Mullet Mad Jack

Mullet Mad Jack was provided by HAMMER95 for review. Thank you!

I first tried Mullet Mad Jack from the Steam Next Fest a couple of months ago, and it was one of my favorite experiences. The fast-paced first-person shooting with roguelike elements captivated me, and I saw the potential of how great not only the game would be but how awesome of an experience it would be to play on the go. Now, Mullet Mad Jack has been in the wild, and after playing through it, I can say my hopes for the game were easily met.

I was blown away by how addicting the gameplay is, which is the game's high point. Mullet Mad Jack has you plowing through enemies to get to the end of the level as fast as you can, and with only 10 seconds to live, you need to kill enemies to make sure that counter doesn't go down. You will use various weapons to take down enemies while utilizing the environment to take them down in unique ways. Destroying them through the environment will give you extra time to live, making it more effective to scan what is around you and quickly use it without thinking rather than just shooting everyone in front of you.

The game also has a nice roguelike element to it. For each level or floor you complete, you will get to choose from an upgrade. This can range from new weapons to getting extra time from killing in specific ways. As you progress, you will be able to unlock new upgrades, like increasing your weapon level to make your held weapon much more powerful. My favorite was the plasma rifle upgraded to level two, giving me infinite ammo. After completing 10 floors, you will fight a boss, and if you beat them, you will lose almost all of your upgrades to restart for the next 10 levels. If you die, you will need to start back at the beginning of the 10 levels.

There are two main gameplay modes: Story Mode and Endless Mode. The story mode has a small overarching narrative in which you need to save a princess from a giant skyscraper after she is kidnapped by the robot mafia. This is where you fight bosses every 10 levels and will reset your upgrades when you beat them. As for Endless Mode, you will constantly go through new floors without an end. All upgrades you get only last 10 floors, though; since you keep getting more, the old ones will be replaced.

I have said it before and will say it again, but the gameplay is amazing. Plowing through enemies, dashing to kick them into objects to destroy them, finding secrets to get through levels faster, and more just feels wonderful. I love how fast-paced it is, making you think quickly on your feet while also contemplating how best to kill the robots so you can keep your time up. Some guns do feel a bit better than others, and I preferred the faster-firing weapons, like the SMG, over the more powerful, slower guns, like the shotgun. I also disliked the pistol immensely when locked doors came into play, making it more obnoxious to shoot the chains off of doors, but every other weapon handles this just fine.

Mullet Mad Jack has a distinct aesthetic that feels right, like the perfect fit. With colorful, vibrant visuals, the 1980s vibe and the older anime design of the characters just fit together like a puzzle. Each of the 10 groups of floors has a distinct "biome" or design that links them, which is neat too. Some of the levels you can encounter do feel repetitive in their design, especially when you get the same-ish floor twice in a row, but it doesn't hurt the experience.

And with some small tweaks, Mullet Mad Jack is a joy on the Steam Deck.

Mullet Mad Jack - Steam Deck Performance

Mullet Mad Jack is such a blast to play on the Steam Deck! I consistently forgot to check the performance because I had so much fun killing enemies and kicking them into vending machines and fans. However, part of the reason is how well it plays with some slightly altered settings.

There aren't any in-game video settings to change. We can change sprite quality, but this does nothing to help performance. The most we can do is change the resolution and framerate, and with those changes, we can get two different groups of settings to enjoy the brutal beauty of Mullet Mad Jack.

Recommended Settings

This was a tough one to choose, but in the end, I had to go with these settings as my recommended overall. I recommend playing the game at its 1280x720 resolution, set automatically, and a 45 FPS framerate limit with either a 45Hz or 90Hz refresh rate. This isn't usually optimal for a first-person shooter since we would want to hit 60 FPS if we can, but with 45, it feels pretty fluid. We also get better battery life, and any drops that come from moving so quickly and all the explosions are nullified.

Due to these changes, this ended up being my preferred way to play, and I think it is the most enjoyable way.

60 FPS Settings

Luckily, there is a way to play at 60 FPS with some resolution and battery life compromises! By pushing the resolution down to 1024x640, you can hit 60 throughout the game. This makes the game a bit blurrier, but overall, it is still pretty playable.

Other than that, it drains the battery upwards of 22W in some extreme parts, but it holds, and that's the most important thing here!

Accessibility

As far as settings go, we are able to toggle off some of the effects the game uses to make it easier on the eyes. These include the screen flashes, VHS filter, screen shake and tilt, and changing the blood to a purple color. We can also change subtitle size, language, the aiming reticle, and controller vibration.

The game supports 16:10 resolutions, has cloud saves, and includes full controller support. There are no HDR settings. You can also set the gyro behavior to "Gyro as Mouse [Beta]" and get gyro controls, which work with the gamepad inputs at the same time.

Conclusion

There's a reason Mullet Mad Jack is my favorite FPS/roguelike on the Steam Deck right now. The engaging and addicting gameplay loop, combined with gorgeous and vibrant visuals in an 80s anime aesthetic, makes this experience feel wholly unique, and it's amazing. It doesn't have much outside of its main and endless modes, and the rooms can feel a bit repetitive, but with how addictive the gameplay is, it doesn't need anything else. And with some slight modifications, it is impeccable on the Steam Deck and an experience worth enjoying on the go.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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