Gangan! Junkland Dash

It’s no wonder that Mad Max has spawned so many ripoffs and clones, given the fact that the idea is so interesting. Thus, there are all sorts of movies and video games out there that borrow elements from the legendary franchise, and some have managed to distinguish themselves over the years. On the other hand, originality is not always a requirement in order to have fun with a video game.

Gangan! Junkland Dash is a top-down racing game with action elements, in which your goal is to drive as fast as possible on a straight road and avoid obstacles, while also shooting enemies that try to stop your progress. The gameplay mechanics are simple and effective, which means that you do not have to struggle with confusing concepts or learn your way around difficult control schemes.

Your goal throughout the game is to keep driving while avoiding obstacles and enemies, but sometimes that is not enough. Thus, you can equip your vehicle with a variety of weapons, which allow you to blow enemy cars or certain obstacles the block your way. It’s impossible to drive around barriers or carefully placed fuel barrels, which means that shooting is your only option at times.

To make things more interesting, every now and again your reach a checkpoint where you can use the money gathered along the way to purchase upgrades. Not only that, but the enemies you destroy can also drop ammunition and a few other bonuses, which makes the shooting that much more enjoyable. Granted, this is still a fairly small game designed for a game jam competition, so don’t expect an awful lot.

In terms of graphics, the pixelated environments and the simple animations are not bad at all, even if the landscape gets boring rather quickly. You are usually too busy avoiding obstacles and shooting the bad guys to notice this, on the other hand, which is a good thing. The game also supports a gamepad, which should make it easier to keep things under control.

Gangan! Junkland Dash has the potential to turn into something greater, and it would be nice to see the developer put out some more content in the future. However, even this short experience is worth a try if you like arcade shooters.