Just one look at the logo and key artwork for BDSM: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre, and it’s clear that this isn’t a game to be taken seriously. Everything from its logo and key artwork to the way it insults you upon death is designed to elicit a chuckle. But if you’re easily offended by colourful language, innuendos, or over-the-top violence, then this might not be the game for you. Otherwise, BDSM is a functional (if uninspired) twin-stick shooter that’s engaging enough to see through to the end.

BDSM stars Lou, the gun-toting, booze guzzling son of the devil himself, and it’s up to him to save Hell after it’s possessed by, well, people. What follows is a fairly straightforward action romp taking place over 4 chapters set in their own unique areas of Hell. You’ll mostly be fighting off waves of enemies with a typical roster of weapons including a revolver, shotgun, machine gun and more. There are some additional objectives such as rescuing NPCs trapped in cages, and all the chapters end with a really challenging boss encounter.

To mix up the standard twin-stick gameplay a bit, each weapon has a secondary function mapped to R. So for example, you can empty the revolver’s cylinder in one go, which is great for mowing down smaller enemies, and the machine gun has a handy grenade launcher that blows huge chunks of health off the bigger, more formidable foes. On top of this, collecting red orbs from downed enemies fills up your rage meter. Once this is full, you can unleash a powerful beam of fire that disintegrates normal enemies and temporarily makes you invincible. It’s a good way of gaining the edge if you find yourself getting overwhelmed.

BDSM is a perfectly fine example of the twin-stick shooter genre, but it falls down a bit thanks to its rudimentary graphics and overall lack of polish and fluidity. It’s much more fun on higher difficulties with an increased number of enemies, but the boss battles can feel a bit unbalanced and you’ll often find yourself dying without really knowing what actually killed you (and be prepared for some lengthy load times before you’re back in the action). Still, it’s worth a go if you’re in need of a decent run-and-gun title after the intensely disappointing Contra: Rogue Corps.