Manus Dei is another game by the creator of the undoubtedly much more famous OTXO. However, while Manus Dei is certainly not as deep or complex as OTXO, it still manages to deliver a similarly satisfying experience.
The gameplay of Manus Dei is essentially as simple as it gets: You get a shotgun, before proceeding to jump down into a hellish arena. The arena itself carries a rather dark atmosphere, with its color palette mostly consisting of a dark, almost black red. In said arena, you are attacked by hordes of similarly hellish enemies. Your job is, unsurprisingly, to kill the enemies.
Interestingly, there are no power-ups or new weapons to help you with this: Instead, all you have is that shotgun you were given at the start. Said weapon can, however, be put into an alternate firing mode by using the shift key, which turns it into a much more powerful, fully automatic weapon. Furthermore, this mode has a limited duration, and comes with a cooldown.
In addition, killed enemies drop small orbs, which extend the total duration of said mode - this is basically the only way you can "upgrade" your character.
What makes Manus Dei's simple gameplay so satisfying for me, is the movement: Not only is the playable character's movement satisfyingly smooth and responsive, but you can also use your weapon to perform impressive "moves": For example, you are able to boost yourself off the ground by jumping and firing at the ground, boost yourself away from enemies or walls, and so on. It's rather fun to experiment with different techniques, to get the most out of your movements.
In addition to that, the game's sounds - especially the ones produced by your weapon - are by all means satisfying and "punchy".
By far my favorite element is the leaderbord: After your unavoidable death to the game's enemies, you will be presented with a global leaderbord. Due to the lack of a massive playercount, reaching a substantial number in the global rank is rather easy (I currently find myself around the 25th spot, after 2 hours of playing). For me personally, this adds to the game's satisfying nature, as you aren't outranked by hundred thousands of other players.
I could go on for much longer, but I realize that it's difficult for me to put the experience one will have with "Manus Dei" into the proper words. So, I advise you to simply purchase the game, if it has caught your attention. In my opinion, it is very well worth the cheap price.
