Gunman Clive is an action game developed and published by Swedish indie video game development studio Hörberg Productions. It was first released for Android on 2 April 2012. The game follows a lone gunslinger in a futuristic Wild West as he tries to save the mayor's daughter from a group of technologically well-armed bandits. In 2015, a sequel, called Gunman Clive 2, was released.
Gameplay and plot
Gunman Clive is a side-scrolling action game. The game is set in the year 18XX, where the player controls the titular character Gunman Clive as he fights different sets of enemies across 16 levels to rescue the mayor's daughter. The player has to traverse along a 2D platformer filled with moving platforms, traps and enemies. Shooting is a huge emphasis in the game, and the player can pick up specialized weapon such as a spread shot, explosive bullets, and a laser gun. Enemies vary in each level, from bandits who carry rifles and dynamites to animals such as pelicans and wolves. Aside from the occasional grunts, bosses can also be found in the game. A life meter runs out every time the player takes damage. The 2D graphics has the animation style similar of a sketch, while the backgrounds are of the same color of brown typical of the Wild West. Gunman Clives soundtrack is described as "old west authenticity", paying tribute to the Western genre. The game offers two playable characters; Gunman Clive and Ms. Johnson. The only difference between the two is that the latter is slower, freezes in place while shooting, and has a skirt that can slow down descent. A third playable character, a duck, is unlocked after completion of the game. While Gunman Clive has three difficulty settings, the difference between each is how much damage you take and where you respawn after every death.
Gunman Clive received generally positive reviews after its release from both mainstream and video game journalists. The gameplay, art and style has been critically praised, although Destructoid noted that its major flaw is its short length. Destructoid also noted that the game pays homage to classic platformers such as Mega Man, Super Meat Boy and Super Mario. Destructoid described it as "a steal at $2" and that "fans of 2D action platformers need to check it out. If Hörberg Productions is ever graced with the opportunity to develop a mainline Mega Man game, I'm confident that fans of the series would be happy with the results." IGN described it as "a brief experience, but still one well worth experiencing if you’re looking for a fine $2 platformer on your 3DS. The stellar game design is emboldened by the three different characters you can play as. From start to finish, Gunman Clive is a fantastic platformer, good enough that it is worth playing multiple times to play as every character."
Sales
By January 2015, more than 400,000 copies of the game had been sold, with over eighty percent of sales on the 3DS. The Gunman Clive HD Collection was sold 9,000 times until January 2016.
Sequel
A sequel, Gunman Clive 2, was released for the Nintendo 3DS on 29 January 2015. The story now takes Clive around the world to chase after the leader of the bandits from the first game. In June 2015, Bertil Hörberg announced the two games would be released on the Wii U as Gunman Clive HD Collection. The collection was also released on the Nintendo Switch on January 17, 2019, and PlayStation 4 on May 22, 2020.
Other media
Clive, Ms. Johnson and the duck enemy appeared as three of the playable guest characters in the 2D action RPG game Drancia Saga for the Nintendo 3DS.
