Double Action Boogaloo Review

Josh G

Double Action Boogaloo is a very unique game and can be called one of a kind. It is a fast paced multiplayer third person shooter with many unique gameplay aspects that separates it from all other games. There are so many unique factors such as stylish kill points, slow motion, matrix like character movement and in match challenges. You can also select character skills, once you build up slow motion points by killing enemies you can activate your skill. There are various skills to select such as better movement speed or better recoil control and many more. Another aspect of gameplay is that it isn’t just you versus other players, but also you versus the environment. The maps can often kill you too, such as getting run over by a subway, falling off the rooftop or getting decapitated if you stand too close to the helicopter blade.

The character movement is exciting because you do back flips off of walls, dive left, right, backward and forward. You can also slide very far on the ground, similar to how a baseball player would slide and you can fire your weapon will sliding. If you get a kill while sliding or diving you will receive more style points, and the player with the most style points wins the match. Other ways to earn points are by completing challenges such as retrieving a briefcase and delivering it or by winning a checkpoint race. This encourages players to constantly be on the move and it discourages camping. The last way to receive style points is by hitting headshots.

The gameplay is very fast paced due to gametype, weapon selection and character movement. There are pistols, shotguns, assault rifles and smgs. There is no sniper rifle in the game so all the action is up close. The character movement is fast, the maps aren’t huge and the only game mode is deathmatch, this all combines to make the game action packed.

The character skills to choose from are:

Marksman – Improved Accuracy, Reduced Recoil, Quicker Reloads, Quicker Weapon Switches

Bouncer – Increased Punching Damage and Faster Run Speed

Reflexes – Slow Motion is Now Super Slow Motion

Athlete – Slide and Dive Further, Faster Run Speed

Nitrophiliac – Spawn with One Extra Grenade and Carry Two Extra Grenades

The gun play is solid and the chaotic movement is done right. With all the slow motion dives in the air this game feels like the Matrix franchise and incorporates multiplayer slow motion similarly to how F.E.A.R did many years ago. Another great thing is that this game offers you the ability to switch between third person camera and first person by pressing the x key.

Double Action Boogaloo uses the Source engine so expect very high frame rates on mid range computers. The graphics are definitely acceptable for a free Source engine title. Since the gameplay is so great and the game is free, it does make it hard to have too many complaints. The only cons are that the content and variety is limited. There are only 3 characters, 1 game mode (deathmatch) and 9 maps. The maps are all modern day urban themed, except for the one cathedral map. This can be somewhat boring since there aren’t a huge variety of maps, it isn’t a realistic game so there should have been freedom to create whatever maps they wanted. The bright-side is that there are several custom maps available for download.

Overall in the end I really enjoy this game. It is so much simpler and easier to get into than many modern titles. It reminds me of later 1990s shooters such as Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament 1999. You just install the game and click on a server that has players already in a match. You then try to win the match and just have fun. This is how it was with Unreal Tournament 1999 and other arena FPS in the 90s. Today games are usually hard to get interested in without investing time and effort. Newer games often require you to set up an account with your email, create a custom character, select your class, then complete several tutorials, plus earn XP to unlock new guns, finally requiring you to upgrade those guns and so on. This game skips that whole process and just represents old school fun.