What happens when you mix prohibition, zombies and the mob, with the gameplay of Metal Slug 3? Guns, Gore & Cannoli is the answer.
You play as Vinnie Cannoli, who is tasked with bringing back a major asset. Ok, you’re a thug sent to retrieve an apparent low-level member of the mob from the clutches of a rival gang. Whilst all this is going on, the local residents are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day–illegally–and many have fallen ill. Some turn violent, some even start to want to tie balloons to their ankles, don Leprechaun outfits, and float around the city…you’ll see.
The guts hit the fan rather quickly, and you are suddenly embroiled in a conspiracy that rivals midday soap operas. Hold on to your cannoli, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
Guns, Gore & Cannoli has a good amount of content, from its roughly 6-hour story campaign, which features up to 4-player couch co-op, to the 4-player deathmatch mode, which is again couch. The lack of an online component isn’t a huge detractor, as the pack of Guns, Gore & Cannoli is solid as is. When you start, you can select multiple variants of Vinnie, from Terminator inspired looks, to Stormtroopers. I checked, my aim was the same when using the Stormtrooper skin, phew.
What is one of the most important factors when playing a game that requires you to kill zombies? Guns. There are plenty on hand here, from standard revolvers, shotguns, to a tesla canon. Yeah. It’s amazing. All the weapons feel unique, with scenarios for them all. There is something special about ripping through hordes of infected, both humans and other, with an automatic, pump action shotgun. Boom, butterfly effect.
Each stage has secrets to offer, from weapon caches, to alternate routes. They are small elements, but show the attention to detail that makes Guns, Gore & Cannoli standout from the pack.
Visually, Guns, Gore & Cannoli, is a real treat to your eyes. It’s all hand drawn, which makes the 2D environment seem alive. Silhouettes of the infected span the levels, smoke rises in the distance, the whole delivery here is top notch. As is the voice work, the lines that are spat out by Vinnie–when he isn’t eating a cannoli–are hilarious. I’d love to see a download pack for my phone, that way I can set them as my rings, text, and alert tones. Make it happen, Crazy Monkey Studios!
My only real issue with the game is this: No weapon wheel and/or way to set favourite weapons. Sometimes, slogging through the weapons to get to the rocket launcher, lead to death. I say sometimes, I mean a lot. If I had to take a guess at the amount of times I died due to this, I’d say a good baker’s dozen, easy. The other 8087 deaths were due to me. I suck.
With a spree of rather good boss encounters, some challenging stages, and some basic–but well implemented–puzzles, and skin variants being available right away–so you don’t feel obliged to grind through the game over a half-dozen times to play as a Stormtrooper, Guns, Gore & Cannoli is an absolutely fantastic ID@Xbox title. Well worth the time, price, and bruised ribs–from deathmatch–to play.
John contributed 6 articles to ICXM in 2015, covering game reviews, and Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @ProtoFoe.