Necromunda: Hired Gun

The narrative of Story of Necromunda: Hired Gun receives mixed but generally lukewarm reception, with some critics acknowledging its potential to engage fans of the Warhammer 40K universe. For instance, Finger Guns highlights that the story’s revenge-driven plot and twists cater well to enthusiasts, while MGG Spain notes its effective world-building in establishing Necromunda’s gang conflicts. GamingBolt also points to a “decent story” centered on rivalry and conspiracy, suggesting that the game’s setting—rich with lore and grimdark atmosphere—provides a solid foundation for its narrative. Additionally, some reviewers appreciate the game’s attempt to weave in elements of the Warhammer universe, even if they fall short of deeper integration. These positives indicate that while the story is not groundbreaking, it at least leverages its source material effectively for those familiar with the lore. However, the majority of critics panned the narrative as underdeveloped, shallow, and lacking in emotional or thematic depth. IGN and Jeuxvideo.com both criticize the plot for relying on generic quests and a protagonist who feels disconnected from the events, while God is a Geek and GameMAG describe the story as “forgettable” and “disjointed,” with unmemorable characters and repetitive dialogue. The narrative’s pacing and structure also drew criticism: Wccftech mentions confusion due to unresolved mysteries, GamingTrend points to disjointed plot points, and Screen Rant highlights unclear motivations that alienate newcomers. Even the game’s attempts at atmosphere—such as its grimdark setting—are undermined by poor writing, ineffective cutscenes, and a lack of meaningful character interactions, as noted by Jeuxvideo.com and GameStar. These critiques collectively underscore a narrative that fails to capitalize on its potential. Overall, the consensus among critics is that Story of Necromunda: Hired Gun’s story is a significant weakness, despite its attempts to immerse players in the Warhammer 40K universe. While a few reviewers like MGG Spain and Finger Guns acknowledge its surface-level appeal for fans, the overwhelming sentiment is that the narrative lacks coherence, depth, and engagement. The game’s reliance on action over storytelling, coupled with poor character development and unconvincing plot mechanics, leaves players disconnected from its world. As IGN, God is a Geek, and PC Gamer all emphasize, the story feels like an afterthought, using the Warhammer lore as a backdrop rather than a meaningful foundation. For most critics, this underwhelming narrative ultimately detracts from the game’s overall experience, making it a case of missed potential in a universe ripe for deeper exploration.

The gameplay of Necromunda: Hired Gun is praised for its fast-paced, kinetic action and dynamic movement mechanics that evoke comparisons to classics like Doom and Titanfall. Critics highlight the variety of weapons, customizable loadouts, and verticality-driven level design, with GameSkinny noting "fast-paced shooting" and "melee takedowns," while MGG Spain lauds its "gunplay and combat mechanics" reminiscent of Doom and the "variety of enemies." The inclusion of mobility features like wall-running, grappling hooks, and double-jumps is frequently cited as a standout element, with IGN praising the "unique mobility mechanics" and Games.cz appreciating the "dynamic movement mechanics like double jumps, dodges, and grappling hooks." Additionally, RPG elements such as skill trees, weapon upgrades, and character progression are seen as adding depth, with PC Invasion noting "a satisfying loop" and GameStar emphasizing the "satisfying 'flow' experience" once players invest in their builds. However, the game's ambitious design is frequently undermined by technical and mechanical flaws. Multiple critics point to inconsistent controls, particularly on consoles, with GameMAG criticizing "awkward controls on consoles," WellPlayed noting "camera jitter," and Vandal highlighting "aim assistance issues on consoles." The implementation of mechanics like the grappling hook (overpowered yet glitchy) and bionic abilities is seen as problematic, with Slant Magazine calling them "poorly implemented" and IGN pointing to "sloppy design" and "unbalanced boss fights." Repetitive side missions, unresponsive enemy AI, and clunky systems—such as the underused mastiff companion or flawed inventory management—are recurring complaints. Critics like PC Gamer and Everyeye.it describe the gameplay as "unsatisfying" due to "floaty physics," "lackluster enemy AI," and "unnecessary features," while But Why Tho? argues that the movement mechanics feel like "shallow imitations of Doom (2016)." Despite these issues, the consensus among critics is that Necromunda: Hired Gun has strong core ideas but struggles with execution. While many acknowledge its potential as a looter-shooter with engaging combat and verticality—as noted by IGN ("promising core mechanics") and PCGamesN ("intense bullet-hell combat")—the technical polish, design cohesion, and repetition of content often overshadow these strengths. The game’s reliance on borrowed mechanics from titles like Deus Ex, Borderlands, and Bloodborne is both a point of praise (for variety) and criticism (for lack of originality), as highlighted by Slant Magazine and Screen Rant. Ultimately, the reviews reflect a mixed reception: while the gameplay offers thrilling moments and innovative movement, its flaws—ranging from unbalanced systems to repetitive tasks—prevent it from fully realizing its ambitions. As GameStar puts it, the game "shows promise" but is "marred by AI behavior, bugs, and repetitive weapon variety," encapsulating the divided critical perspective.

