Review: Hungry Shark World, Mothergunship, and The Mooseman — Roundup

New games release on Xbox One and Windows 10 every week, and it can be quite difficult keeping track them all, especially during the summer when so many blockbuster titles are taking up people’s attention with their expansive marketing campaigns. Some of the games reviewed this week you may not have even heard of. This time around, we’re taking a look at Hungry Shark World, Mothergunship, and The Mooseman.

Hungry Shark World

Hungry Shark World is just an insane amount of fun. Have you ever played the Feeding Frenzy games on Xbox 360 or Xbox One? Well, the gameplay is similar but it’s just turned up several notches. Feeding Frenzy simply allowed your fish to grow a little bigger. Hungry Shark World’s sharks can become ship-devouring monsters like the ones found in Jaws. As dark as this sounds, eating divers and other helpless swimmers is oddly satisfying.

Hungry Shark World features numerous customization options like equipping your shark with a tutu and other bizarre accessories. Gameplay is also challenging because you have to explore the levels, smash through certain blockades, and monitor your hunger meter. The level variety is also great because you get to explore underwater ruins and other structures. All of these take place in a semi-open world setting.

Overall, Hungry Shark World is a definitive evolution of the Feeding Frenzy formula. The gameplay is addictive and keeps you coming back for more. There are just so many other little features that it would be impossible to describe them in this review. Hungry Shark World is definitely worth $9.99. The mobile version was a lackluster game but the console port runs smoothly and features tight mechanics.

8.5/10

Xbox One X

Mothergunship

Mothergunship is a first-person shooter which lets you craft your guns. You can modify them as much as you like and if you’re skilled enough, make absolute monstrosities. This mechanic is what sets the game apart because the shooting and level design are quite standard to say the least. Equipping various attachments to your weapons dramatically changes gameplay and this is by far one of the biggest innovations in the genre. Usually, in other shooters, you can change your scope, here you can add a dozen barrels which shoot out their own bullets if you like. It’s customization taken to the extreme.

The game takes place on an alien craft and you have to kill everything on board to save humanity. However, how you do that entirely depends on what sort of weapons you craft. Mothergunship needed a better story and better level design to be truly exceptional. We realize that it’s supposed to be a homage to old-school shooters, but that doesn’t mean that the levels should feel like something out of the first Wolfenstein 3D.

Mothergunship currently doesn’t support Xbox One X and looks a little blurry on the base console. The visuals would look much better at a higher resolution. Hopefully the developer will consider adding in support down the line. Despite these problems, the gun-crafting focus elevates the experience and makes it one of the most unique titles on Microsoft’s platform.

8/10

Xbox One X

The Mooseman

The Mooseman is an exploration game in the “walking simulator” genre. Walking simulators are one of those genres that have a bad reputation, but they end up being the most meaningful experiences. Just take a look at titles like Gone Home or Inside. The Mooseman is like Inside because you have to scroll through the level and collect various artifacts. However, as The Mooseman, you can see aspects of the world hidden to normal humans.

The visuals are breathtaking due to their simplicity and scale. You’ll come across dense forests and then towering, mystical structures that are a sight to behold.

Unfortunately, while the game looks great, plays well, and features a great theme, the puzzles are a little simple and easy. It’s a shame that the title isn’t challenging because it doesn’t require a lot of thought. The Mooseman seems more like an interactive adventure than a game. Despite that, it’s still worth your time because it’s just that unique.

8.5/10

Xbox One X

Out of all of these games, we would recommend Hungry Shark World the most. It’s a lot of fun and gives you that nostalgic feeling of playing old-school arcade games. All of the titles this week provide their own unique experiences, so give them all a shot if you’re interested. It just depends on what you like but we all have our favorites.