Mullet MadJack is the best boomer shooter on Game Pass right now
Mullet MadJack, the latest title from Hammer95, hit Game Pass in early March and has since held it down for the boomer shooter genre on the jam-packed subscription service. Mullet MadJack is a game that thrives on linear action — a throne that most games have since abdicated. While most shooters nowadays offer tremendous customization, loot, expansive worlds, loot, endless updates, loot, and other “forever-game” mechanics, Hammer95 wants you to get in and get out — old school style.
The result is a stylish, beautifully colored experience tinged with late ’80s/early ’90s inspirations and an explosive personality, fully aware of itself and the current state of shooting games. There’s a protagonist with a deadly weapon and a simple mission to retrieve a kidnapped NPC but add in the Duke Nukem 3D sensibilities crossed with some retro anime vibes, and BOOM — you get Jack Banhammer, a “moderator” who rocks a Mullet and is very Mad, jack. And that music?? Man, that soundtrack is impeccable. Play the game and try not to catch a vibe. I dare you.
Players take control of Jack as he attempts to work his way through ten floors of a skyscraper overrun by “Robillionaires,” a threat that has since taken over the world. With most of the planet’s population now addicted to dopamine, it’s up to the stoic Banhammer to save the day. Or maybe just save an “influencer” from the grubby, robotifying clutches of capitalism. I know, it sounds crazy as hell but that’s what boomer shooters thrive on: all action, no plot. Kinda like a future Fast & Furious — Fast & Furious 41 starring an AI version of Vin Diesel who no longer deals with street races but now has a subplot about dinosaurs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Anyway, in Mullet MadJack, players have only ten seconds to get through each floor, and they’re adequately compensated for killing enemies in the form of extra time. Players can also score more time by drinking soda and performing finishers on various robotic fiends.
Banhammer is treated to various weapons through power-ups and upgrades, available to the player at the end of every floor. These weapons include railguns, plasma rifles, machine guns, katanas, revolvers, elemental powers, and more. However, if the player dies, they must start over from the first floor, losing all power-ups and progress. Unlike a soulslike, players can’t retrieve their lost loot in the form of souls or something similar. Instead, you just gotta get good.
Mullet MadJack immediately calls to mind experiences of yesteryear that scream “VIDEO GAME.” You know the games I’m talking about: the original Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter — those experiences. MadJack is the love child of boomer shooters’ belligerent chaos mixed with the calm vintage cool of Ryo Saeba from City Hunter. Basically, it’s your next favorite game, you just haven’t played it yet.
Mullet MadJack is available now on Xbox/PC Game Pass.