The graphics and visual design of Necromunda: Hired Gun receive significant praise for their immersive atmosphere and faithful adaptation of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Critics like Finger Guns highlight the "immersive industrial environments" such as the Underhive, Martyr’s End, and battle-torn installations, which effectively capture the grimy, steampunk aesthetic of the lore. God is a Geek and IGN commend the detailed, oppressive visuals that evoke the "grimy, industrial feel" of Warhammer 40K, with specific nods to environments like derelict structures, metal trains, and sewer systems. PC Gamer praises the "foetid essence" of Necromunda, emphasizing richly detailed industrial settings and unique locations like the Koloss-44 freight-train. The art direction is consistently lauded for its ability to convey the dystopian, chaotic spirit of the universe, with WellPlayed calling the visuals "positively stunning" and SomosXbox noting "amazing" level design that reflects the Cyberpunk/Steampunk aesthetic. However, technical shortcomings and visual polish issues frequently undermine the experience. But Why Tho? criticizes the game as "subpar for current-gen standards," citing clunky character models, awkward animations, and graphical flaws up close. Wccftech and MondoXbox highlight poor lighting, muddy textures, and repetitive asset recycling, with the latter calling environments "generic" and over-reliant on red tones. Attack of the Fanboy and Jeuxvideo.com point to performance issues like stiff animations, framerate drops, and inconsistent lighting, while PC Invasion notes unimpressive character models that detract from narrative scenes. Many reviewers, including GameCritics and Everyeye.it, mention animation flaws, texture flickering, and optimization problems that clash with the game’s ambitious scale. These technical issues often overshadow the visual strengths, creating a disconnect between the art direction and execution. Despite mixed reception, the consensus among critics is that Necromunda: Hired Gun succeeds in capturing the Warhammer 40K aesthetic but struggles with technical polish. While IGN, God is a Geek, and PC Gamer praise the game’s atmospheric environments and scale, they also acknowledge recurring issues like poor optimization and outdated visuals. The divide between artistic ambition and technical execution is evident: Finger Guns and TheSixthAxis celebrate the oppressive industrial design, while But Why Tho? and MondoXbox argue that these elements are undermined by subpar graphics. Ultimately, the game’s visual design is seen as a strong representation of its lore but hampered by performance flaws, leaving many critics divided between admiration for its art direction and frustration with its technical shortcomings.

