I used to subscribe to the idea of weighing the worth of a game to the dollar per hour of time I spent playing it before I got sick of it/beat it. While I don’t follow that ideology anymore, I have no qualms about buying a game for a few dollars, especially if it’s an entry in a genre that I obsess over. In the case of Wanted Shadows, I knew I had little to lose playing another bullet heaven at the measly price of $1.49. With the low price of entry comes the fact that this is from a tiny, new team in Radhood. Is it worth it at this dirt-cheap price?

Wanted Shadows is bite-sized in its take on bullet heaven gameplay: Rounds start out with a 10-minute time limit before the final boss. In the time working up to that, you’ll level up and pick your upgrades as usual, fitting your playstyle whether you want to go with a ton of projectiles spewing out of you or perhaps something more tanky to survive the hundreds of enemies that will come your way. The natural progression of these unlocks lets you get as overpowered as other games in this genre; I managed to defeat that end boss in seconds in some runs, so that satisfaction is definitely here in Wanted Shadows.

When Wanted Shadows released, it was possible to unlock everything the game had to offer in one or two hours. I’m actually glad that this isn’t the case anymore since Radhood tinkered with it, as the “grind” in bullet heavens necessitates a steady balance between not too overwhelming, but not too easy that the game is over before you know it. Across the five playable characters, there’s enough uniqueness between them to warrant giving all of them a try to figure out which suits you best.

At its insanely low price, one would expect Wanted Shadows to be a steep drop in quality from any of its genre contemporaries. This isn’t the case, as its combat loop is as stellar as can be. Aside from getting stuck on some terrain and some enemies being too quick to react to in the “Hell” level, there really aren’t any glaring issues that make this feel like shovelware or destined for the bargain bin. On the contrary, it’s a novel entry for a developer that’s newer to the industry – an example that less can be more for those who don’t necessarily want to spend 20 or 30 minutes every run or grind away for dozens of hours.

While there are still only a few hours to mess around with Wanted Shadows, the last time I bought a game around this price point and had this much fun with it was Vampire Survivors itself. If you’ve spent $59.99 on a game and felt disappointed, imagine how you’d feel if you’d spent $1.49 on one and enjoyed it. Money comparisons aside, Wanted Shadows is a great time for fans of bullet heavens, and with the developer already releasing updates within its first month, there’s potential for this one to get REALLY good over time.

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Wanted Shadows

$1.49

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Simple, Effective Loop
• Dirt Cheap
• Decent Polish for Small Studio

Cons

• Not Much Content
• Lacking in Variety