PixelJunk Shooter’s one major fault is that it is over too soon and leaves you wanting more.

The game is as simple and addictive as they come; you control a small subterranean rescue ship on a mission down into the depths of a strange mining planet. The plot is simple and takes place in the future. Humans have done their thing and colonized worlds, used up resources, and gotten themselves into trouble. These miners have sent out an SOS and that’s where you (and a friend) come to the rescue. There’s no real plot to speak of other than some special miners/researchers who give you a short spiel about the planet when you find them. While the story won’t drive you to keep playing, the gameplay certainly will.

Each level challenges you with rescuing every miner, but the real fun of this game comes from the fluid mechanics and environments. Don’t be fooled by the game’s title, frantic shooting only results in dead miners and your ship overheating. PixelJunk Shooter is a much more methodical game that feels a bit like Beakman’s World meets Master Blaster. The game starts with you shooting holes in rock and controlling the flow of lava, but quickly evolves into your own scientific experiment. Before the game is over you’ll be cooling lava, melting ice, grappling snow, creating gas, using magnetism, and having a blast. The hazards of the planet’s caverns are diverse and each level seems to offer something new to enjoy: from new environmental hazards to lava shooting suits and other upgrades. The game is instantly familiar and fresh. It’s easy to digest the game’s controls and shooting mechanics, but each level offers fresh new mechanics and interesting solutions. You’ll be enjoying yourself so much, that the game will be over way too soon.

The game’s graphics are much more impressive in motion than in stills. The game has a simple cartoon presentation that works. The style is unique and somewhat reminiscent of PixelJunk Monsters and would ultimately be mediocre and forgettable if it weren’t for some amazing effects and physics. The fluid mechanics shine again. You’ll start by being impressed by the oozing lava and rushing water, but will continue to be impressed by the crumbling snow and melting ice. By the time you get to the final area, you’ll be blown away by some incredible magnetized oil and gas effects. The fluid mechanics and effects steal the show here.

The music is not nearly as memorable as PixelJunk Eden, but High Frequency Bandwidth does an excellent job capturing the subterranean nature of the game with some odd and retro inspired beats. The sound effects, like the game itself, are simple and to the point. You can’t help but feel bad when you hear the curdling scream of a miner.

There is no doubt that you will want to experience every level of PixelJunk Shooter. While it will be over soon, there is some longevity to this game. It has an immensely fun cooperative mode. A friend can pop into your single-player campaign. While there’s no real change in challenge with 2 players other than the fact that you tend to kill more miners if you don’t coordinate what you’re doing. There’s a cool addition in Co-Op where you can grapple your buddy and save him from death. The game is so fun that you will likely replay levels to save all the miners and collect all the hidden gems and researchers. While the game value is certainly there, it would have been nice to have one more area and set of levels to explore.