The sound design and music of Necromunda: Hired Gun receive mixed praise, with several critics highlighting its atmospheric and thematic strengths. Jeuxvideo.com (PS5) notes that the soundtrack effectively blends ambient textures with heavy metal to align with the game’s universe, while GamingBolt and Games.cz commend its ability to enhance intensity through classic metal elements and immersive percussion. PLAY! Zine praises the “chaotic, violent atmosphere” amplified by sound design, and TheSixthAxis compares the music favorably to Doom Eternal, emphasizing its fitting tone for action sequences. Additionally, MGG Spain acknowledges the use of tense ambient music alongside heavy metal during combat, reinforcing the game’s gritty aesthetic. These reviews suggest that the soundtrack largely succeeds in creating a cohesive, immersive experience rooted in its sci-fi war setting. However, multiple critics point to significant shortcomings in originality and technical execution. But Why Tho? and Digital Chumps criticize the music as a “pale imitation” of Doom’s style, lacking distinctiveness and feeling repetitive, particularly when the soundtrack persists through combat. Jeuxvideo.com (XBOX SERIES X) and MondoXbox highlight technical issues like missing audio, compressed sound effects, and poor musical cue implementation, which undermine immersion. Attack of the Fanboy and Softpedia note problems with dialogue mixing, where music often drowns out voices or causes erratic volume levels. Furthermore, critics like GameSkinny and Jeuxvideo.com (PC) describe the soundtrack as “goofier” than Doom’s iconic work, while Riot Pixels criticizes the overall polish of sound design. These issues collectively suggest that the audio elements, while thematically aligned, suffer from a lack of refinement and creativity. Overall, the consensus leans toward a balanced but underwhelming assessment. While the soundtrack effectively channels the game’s aggressive tone and provides an immersive atmosphere in spots—particularly for fans of heavy metal and sci-fi action—the repetitive nature, technical flaws, and lack of originality dampen its impact. Critics like Jeuxvideo.com (multiple platforms) and GamingBolt acknowledge its thematic strengths but emphasize that these are overshadowed by inconsistencies in implementation. The game’s audio design is seen as a decent fit for its genre but fails to elevate the experience beyond surface-level engagement, leaving room for improvement in both creativity and technical execution.

The voice acting in Necromunda: Hired Gun receives mixed but generally positive feedback from several critics, with notable praise for its immersive quality and alignment with the Warhammer 40K universe. Finger Guns highlights the “gruff, immersive voice work” that matches the game’s tone, noting early volume issues were resolved to enhance narrative delivery. PCGamesN commends the protagonist’s “excellent” voice acting, even if the character is described as “gruff and unremarkable.” COGconnected appreciates the energy and flair of certain characters, particularly the player character, while Everyeye.it acknowledges that the voice acting “matches the excessive tones” of the universe. These critiques suggest a strong foundation for the audio design, with many reviewers recognizing its effort to capture the gritty, chaotic atmosphere of Warhammer 40K. However, several critics point to significant flaws in the voice acting, particularly in execution and consistency. Attack of the Fanboy criticizes the performances as “okay” but notes issues like low volume, inconsistent direction, and a lack of emotional depth, which they argue are exacerbated by a weak script. TheSixthAxis heavily criticizes the dialogue for sounding like it’s from a “stereotypical British pub setting,” calling it unconvincing and poorly written. GameStar mentions that the German voice cast fails to clarify the story’s complexities, while VG247 describes the acting as “wooden” with audio mix issues where some lines are too quiet. These critiques highlight a disconnect between the ambition of the voice work and its technical or creative execution, undermining immersion for some players. Overall, the consensus among critics is that Necromunda: Hired Gun’s voice acting has potential but falls short in key areas. While Finger Guns and PCGamesN praise specific performances and the atmospheric tone, others like Attack of the Fanboy and TheSixthAxis emphasize its shortcomings in emotional depth and narrative clarity. The mixed reception suggests that while the voice work aligns with the game’s lore, technical inconsistencies and uneven delivery prevent it from fully realizing its potential. Despite this, the presence of strong performances and a commitment to the Warhammer 40K aesthetic indicates that the voice acting is a notable, if flawed, aspect of the experience.

