Thugtown, 1925
You play Vinnie Cannoli, a mobster with a job to do in Thugtown, a city run by gangsters and overrun by zombies. The game is a fast side-scrolling platform shooter with hand-drawn 2D graphics, fluid animation and cinematic cut-scenes. You fight, shoot, blast and kick your way through the story, taking on the undead as well as rival gangsters and the army, which is trying to cover the outbreak up. The setting is Prohibition-era America: the cars, furniture, speakeasy clubs, music and weapons all reflect the Roaring Twenties. The tone is over-the-top comedy with plenty of gore, so expect a cartoonish, violent romp rather than straight horror.
Playing with friends
Guns, Gore & Cannoli supports up to 4-player local co-op, so you and up to three friends can sit on the couch and unravel the mystery together. Remote Play Together is also listed as a Steam feature, which lets people join in over a network as if they were local. Everyone plays through the same story side by side, shooting and kicking through the levels as a group.
Before you start
The game tells a story of Vinnie and his mob family, with themes of friendship, betrayal, vengeance, conspiracy and a criminal mastermind's rise and fall. Beneath the zombie outbreak sits a darker tale of mafia schemes and government cover-ups, and you will be looking for a lost pal while hunting for answers. It is tagged as violent and gore-heavy, with zombies and shooting at the centre of the action, so keep that in mind for anyone sensitive to that content. The soundtrack is noted as a highlight, and the whole package leans into classic arcade and beat-'em-up sensibilities.