Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell roguelike shooter available on the Nintendo Switch. Players control one of several Gungeoneers who descend through procedurally generated floors of a gun-themed dungeon, collecting weapons and items while fighting waves of enemies known as the Gundead.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on room-by-room combat in a top-down perspective. Each run begins at the entrance and requires clearing floors filled with enemies and obstacles before facing a boss. Movement and aiming use twin-stick controls, with shooting handled by one stick and movement by the other. A dodge roll grants brief invulnerability to avoid incoming projectiles, while tables can be flipped for temporary cover. Blanks serve as a limited resource to clear all enemy bullets in the current room. Death triggers permadeath, resetting progress and forcing a new run with fresh starting gear.
Weapons number in the hundreds and include pistols, shotguns, lasers, and unconventional firearms that interact with synergies when combined with items. Each of the four starting Gungeoneers begins with distinct weapons and abilities that influence early runs. Procedural generation ensures varied layouts, enemy placements, and item drops across attempts. The objective remains consistent: reach the lowest floor to obtain the gun capable of killing the past.
Game Modes
Single-player runs form the primary experience, allowing focused attempts at deeper floors without external input. Co-op supports two players who share the same run but maintain separate health pools. One player can continue while the other observes as a ghost after death. Co-op also unlocks access to specific character pasts upon reaching the final gun. No additional named modes appear in the base experience beyond these options.
Progression and Updates
Runs build through item collection and gun synergies that alter projectile behavior or grant new effects. Multiple major updates have expanded the roster with new characters, floors, enemies, and weapons since the initial release. These additions maintain the same core systems while increasing variety in available builds. The Nintendo Switch version preserves all content from other platforms and supports both handheld and docked play without alteration to the mechanics.
Is It Worth Playing?
Enter the Gungeon suits players who enjoy precise twin-stick shooting combined with roguelike repetition and high difficulty. The emphasis on dodging patterns and experimenting with weapon combinations rewards practice and adaptation over multiple runs. Co-op adds a layer for shared sessions, though the single-player campaign stands alone effectively. Years after launch, the game continues to receive play from those seeking challenging dungeon crawlers with strong gunplay focus. Its availability on Nintendo Switch makes it accessible for portable sessions where quick restarts fit short play windows. Those drawn to bullet hell elements and procedural variety will find repeated value in mastering the systems.