemies into bullet-hells where the players will be required to avoid their assaults to mount a counter attack. The exhilarating feeling one gains upon navigating these hazards while blasting through foes is second to none, contributing greatly to the addictive nature of Mighty Goose.

The bosses are where this title truly shines, with challenging but gratifying full screen bosses who cover the area in gun fire, testing the player’s skills and reflexes. Each boss has a unique gimmick to keep their fights distant from each other while never changing the core of the gameplay, as to remain simple and easy to understand. 

The level design compliments these encounters further, with unique settings to keep players on their toes. One encounter, for example, sees players needing to platform across gaps of lava while attempting to mount an attack, whereas another is set in a desert, fighting on a moving vehicle. All these elements come together to create a truly incredible set of boss encounters.

Inter-Galactic Voyage

Goose activating his Mighty Goose mode

Speaking further on the level design of Mighty Goose, the courses that players blast their way through are generally linear in design, with them serving as simple backdrops for each mission. In that sense, the level design is somewhat simplistic, with little to make any specific course particularly memorable. Though, the objective of each mission itself is different, as the level design never goes beyond being simple long hallways with a few fights to impede one’s progress. 

The theme behind each course is at least entirely different, which does help each location standout. Players begin in a jail, attempting to free an ally from the clutches of the empire. The intergalactic journey will take players to a jungle planet, a desert raider planet, or an insect filled laboratory, and many more locations. Each of these sporting, intriguing set-pieces that help to set them apart.

While traveling through each level, players may gain access to a vehicle of some sort, for a portion of the level, briefly spicing up the gameplay in a noticeable way. Blazing across the desert in a motorbike or slashing through foes in a large mech, doesn’t fundamentally change the core of Mighty Goose’s gameplay but rather offers a slight reprieve in order to keep the consistent run & gun action from becoming stale. While, also saving the other bland level design from being completely devoid of excitement.

Beauty of the Goose

Cinematic before a boss encounter

Mighty Goose is an absolutely gorgeous game with remarkable sprite work. Every inch of the game is brimming with personality, and the crisp visuals only serve to further enhance the title’s appeal. The environments truly come to life with colours that pop, such as the vibrant greens in the jungle levels,  and the warm orange glow in the desert level.

It needs to be noted that Mighty Goose runs surprisingly well, with very little frame drops, despite the large amount of chaos on screen with the many enemies and their weapon fire. This was very reassuring, as run & guns require the player to make snap decisions to avoid incoming obstacles, and keeping the title at a stable frame rate ensures a pleasant gaming experience.

Overall, Mighty Goose is an incredible game that has refined itself to the finest point. With addicting gameplay, challenging bosses and a beautiful art style, this game is at the absolute top of the run & gun genre. That is all for this review and until next time…

If you’re interested in more articles check out our review of Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX