The Story:
Mullet MadJack takes place in a dystopian future of 2095 where humanity has become fully addicted to dopamine to the point of they would die without it, and hyper-consumerism reigns. The world's elite are billionaire robots who have replaced humans in the workforce, and in fact, robots have pretty much taken over everything.
In the game players take on the role of Jack Banhammer, a fearless vigilante Moderator with a cool mullet. He’s a lover of soda and lollipops but absolutely hates robots! In this world, a "Moderator" is a robot hunter who kills bots to gain dopamine a job reserved for the desperate and the risk takers.
When a green haired girl known as "The Influencer" boasting an impressive 2 billion followers suddenly goes missing, her fans are left worriedly wondering what happened. Following the incident, Jack is contracted by a young woman calling herself "The Streamer," an employee of the Peace Corp. Corporation, and, in exchange for a pair of sweet boots, is asked to rescue The Influencer from the billionaire robot master named Mr. Bullet, who has kidnapped her for a "Dark Ritual."
To complete this job Peace Corp. provides Jack with the "Peace System" a phone application that releases dopamine directly into his bloodstream, provided he keeps the livestream audience happy. This system gives Jack the power to stay alive, but there’s a catch: he only has 10 seconds to live, and to reset the timer and keep breathing, he has to keep on killing.
And this, dear reader, is the setup of the game. I know it’s a lot, and I’ve tried my best to simplify it, but the game really throws you for a loop at the start while you try to understand the world you're playing in. At first glance, Mullet MadJack comes off as a game that doesn’t take its own story too seriously and, honestly, it doesn’t. However, beneath its raunchy, violent, and seemingly unserious tone lies a surprisingly dark story and lore. (It’s cyberpunk-inspired, after all!)
There is a lot to dig into here, with plenty of metaphors parodying consumerism and influencer culture. The story also left me with more questions than answers by the end, but not in a bad way; if anything, it actually made me want to dig deeper to find the true meaning behind it all.
But for those of us that do not want to dig that deep, the game is like experiencing a really fun B movie imagine Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger but a lot more cyberpunk and anime.
The story features plenty of action and one-liners from the protagonist, Jack. The Streamer refers to the Influencer victim as a "princess" whom you must save; she is fairly unhinged and coy regarding Jack and his situation. While she does provide support—more on that shortly—you can never quite tell if she is truly on Jack's side or if she is simply pleased that he is providing entertainment for an audience hungry for violence.
The villain Mr. Bullet is also very unhinged, who is overall both an intimidating and a really fun villain, who more than motivates you to want to put a few bullets in him. Honestly, I enjoyed my time with the story, even if the main campaign isn't really that long.
That being said, I would have liked just a bit more at the end; however, I see it as a good thing when a game leaves me wanting more without making me feel dissatisfied with what I received.
Gameplay:
Mullet MadJack is a fast-paced, rogue-lite first-person shooter where players kill lots of robots in incredibly gory ways just, all just to stay alive. You start with a simple handgun, and a ticking timer forces you to keep moving.
During the action, you move from room to room encountering robots that you can either shoot or dash into. Kicking enemies into the environment results in some very satisfying violence, and you can even knock them into an active fan to split them into pieces, or a laser grid to blow them apart. Of course you can also just shoot them in the head or the groin, as the game does reward creativity by giving you extra time on the clock.
Distributed throughout the levels are soda machines you can smash open for health and time. You’ll also find various melee weapons on tables that guarantee a brutal one-shot kill on any bot unfortunate enough to be in your path. The audience loves the carnage, and they'll reward you with plenty of extra time for it as well.
As stated, Jack can dash, jump, kick, and shoot his way through the level. The dash also works as the kick button, so you’re incentivized to dash into enemies to gain control of the battle either kicking them into deadly traps or temporarily stunning them. You can even dash midair!
The dash also functions as your way to dodge obstacles like acid floors. I can’t emphasize enough how fast-paced this game is; as easy as it is to gain health from killing, you can lose it all in an instant through poor play or by taking too many bullets.
In my experience, it was worth learning when to slow down just a bit to avoid getting surrounded, while other times it paid to rush through it all. Each stage is usually less than a minute, though it feels much longer because of the dopamine rush you feel in the heat of the action. At every tenth floor, you will meet a boss. During these fights, you don't need to worry about your ten-second timer and instead gain a standard 100% health bar.
In between each floor, you will meet the Streamer, who usually has a snarky comment for you and your chat regarding your cleared floor. However, she also provides a temporary buff for the current stage (a set of ten floors). These range from increasing your timer and giving bullets the chance to pierce or ricochet, to making you immune to certain hazards. Best of all, she can also upgrade your gun, or switch you to a different weapon entirely.
Jack has quite the arsenal to choose from: a classic shotgun, a railgun, or even a katana for those who want to get up close and personal. You get to keep your weapon between stages, so once you find a playstyle that fits, you can just keep rolling with it.
For me, this game was a pure adrenaline kick. It forces split-second decisions to keep you moving while providing the satisfying payoff of clearing enemies creatively. The controls are tight and responsive, creating a true power fantasy though enemies will quickly shut you down if you get careless. This constant back and forth makes the experience thrilling from start to finish and incredibly addictive.
Even after the story mode is complete, there is plenty of content left. You can tackle higher difficulties, compete on the leaderboards, or try Endless Mode, which features its own unique challenges, dialogue, and rewards. Finally, there is a Boss Rush to see how fast you can scrap them all. Every mode offers rewards, and the addictive gameplay loop will undoubtedly keep you coming back for more.
Pros and Cons:
Let’s start with the pros: Mullet MadJack is a gorgeous-looking game with its 90's anime cyberpunk aesthetic and soundtrack. The enemies are very interactive and have a good amount of animation for the different ways you can take them down. There is just a lot of detail around the stages, even though you don’t exactly have the luxury of spending much time looking at them.
The story is a fun time. It can be as simple as you want it to be, or it could be deeper if you dig into it the game doesn’t mind either way but it's fun getting to know more about Jack through his dialogue and later story beats.
The gameplay... I don’t think I need to go into too much detail here. Honestly, the controls are very tight, the game is fast-paced, and you feel some real impact from your guns; it's incredibly satisfying both to shoot and reload them.
Now, let’s talk about some cons: I did say the story doesn’t take itself too seriously while also having deeper lore to find, right? For me, it wasn’t a con that the story left more questions than answers, but overall, it does leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth. I can’t shake the feeling that it wants to tell more, but there just isn’t time at the end. I can easily see that rubbing people the wrong way. Personally, I am hoping for a sequel or DLC that expands on the world because the characters are fun enough to leave you craving more. Considering the ending, though, that might be on purpose, but I'm not saying more than that, dear reader.
After the main story is done, the only real incentive to continue playing is to challenge the different modes and gain new rewards. Since these are mostly cosmetic, there aren't many new unlocks like guns or drastically different power-ups. Mullet MadJack is more of an arcade game than a pure roguelite. If you’re looking for a full roguelite experience, you might be disappointed, though the core game is so fun that it never felt like something was missing for me personally.
Closing Thoughts:
Mullet MadJack is a violent, gory, and raunchy game that would have fit the 90's well. To be honest, that's its main strength. It knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be and who it’s targeting; it’s unapologetic with its violence and humor, and it’s really addictive and just a good time. This game knows what made the 90's cool and reminds us why it is still cool to this day. So grab a lollipop and shoot some bots.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy was Provided
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