Playing like a more magical, mystical and mythical version of Hotline Miami, top-down shooter God’s Trigger sees an unlikely duo of protagonists – an angel and a demon – team up to fight their way into heaven to bring down the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Our heroes fight through a series of gritty grindhouse-esque locales, shooting and slashing their way past legions of unholy enemies. Harry (the angel) and Jude (the demon) can be swapped between at any time, and both have their own unique abilities and skill trees which are levelled up independently using experience points earned by using each character during play. Additional special moves are learned as you level up, which again can be swapped out at any time during play.

Levels are fairly large with multiple paths to take and all manner of ways to dispatch the loitering bad guys. All enemies (apart from the bosses) can be killed in one hit, but so can you, so it pays to figure out your route in advance rather than rushing in full steam ahead. Or you can burst through a door, alert the enemies, then retreat and hide around a corner, picking your foes off one by one as they file towards you…

Hidden chests in each level contain powerful weapons as well as perks, which can be equipped between levels, giving you an advantage like starting off each level with a shield or ensuring any weapon you pick up will be fully loaded with ammo. Using these perks and other upgrades, you get a fantastic sense of progression throughout the game as your characters get stronger.

Two player local co-op is available (online is set to be added next month, along with new levels for the game’s arcade mode), where each person controls one character. This is where you really get to see how Harry and Jude’s abilities complement each other, as you work with your partner to unleash some devastatingly brutal attacks. Co-op modes often seem to fall by the wayside in many games, but this one is definitely worth a look.

It’s been a while since a shooter has grabbed our attention quite as much as this. Action packed gameplay, stylish and gory (seriously, the walls and floors will be covered with blood by the time you’ve finished a level), and a story that should appeal to most Starburst readers, we’ve no hesitation in giving God’s Trigger our full seal of approval!

GOD’S TRIGGER / DEVELOPER: ONE MORE LEVEL / PUBLISHER: TECHLAND / PLATFORM: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW