In a dystopian future where corporations rule, a brutal reality show is the hottest entertainment property in town. You play as Scarlett Martillo, a contestant out for revenge. To win, you must navigate dangerous urban arenas packed with lethal traps and face off against hordes of heavily-armed psychopaths...

Navigate dangerous urban arenas packed with lethal traps and face off against heavily-armed psychopaths

Showgunners is a turn-based tactical combat game that sees you as a participant in a deadly reality TV show where instant death is a constant threat. For those who remember the classic 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man, Showgunners follows a very similar plotline.

The gameplay is split into two distinct modes. There's the battle arenas, where you face off against enemies in XCom-lite style skirmishes. And then there's the environments you need to navigate in order to get to the battle arenas. These are populated with fans, asking for autographs, insta-death traps, "scum" ambushes and other elements that will help or hinder your progress. Once you've completed the required number of battle arena events, the day's broadcast is concluded and you are sent back to your base in order to prepare for the next day's challenges.

Helping you in your challenge, are other contestants. You start with one, but will be joined by others as you progress. You can upgrade your characters by spending talent points in their unique skill trees and outfitting them with weapons bought at shops or earned during battle.

Helping you in your challenge, are other contestants

There are two versions of the game for purchase. The standard edition retails for £28.99, whilst the platinum edition is sold for £31.99. The more expensive version comes complete with three additional packs of DLC: The Security Breach DLC, Costumes and Weapons Pack DLC and Neon Justice DLC.

They only aspect I found a little frustrating was the occasional inability to clearly see which areas were available as cover in the battle arenas. The line outline shown doesn't always make it clear if an area is full cover or partial cover. This isn't a huge issue, but when the levels get a little harder it can make all the difference. And, whilst you can control the camera to zoom in and out and focus on different areas of the environment, on occasion it can be a little too fiddley.

I found this to be a challenging game, which started off fairly easy but slowly ramps up the difficulty - especially when it comes to each level's Boss fight. It's perfect for those who enjoy turn-based tactical combat games. I did find myself constantly itching to get back to the game for one more go.

9

Darren Rea