Kill someone every 10 seconds or die in this must-play Steam Next Fest FPS that's set inside a classic anime style

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With roguelike influences to boot

A robot gets a VHS stuffed in its mouth in Mullet Mad Jack
(Image credit: Hammer95)

Steam Next Fest's demo bonanza is winding down, sure, but we still have time to slot in a couple more must-play demos. I'd recommend jumping on Mullet Mad Jack, the first-person shooter with an absolutely bonkers art style, right now. 

Titular badass Mullet Mad Jack has been employed to scale a high-rise tower, save a hostage trapped by nasty billionaires, and shoot, stab, slash, and kill all the robotic baddies in his way. That's a pretty standard setup for any shoot-bang-kick action game, but take a look at the trailer below, and you'll see just how wild this game can get.

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Mullet Mad Jack's banging pitch is that you need to chase social media likes within a time limit (10 seconds on normal difficulty), all while delivering serious beatdowns in colorful corridors. That seems like no time at all, right? Thankfully, every time you rip out wires from a robot enemy's mechanical skull, seconds are added to the ticking clock. Gen 20XX loves their kaleidoscopic violence, I guess. 

Developer Hammer95 has also added a roguelike formula on top of that already attractive premise, so even if you get killed in action or mistakenly take a few seconds to admire the scenery, you'll restart from the bottom of the tower, only retaining a couple of permanent upgrades.

The last thing I seriously need to mention about the game is, of course, how good it looks. Screenshots only give a small taste of just how jaw-dropping Mullet Mad Jack is. Bold colors pop. Jack moves with a swagger that rivals Doomguy's confidence. The UI has an effortlessly cool retro-futuristic look. Everything together builds such a unique audiovisual burst that looks like it could easily be set within the world of a classic anime. 

But it's not all style and setup, though. Mullet Mad Jack is an incredible shooter, too. The time restrictions create a really urgent sense of momentum that propels you down corridors like a snowballing bundle of death. You'll turn and headshot one enemy, before zipping to slice another, only to immediately sprint into the next room. If you enjoyed top-down hit Hotline Miami, this definitely captures some of that violent, kinetic pleasure. 

The Mullet Mad Jack demo is still available to download on Steam. There's no release date yet, but I hope this three-person team takes all the time they need to deliver on this demo's incredible promise.

Other Steam Next Fest highlights include a stealth platformer, a magical co-op adventure, and a chaotic platformer. 

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.