Gunlocked is a roguelike, vertical-scrolling, shoot ’em up, similar to classics like 1942 and Ikaruga, with elements from 20 Minutes Till Dawn or Spirit Hunters: Infinite Horde
Like most roguelikes, there are plenty of things to learn over the normal course of play, and the game does very little with regard to teaching you how to play. While that is a part of the fun, there are some elements that really should be explained before or during your playthrough. So, if you want a heads-up and a smoother intro to this game, here are some tips to get you going.
7 The Weapons Have Varied Firing And Targeting Styles
While this is true in many such games, it’s particularly strict in Gunlocked, and there are few weapons that automatically target enemies. With the exception of the Lock-On class of weapons, if you don’t know a weapon’s targeting style and firing pattern, you’re basically hitting things on blind luck.
So make sure you read the text of every new weapon you encounter and pay attention to whether you have new sights or reticles on stage when you get an unfamiliar weapon.
6 Don’t Rely Too Much On Lock-On Weapons
The first Pilot you get uses the titular Gunlock weapon as part of their loadout. While it’s effective and intuitive to use, it does have its limitations - as do other weapons in its class, such as the Sentry Drone and to a lesser extent, the Hail Mary.
First and foremost, they can’t lock on to meteors, unless you have the Treasure Map Augment and even then, you can only lock on to meteors targeted by that augment. You also can’t lock on to shielded enemies without some powerful upgrades. Be sure to mix in a weapon or two with manual targeting, so you never find yourself in a pinch.
5 You Can Destroy Meteors
Since the first weapon you use can’t target them, you might think that meteors are just obstacles to be dodged. This assumption is likely bolstered by the fact that they can take a lot of hits before being destroyed, especially if your weapons are low-level or deal burn damage.
However, if you persist, you’ll find that meteors are not only destructible, but also a decent source of gems. In fact, there are even augments that encourage you to destroy meteors, like Treasure Map, that boosts damage to targeted meteors and Slag Shot, which turns them into deadly projectiles.
4 You Have To Memorize Keywords
There's a lot of synergy between weapons, utilities, and augments that you should keep in mind when picking from the level-up screen.
The good news is that a lot of these are broken down by keywords that every upgrade is tagged with, and the synergies are shown by the pictures at the bottom of the respective upgrade. The bad news however, there is no way to refer to these after you’ve bought an upgrade or new weapon, except via the icons. During a run, try to memorize the keywords to your upgrades, so you can optimize your build
3 Check For Unlocks After Every Run
There are a lot of augments to unlock that can change the start of your run in significant ways; as well as pilots that do the same. The unlock conditions for the pilots are showcased when you try to select them on the pilot screen, and the same is true for the augments. In the case of the latter, it’s shown as a research percent, so you know how close you are to getting it.
Unfortunately, there’s no fanfare when you get these unlocks, so you may end up unlocking a lot of them without even knowing. Be sure to check every pilot and augment between runs, so you know what you have, or how close you are to unlocking something.
2 Some Weapons Evolve
As you make your way through the game, weapons tend to evolve into powerful forms when certain conditions are met. In the case of Gunlocked, this is called Symbionics, and occurs when the weapon is at max level while also holding the correct utility item after the ten-minute mark.
When the conditions are met, an upgrade beacon appears. If you put your ship in the beacon for long enough (longer than a normal upgrade beacon), you’re granted a shiny super powered weapon.
1 You Win After Three Boss Fights
In games like Vampire Survivor, for instance, your runs are ended by specific events, usually the timer hitting a certain mark, or if you’re having a bad run, your untimely death.
Death is likely how most runs are going to end, especially early on. However, if you manage to stay alive, you'll beat the game after beating three bosses. So far, it’s the same boss each time, either the Hive Queen or the Sting King depending on what level you chose. Each boss fight gets successively harder, to further test your mettle.