Enter the Gungeon

Enter the Gungeon
Developer(s)Dodge Roll
Publisher(s)Devolver Digital
Designer(s)Dave Crooks
Programmer(s)
  • David Rubel
  • Brent Sodman
Artist(s)Joe Harty
Composer(s)Doseone
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Linux, macOS, PS4, Windows
  • April 5, 2016
  • Xbox One
  • April 5, 2017
  • Switch
    • NA: December 14, 2017
    • EU: December 18, 2017
  • Stadia
  • December 22, 2020
  • Amazon Luna
  • September 30, 2021
Genre(s)Bullet hell, roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows several player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.

Development on Enter the Gungeon started in 2014, when four Mythic Entertainment employees left the company to form Dodge Roll. Lead designer Dave Crooks gained inspiration for the term "Gungeon" after listening to the soundtrack for the game Gun Godz. Dodge Roll designed and playtested each individual room of the Gungeon's levels, and used procedural generation to assemble them into a random configuration. Many of the guns were inspired by earlier games such as Mega Man and Metroid, while other mechanics were implemented to encourage players to utilize the layouts of levels.

Enter the Gungeon was released on April 5, 2016, for Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows 10, while ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in April and December 2017. By June 2020, it had sold over three million copies. The game received positive reviews on release, with critics favorably comparing it to The Binding of Isaac and Nuclear Throne. Reviewers praised the creativity and designs of the guns, while also commentating on the game's difficulty. Dodge Roll developed and released several content updates from 2017 to 2019. A platform game sequel called Exit the Gungeon was released in 2019.