The technical performance of Necromunda: Hired Gun across platforms shows mixed results, with some positive notes despite widespread issues. On PC, Vandal praised the game’s "high frame rates and good optimization, especially with DLSS enabled," while Xbox Series X saw WellPlayed note that it "runs smoothly at 60 FPS" despite crashes and camera jitter. For PS5, critics like Digital Chumps acknowledged "no freezes" during gameplay, and some reviewers highlighted the potential of next-gen features like adaptive triggers (Finger Guns). However, these positives are overshadowed by broader technical shortcomings across all platforms. The negatives for Necromunda: Hired Gun are consistent and severe, with critics across all platforms citing crashes, frame rate drops, glitches, and poor optimization. On PS5, But Why Tho? criticized "severe framerate drops during combat," while Digital Chumps noted clipping and object pop-in issues. PS4 reviewers like GamingBolt and IGN Spain highlighted inconsistent frame rates and problematic takedown animations, with Softpedia calling the PC version "marginally better but still plagued by bugs." On Xbox Series X, MondoXbox criticized "poor optimization for next-gen hardware," and Screen Rant described it as feeling like an "Early Access release." For PC, Attack of the Fanboy lamented "frame rate drops even with DLSS" and "janky mechanics," while PC Gamer called the version "riddled with bugs" and "released prematurely." These issues collectively paint a picture of a technically unstable game. The overall consensus among critics is that Necromunda: Hired Gun suffers from significant technical flaws across all platforms, with only minor positives noted in specific cases. While some reviewers, like Vandal for PC and WellPlayed for Xbox Series X, acknowledged moments of smooth performance, the majority emphasized persistent bugs, crashes, and optimization issues that detract from the experience. Critics like IGN (PS5/Xbox) and Jeuxvideo.com highlighted "significant technical issues" exacerbated during combat, while others, such as GameCritics and PC Gamer, pointed to a lack of polish and premature release. Despite the game’s ambition, its technical instability appears to be a major barrier to enjoyment, with many calling for further patches and development time to address these problems.

The initial reception of Necromunda: Hired Gun highlights several elements that could support replayability, particularly its RPG-inspired mechanics and customizable systems. Reviewers like Digital Chumps and IGN note that mission re-attempts for treasure collection, score improvements, and upgraded weapons add some longevity, while Finger Guns and GameMAG praise weapon customization, side jobs, and progression as avenues for experimentation. PLAY! Zine and Quarter to Three emphasize the game’s RPG elements, such as multiple builds, non-linear progression, and exploration, which encourage players to revisit levels for hidden items or new strategies. These features suggest that the game’s design allows for some degree of replayability, especially for fans of looter-shooter mechanics and character customization. However, the negatives dominate the critical discourse, with most reviewers pointing to significant flaws that undermine long-term engagement. The short campaign length (ranging from 7–15 hours, per God is a Geek, Jeuxvideo.com, and IGN Italia) is repeatedly cited as a major drawback, alongside repetitive mission structures and underdeveloped side content. But Why Tho? and GameMAG criticize the game’s shallow mechanics and lack of meaningful post-game content, while Softpedia and Jeuxvideo.com highlight technical issues that further diminish appeal. MondoXbox and ZTGD note unchanging environments and undercooked systems, and COGconnected and Everyeye.it describe the combat as grind-heavy and tedious. These criticisms collectively paint a picture of a game that struggles to maintain player interest beyond its initial playthrough. The overall consensus among critics is that Necromunda: Hired Gun offers limited replayability due to its combination of short content, repetitive design, and technical shortcomings. While some features—like IGN’s repeatable missions or PLAY! Zine’s RPG experimentation—provide minor incentives for revisiting the game, they are consistently overshadowed by flaws that reduce long-term appeal. Most reviewers, including God is a Geek, Jeuxvideo.com, and PC Gamer, argue that the game’s lack of depth, unengaging narrative, and underdeveloped systems make it difficult to justify multiple playthroughs. Despite occasional praise for its potential or specific mechanics, the majority agree that Necromunda: Hired Gun falls short of delivering a compelling or sustainable replay experience.