To understand Jets 'N' Guns Gold, it helps to have been or befriended the kind of kid who fills notebooks with intricate interstellar shoot-'em-ups, where bullets shoot in all directions while star freighters bristling with lasers blow up planet-sized satellite dishes, and asteroids smoosh a thousand astronauts. This 2D scroller has two great strengths, and the no-holds-barred content is the first: You'll fight pirates, viruses, zombie metal-heads, flying coffins, "Mr. Loverman," wind-up mice, and beer. (Yeah—beer.)
Its other virtue is its punishing difficulty. You pilot a spaceship that suffers relentless bombardment from hundreds of attackers, forcing you to reconfigure and fine-tune your weapons if you want any chance of success. Laying random cover-fire above and behind your ship is just as important as a strong frontal assault, and each level demands a smart strategy and hair-trigger reflexes. Yet the game also throws in a few easy kills for pacing, as well as missions that strip you down to just a jetpack and your two best guns. That variety is just more proof of the labor and precision behind this frags-and-giggles-fest.