Bite the Bullet by Graffiti Games and Mega Cat Studios is a roguelite 2D action RPG where you are what you eat. Learn more in our Bite the Bullet review!

Satisfy your appetite for destruction in this rogue-lite RPG shooter where you must eat to powerup your character, weapons, and abilities. Consume strange species to add new entries to DarwinCorp’s mysterious Compendium. Catalyze crafting fermentations in your belly by eating enemies!

This is a double review for Bite the Bullet. Ceidz and ThaRaven403 played the game, and this review presents what they both had to say.

 

The game’s story takes place in a future world in which Earth has been devastated by food shortage and starvation. Bionodes implants were made available to allow people to eat anything – literally anything – but this eventually led to a side effect of mutations on humans, which they call ghoulification. Darwincorp popped up a few years later, collecting genetic materials from all over the galaxy for preservation and research. Your role in this game is that of a mercenary that will help recover some samples from the more resistant specimens, either by using your gun or eating your way to them.

Visually, the game has some nice retro-styled 16-bit visuals that reminded me of some of the early Metal Slug games, which is definitely a good thing. The game’s soundtrack is also a really good one with metal/rock music that totally fits the fact that you end up eating the enemies you kill. The one thing that bugged me, though, is that there was no way to adjust the game’s contrast settings. In the first levels, the game was so dark I could barely see when there was an enemy near me, and the tips shown on the screen are written in a way that I couldn’t even see what buttons they were telling me to press.

Apart from those little visual issues, I actually really liked the game’s concept. The fact that you can’t just eat your way through everything, since doing by doing so you won’t burn those calories away and will end up growing too fat, and vomiting was certainly a nice touch to keep the balance between only running, gunning, and eating. There is also a huge skill tree that you can access to level up your character in four different classes, depending on what you eat, of course! With over 50 levels and a lot of side quests, there is definitely something to keep you busy for several hours.

 

As for the trophies, there is quite a lot to keep you busy before reaching the Platinum! Along with some trophies for beating the bosses, there are trophies for weapon upgrades and also for completing the Compendium, which basically means that you’ll have to eat at least one of every type of enemy, plant, and robot throughout the game. There are also trophies for unlocking different classes, which should unlock naturally as you eat your way through each stage. There’s also one that asks that you’re fast when completing the game, but it does not give out a specific time limit for doing so.

 

As the game begins, you are offered the option to select one of two characters: a man named Chewie, or his female partner, Chewella. Right off the bat, I thought that this screen was creepy because of its background soundtrack, plus how the characters keep switching between their “fit” and “obese” versions, which, granted, is part of the core concept of this game.

Each level asks that you move from point A to point B so that you can reach each stage’s end, generally on the right side of the screen. The levels themselves aren’t linear, and you’ll often have different paths that can be taken. Each level has special challenges that can be taken, plus some requirements that have to be accomplished before ending it. Once a level is completed, you’ll be taken to the upgrade screen, which allows you to improve your character.

For me, the enemies felt uninspired since they’re either zombie-like humans or drones that fly all over the place and are – of course – harder to hit because they’re moving. Finally, once an enemy is near-fatal, they will become stunned, and they can be eaten so that you can recover some health and nutriments. Like ThaRaven403 mentioned, you have to take into account your character’s calorie intake and how it spends its calories in order to avoid getting too fat. As a whole, the game has a good concept, but it’s one that didn’t click with me. I thought that progressing through the non-linear levels felt tedious, but the core concept of eating your way through your problems is a good idea.

 

Bite the Bullet is the kind of game that will likely be interesting for roguelite fans looking for some 2D action with a twist. It’s certainly different from other games, what with having to eat your enemies and all that, but it will certainly please fans of games such as those in the beloved Metal Slug series since it’s a fun title with an original concept.

Disclaimer
This Bite the Bullet review is based on PlayStation 4 copies provided by Graffiti Games.