Not a Hero is a 2015 side-scrolling shooter from Roll7, published by Devolver Digital, in which an anthropomorphic purple rabbit named BunnyLord has traveled back in time from 2048 to be elected mayor and save the world from total destruction and alien invasion. To win the election he hires freelance anti-heroes to clean up crime in the city under his name. That is the plot. It is delivered with total conviction and no shame, and the game underneath it is one of the tightest cover shooters of its decade.
The Cover System
Not a Hero is a 2D cover-based shooter in pixel art, and the cover is the invention. You slide into doorways and behind furniture with a tap, pop out to fire, and slide again. The rhythm of slide, shoot, reload, slide is fast enough to feel like a fighting game and precise enough that every death teaches you something. Enemies are aggressive, ammunition is limited, and a room cleared without taking a hit feels earned every time.
Nine Heroes
You choose one of nine protagonists at the start of each level, each with a personality and a set of abilities. The differences matter. Some characters trade speed for firepower, some reload faster, some carry gimmicks that reshape how a level plays. Replaying a stage with a different hero is the game’s main source of depth, and it is a real one.
BunnyLord
The rabbit is the show. Each level opens with BunnyLord’s campaign briefing, and the writing is deranged in a way that stays funny far longer than it should. The satire of politics is broad, and it is also the only thing in the game that is not about shooting, which makes it welcome.
Versions
The game launched on Windows, reached OS X and Linux on October 1, 2015 and PlayStation 4 on February 2, 2016, and a planned Vita version was cancelled. A Super Snazzy Edition with an extra campaign came to Xbox One from Team17 in May 2016 and to Switch from Devolver in August 2018.
Where It Falls Short
It is short, and the levels, for all the variety the heroes provide, are built from a small set of pieces. The difficulty spikes are sharp, and a few late stages ask for memorization more than skill. The humor, which is the game’s charm, is one note, and the note gets played a lot. And the pixel art, though clean, means the screen can get busy enough that a death feels unfair.
The Verdict
Not a Hero is a small, fast, very funny shooter with a cover mechanic that deserves to be copied. It is over quickly, and it is worth the time it takes.
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