GUN JAM

This game is an interesting mix of bullet hell and music. I've spent a fair amount of time on Audiosurf and Beat Hazard back in the day and this game is scratching that same itch; a good game to put tunes on and chill out too. It's nice playing a rhythm game in 3D too and the floaty traversal feels quite liberating. I would love to see maybe a couple more movement abilities on characters (wall-running, just throwing it out there) to really open up keeping the momentum and style going. Never gonna dislike it when a game lets me put my own music in, too!

Some tracks deserve attention, despite the current build of the game, you don’t want to leave them, you want to play more and more, I hope the devs will make a campaign and re-release the game, to open 2 more `checkpoint` levels now, enter the code "cakedeliveryservice "in the settings - beta versions, it's already a little more interesting with them

It is a disappointment

Als Fan von Musik-Spielen kann ich Gun Jam im aktuellen Release-Zustand leider nicht empfehlen. [b]Das Positive zuerst: [/b] Die Musik finde ich prinzipiell gut und freue mich, dass mit Trap Hop (3), EDM (3), Metal (3) und Fusion (1) verschiedene Genres abgedeckt werden. Wer mitgezählt hat merkt allerdings schon, dass es insgesamt nur zehn Songs gibt - finde ich etwas wenig. Ich finde auch gut, dass man mit eigener Musik spielen kann. Leider hat das bei mir aber nicht zufriedenstellend funktioniert, was aber auch an meiner limitierten Musik auf dem Rechner liegen kann. [b]Das war es leider schon, weswegen wir zu den Kritikpunkten kommen:[/b] Es gibt zum Zeitpunkt des Releases nur vier Maps. Drei davon sind im "Arena-Mode", bei dem man hauptsächlich im Kreis läuft und verhindert an den Gegnerwellen zu sterben. Eine Karte ist im "Checkpoint-Mode", bei dem man sich Raum für Raum durchkämpft, indem man alle Gegner beseitigt und am Ende in einem großen Finale landet. Dieser Modus hat mir etwas mehr Spaß gemacht - umso trauriger, dass es diesen nur ein einziges Mal vertreten sieht. Was ich im Bezug auf die Karten überhaupt nicht verstehen kann ist, dass der Schwierigkeitsgrad (Leicht, Mittel, Schwer) an die Auswahl der Karte gebunden ist. Natürlich ist die dritte Karte schwerer, weil man dort auch in den Abgrund fallen kann, aber es sollte zusätzlich eine Möglichkeit geben pro Karte den Schwierigkeitsgrad umzustellen. Da hört es aber nicht auf: auch die Auswahl des Charakters ist an die Karte gebunden. Diese haben sich für mich nicht erkennbar unterschieden, mit Ausnahme der Spezialfähigkeit. Du magst die Bullet-Time-Fähigkeit? Ja dann viel Spaß auf Arena-Map Nummer 3. Man sollte nach der Karten-Wahl auch den Charakter wählen können und genauere Informationen bekommen, in welchen Aspekten sie sich unterscheiden. Das Kampf-System hat mir auch nicht wirklich Spaß gemacht. In der Mitte des Screens gibt es quasi eine umgedrehte Noten-Leiste, wie man es aus einem Guitar Hero kennt. Wenn ein Symbol das Fadenkreuz erreicht, kann man schießen oder dashen. Je näher am Takt, desto besser. Ist gerade kein Symbol in der Nähe des Fadenkreuzes, dann kann man auch nicht schießen. Meinem Empfinden nach sollte man immer schießen können, aber entsprechend wenig Schaden machen und seinen Combo-Counter verlieren. Was theoretisch gut ist: es gibt unterschiedliche Waffen mit unterschiedlichen Effekten. Man kann diese allerdings nicht selbst auswählen. Je nachdem wie das Symbol aussieht, wird automatisch vom Charakter die entsprechende Waffe gezogen. Ich würde mir da mehr Freiheiten wünschen, was aber vermutlich zu Balancing-Problemen führen würde. Es sieht auch teilweise einfach seltsam aus, wie der Charakter durch die Waffen fliegt. Apropos Optik: ich finde das Spiel auch optisch nicht wirklich ansprechend, weder vom Umgebungs-Design noch vom Gegner-Design und auch die Gegner-Vielfalt ist arg überschaubar. [b]Fazit[/b] Das Spiel fühlt sich für mich zum Release sehr unfertig an, sowohl von der Qualität als auch vom Spielumfang. Ich kann nur hoffen, dass hier noch einiges nachgepatcht wird. Einige Design-Entscheidungen die mir nicht gefallen haben, werden aber vermutlich nicht mehr zu ändern sein. Gun Jam hat Potential und Daseinsberechtigung, aber nicht in diesem Zustand. [b]Empfehlungen[/b] Ich kann nur empfehlen stattdessen einen Blick in [b]Metal: Hellsinger[/b] zu werfen, was sich in allen Aspekten viel besser anfühlt, aber eben leider nur Metal als Musikrichtung anbietet. Wenn unterschiedliche Musik-Genres gewünscht sind und man auf den Egoshooter-Aspekt verzichten kann, dann kann ich [b]Rhythm Sprout[/b] nur wärmstens empfehlen.

Ya.... just don't buy it, play something else... ANYTHING ELSE lmao

Great and unique art style and a fun fast-paced fps combined with guitar hero like gameplay AND with great music choices along with the availability to even use your own music in game leads to having a blast whenever I play this game, definitely a great choice for those like me that enjoyed playing games like guitar hero as a kid and switch to fps games.

It is simply an unfinished product and I can't recommend it for that reason. There is no word on if the devs will continue to work on it, but what is there is a blast and so fun. If you want a fresh take on the rhythm shooter sub-genre with one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, then give this a try. Just know it is an incomplete experience.

