Hurry Up! Bird Hunter Review - Screenshot 1 of

Let's be upfront about this, Duck Hunt knock-offs never do very well. Hurry Up! Bird Hunter is disappointingly no different from the rest. The title by EnjoyUp Games aims to recreate the practice in a fun arcade manner, and all it does is fall flat on its face.

It's hard to tolerate what is presented in this game, because every aspect of it feels completely uninspired in terms of its design. There is no sense of passion behind what has been crafted, and it's terribly obvious. Upon opening, you're presented with a series of cookie cutter modes to select from and the one irritating song on loop. The menu screen alone is enough to raise alarm bells.

Any mode you select; single player, multiplayer or the mini game mode - brace yourself for a poorly-constructed gameplay experience. Be it the sluggish controls, choppy frame rate or the staggered delay - by no means an intentional design choice - every time you take a shot with your rifle, you'll soon find out it's not a good day to go hunting.

Hurry Up! Bird Hunter Review - Screenshot 1 of

It would have been appreciated if these featured modes could have achieved something that past releases in this niche genre had not, but instead the developer has merely recycled old content. Time is spent attempting to shoot tiny little ducks, the occasional red can, balloons and unidentified flying objects - not exactly the first time these types of targets have appeared in a light gun game before. It doesn't help there is no distinctive sense of charm present to urge you on. The visuals are actually on par with a bad looking Nintendo 64 game from 1996, and that's a generous critique.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with drawing motivation from other games that fall under the same banner, however, the problem with Bird Hunter is that it severely under-performs as a modern recreation of a classic genre due to its cheap build. It doesn't aim for the stars, it's more of a shamelessly quick cash grab. Instead of pushing the boundaries or adding a new lease of life to this kind of game, it resorts to absolute minimum of effort.

You might think, perhaps the multiplayer recovers it? Nope. Everything that is unlikable about this game is transferred across to this mode. If anything, the only enjoyment the multiplayer mode provides is a chance for you and a friend to laugh at the quality of the game together.

Conclusion

Although Hurry Up! Bird Hunter functions, it's just not any good. For a 2016 Wii U eShop release, there is nothing wrong with a player expecting a better quality experience than what is provided here. The 1984 NES title Duck Hunt may have set an exceptionally high standard for the light gun genre, but after 32 years we expect a little more. Stay away from this and buy Nintendo's classic instead.