Cop Bastard channels John Woo for some perfectly punchy FPSing

If you’ve read any of my stuff by now, you’d know that I am a simple man who enjoys violence in his games. No story? Absolutely fine by me – cuts the faff. This is why I like the demo for first-person shooter Cop Bastard a lot. It’s set in early 90s Japan, where you’ll smoke fools with guns in straightforward homage to 90s action movies. And it has an updated demo – not officially part of the latest Steam Next Fest – out right now.

There are several things I like about Cop Bastard. The first is its look: slightly VCR, slightly N64 Golden Eye, with its blocky enemies. The environments you shoot people in also seem well-judged, in that they are believable yet expressly designed to complement your bullets. There’s a nice mixture of little office spaces where sheathes of paper rocket into the air, or potted plants in corridors that’ll splinter into an earthy mess as you shotgun a lad in the head. You might happen upon a room with a vintage Japanese poster for a movie with a young Keanu Reeves in.

Another thing I like is the punch. You’ve got a few weapons: a pistol, a shotgun, an uzi, and a magnum. All of which feel like they should and have adequate heft. Enemies aren’t clever, per se, but they are a joy to blast. They ragdoll nicely in shafts of blood, occasionally calling you a “motherfucker”, which I delight in.

Press H once you’ve built up a meter by killing dudes and you’ll enter a slightly off-feeling slow-mo mode that makes aiming easier, I think? Really, I wanted a cool slide or a dive for the ultimate John Woo factor – but maybe those are coming in the full game.

You can give the demo a go over on Steam if you like.