Gun Jam is an experimental first-person shooter that attempts to fuse two genres that rarely intersect: high-speed arena combat and rhythm-based gameplay. Developed by Jaw Drop and published by Raw Fury, the game positions itself as a bold genre hybrid, asking players not only to aim and move with precision, but also to internalize musical timing as a core survival skill. From the outset, Gun Jam makes it clear that success is not about raw reflexes alone, but about learning to think, move, and shoot in sync with a pounding soundtrack. The central mechanic revolves around shooting on the beat. Weapons are most effective when fired in rhythm with the music, rewarding players who synchronize their actions with the underlying tempo. Movement abilities such as dashing, jumping, and kicking are similarly tied to rhythmic execution, transforming combat into a kind of violent choreography. When the system works as intended, encounters can feel fluid and expressive, with players weaving through enemy fire while unleashing perfectly timed attacks that align with the soundtrack’s pulse. Combat unfolds in enclosed arenas filled with aggressive enemy waves that pressure positioning and awareness. Enemies spawn rapidly and attack relentlessly, forcing players to balance rhythm accuracy with spatial survival. This creates an unusual tension: firing too early or too often can feel wasteful, while waiting for the correct beat can be nerve-wracking when surrounded. The cognitive load is intentionally high, blending the mental demands of rhythm games with the spatial chaos of arena shooters. Visually, Gun Jam leans into a vibrant, neon-infused aesthetic that reinforces its musical identity. Arenas are colorful and abstract, often reacting subtly to the beat through lighting and effects. Enemy designs are exaggerated and readable, prioritizing clarity amid the visual noise of explosions and motion. The overall presentation feels energetic and arcade-like, supporting the idea that this is less a grounded shooter and more a stylized, sensory experience driven by sound and movement. The soundtrack plays a defining role in shaping each encounter. Tracks span electronic, metal, and hybrid genres, each influencing the pace and mood of combat. One of the game’s most intriguing features is its custom music support, allowing players to import their own songs and generate beat patterns dynamically. This feature significantly boosts replay potential in theory, giving players the freedom to tailor the experience to their musical tastes, though the effectiveness of beat detection can vary depending on the complexity and structure of the chosen track. Despite its creative ambition, Gun Jam struggles with consistency in execution. Rhythm feedback can feel imprecise, making it unclear at times whether actions were truly on beat or merely close enough. For a game that hinges so heavily on timing, this ambiguity can be frustrating, especially for players with rhythm-game experience who expect tight, predictable feedback. When beat alignment feels loose, the core concept loses some of its impact, turning rhythm into a suggestion rather than a reliable mechanic. Content structure is another area where the game shows its experimental nature. Modes such as arena score challenges and checkpoint-based progression provide short, intense play sessions, but there is little in the way of narrative framing or long-term progression. There are no deep unlock trees or evolving systems to anchor extended play, which makes the experience feel more like a series of high-energy demonstrations than a fully fleshed-out journey. This design suits arcade-minded players but may leave others wanting more substance. Difficulty balance is sharply divisive. For players who enjoy mastering layered mechanics, the combination of rhythm timing and shooter chaos can feel exhilarating and rewarding. For others, the enforced pacing can feel restrictive, especially in moments where instinctively firing would be more natural than waiting for a beat window. The game demands a mindset shift, and players unwilling or unable to embrace that shift may find the experience more frustrating than fun. Community reception reflects this split identity. Some players praise Gun Jam for its originality, audiovisual energy, and willingness to experiment with form, celebrating it as a fresh take on the FPS genre. Others criticize its shallow content, inconsistent rhythm integration, and lack of mechanical depth beyond its core gimmick. Expectations play a major role in enjoyment, as the game is far more successful as a conceptual experiment than as a traditional shooter. Ultimately, Gun Jam is a game defined by its ideas rather than its polish. It dares to combine rhythm and gunplay in a way few shooters attempt, and at its best moments, that fusion creates something genuinely distinctive. However, its uneven execution and limited scope prevent it from fully realizing its potential. For players curious about genre hybrids and willing to tolerate rough edges in exchange for novelty, Gun Jam offers a loud, colorful, and occasionally thrilling experience. For those seeking tight shooter fundamentals or deep progression systems, it may feel more like an interesting prototype than a lasting staple. Rating: 5/10

I will say I'm recommending this game specifically if you like rhythm shooter games. The songs that they have already are great plus you can upload your own songs! Overall the game runs smooth and I hope they make some good updates in the future to add in more content I did make a 1st thoughts video where I go over the pros and cons of the game. It's only about 4 minutes and I think it hits everything you might want to know before buying this game. Other than that if you hyped about rhythm shooters I would say at lest keep an eye out for a sale. https://youtu.be/9C2P8Sc4ICw

It's a neat idea, but it just doesn't really work for me. Or, anyone, evidently. I was drawn in by the concept. Rhythm-action FPS? Let's check it out! Unfortunately, there's just not much here, and what is here is fundamentally broken. I played 2 levels, finding that my attention was split between shooting on rhythm and running around the arena to shoot enemies. This split is fighting each other in a way that just isn't fun. I died both times, for unclear reasons. What, am I supposed to pay attention to a health bar too? Where even was that on the screen? Then, when the level ends it asks you to hit return to continue. For some reason, this changed my game from full screen to windows... and back again. Broken, as I said. Charging $20 for this is honestly a scam. I feel this concept - rhythm-action FPS - may work, but clearly not as an arena shooter. Probably better in an on-rails or wave shooter. Some way to fix the split attention problem.