Double Shot Gals

Genre: Puzzle / Shmup

Players: 1

.

Review:

Double Shot Gals, released on Nintendo Switch in 2022, is an unusual blend of Puzzle game and Shmup that has players shooting at a lowering wall of blocks using a ship that can fire blue shots out of its right turret and red shots out of its left turret. Either type of shot will take out most blocks, but players must be careful to hit red and blue gems with only the color that matches the gem, or else they speed up the descent of the blocks, with the game ending when they reach the bottom.

However, this is only really telling half of what this game is, because Double Shot Gals is also an “ecchi” game featuring art of attractive anime-style girls in various states of undress and even including topless nudity (technically bottomless as well, though this is obscured by blocks placed over the private bits). Of course, as I often say about this sort of game, I don’t necessarily like or dislike these sorts of games, so long as the actual game itself is good, and the objectifying and titillation fits.

At least on that latter point, Double Shot Gals seems somewhat lacking. While this is going to be subjective, I simply do not find the art in this game to be very good, and players wanting to get hot and bothered looking at art of unclothed women have countless better options online. It’s not like it has much at all to do with the gameplay either – you’re not revealing anything by shooting away blocks, the ladies’ clothes are just automatically removed when you reach certain point thresholds.

The rest of the presentation here is similarly a mixed bag. The ship and the blocks you’re shooting at are depicted using simple 2D visuals that are fine but don’t really do much to enhance the experience, behind the oddity of some blocks being made up of various food items for some reason. The action is backed by a cheesy synthesized soundtrack that is similarly nothing especially good or noteworthy, and the action has a heavily-accented female voice commenting on what you’re doing with what is, I suppose, intended to sound suggestive – voice snippets saying “ohhhh yeahhh” and “good job”.

This isn’t the end of the cheesy titillation, though. The game also includes a “dating game” mode, which is basically just a place to spend in-game currency to unlock features like ship skins, done through the guise of a “dating game” where players try to guess what interests each girl has. Suffice it to say, this mode feels superfluous, and doesn’t deliver good gameplay or anything especially enticing for those with more… puerile interests.

Okay, so the more “porn-y” side of this game largely fails, but is the gameplay at least decent?

Actually… surprisingly, yeah.

This game finds a pretty good balance between having to rush against the constant threat of the falling blocks while also being careful about which shots you place where, because a shot of the wrong color striking a gem can make an already-hectic situation even worse. What’s more, the game shakes things up by having swirling orbs that are also color-coded. These will also cause the screen’s blocks to drop if shot with the wrong color, but shooting them with the right color can randomize all the blocks on-screen, which can be disorienting. This means you may have to weigh your options when shooting one of these.

While this game succeeds at creating some compelling core gameplay, it fails in other areas. There’s no good feeling of progression, and it can definitely seem like each of the game’s levels seems a lot like “more of the same”. What’s more, this game is seriously lacking in features and options. There’s no endless mode, no puzzle mode, no versus AI mode, and no multiplayer. Sadly, this is a game where the core gameplay is great, but everything around it fails to capitalize on that great gameplay.

I can’t help but wonder if maybe the time and attention given to the more titillating elements of this game would have been better-spent shoring up the game’s features and game modes. Double Shot Gals actually does have some good gameplay here, but the porn-y elements of this game don’t do it any favors, and I would have much rather seen this game deliver on its gameplay potential than make an unimpressive attempt to pander to baser instincts. Still, this poor judgment in priorities has resulted in one of the better “ecchi games” I’ve ever played, and those who enjoy Puzzle games and Shmup may enjoy this interesting hybrid of the two genres. For that reason, this game may be worth checking out.

tl;dr – Double Shot Gals is a blend of Puzzle game and Shmup where players shoot red and blue shots at a lowering wall of blocks, being careful not to hit blocks with the wrong color. It is also an ‘ecchi game” with pandering female nudity. These “ecchi” elements aren’t very good and do little to benefit the game, but the gameplay itself is surprisingly good, albeit sorely lacking in gameplay modes and options. It definitely feels like less time here should have been spent on the lackluster porn-y elements and more spent on shoring up the good core gameplay, but this is nevertheless a fun and unique blending of the Puzzle and Shmup genres that may be worth a look for those who don’t mind the objectifying and nudity.

Grade: C+

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