XBOX REVIEW | MULLET MADJACK

Mullet MadJack is a high-octane, adrenaline-fueled first-person shooter that initially wasn’t on my radar—until I had the chance to review it. First released on PC in May 2024, the game has now launched on Xbox consoles and is currently available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

In the world of Mullet MadJack, set in the year 2095, the rise of general artificial intelligence revolutionised society, triggering ‘the great replacement,’ where human workers were steadily supplanted by robots. This upheaval led to the emergence of RETRO-HUMANS, individuals confined to obsolete and unstable roles, while robots ascended to the prestigious ranks of ROBILLIONAIRES. To tackle soaring unemployment, the PEACE Corp. introduced the Peace System—a groundbreaking app that enabled RETRO-HUMANS to undertake paid tasks in exchange for LIKES, a digital currency directly infused into their bloodstream to enhance their quality of life and extend their longevity.

As inequality grew, those without access to LIKES experienced increasingly shorter lifespans. Society was divided between those who flourished with the digital currency and the marginalised, while dopamine-addicted RETRO-HUMANS were driven to accept hazardous jobs. The most perilous of these roles was that of MODERATOR—fearless individuals tasked with removing rogue robots from the system, often at immense personal risk.

In Mullet MadJack, you play as a Moderator tasked with rescuing the world’s most famous influencer from a powerful criminal organisation of billionaire robots. As a dopamine-addicted vigilante, you face deadly challenges, battling floor by floor in a towering skyscraper to satisfy your craving. Every move is streamed to an action-hungry audience, intensifying the pressure and driving you to perform daring feats. Along the way, you fight not only for the influencer’s freedom but also to preserve her reputation while captivating those watching. Get ready for a dangerous, action-packed journey full of twists and a ruthless blend of old-school thrills and chaos.

Things I liked!

• Gameplay | The gameplay is fast, frantic, and completely over-the-top in every way imaginable—but most importantly, it works flawlessly. As the player, you go from kill to kill, adding precious seconds to your life meter with each successful hit. If the meter runs down to zero, you die and are sent back to the first floor of the current chapter. While this can be frustrating if you’re just seconds away from the lift on the final floor, each floor only takes about 60 seconds to complete, allowing you to get back to where you were relatively quickly. In fact, I managed to complete one chapter early on in just under seven minutes. Each chapter consists of ten floors, with the final floor culminating in an epic boss fight. Towards the end of the game, the formula changes slightly, introducing a few surprises.

• Visuals | Mullet MadJack’s vibrant colours and its striking 80s/90s theme immediately grabbed my attention, all beautifully complemented by a glorious anime-inspired aesthetic that looks undeniably cool—clearly what the developers were aiming for. The on-screen action is fast and frantic, and I never encountered any performance issues, such as slowdowns or game crashes. Each of the characters stands out visually, from MadJack himself, sporting his iconic massive mullet, to the diverse robot types you’ll encounter. Many robots resemble humans with metal skeletons, which become exposed as you shoot at them or execute fatalities using weapons like a carving knife.
  
  
• Accessibility | Mullet MadJack can be a fairly tough game, but I was impressed by its variety of difficulty settings. On normal difficulty, Jack’s lifespan starts at 10 seconds, with each enemy killed adding 2 more seconds. There are a total of seven difficulty options, ranging from Very Easy, which removes the timer and lets you move through each floor at your own pace (though you can still die if you lose too much health), to four harder settings for those seeking a greater challenge. The chapter select screen displays the difficulty level on which each chapter has been completed. Additionally, there’s an Endless Mode and Boss Rush Mode, along with leaderboards showing global, friends, and daily scores. The settings menu offers various options, including YouTuber Mode, which turns blood purple, as well as adjustments for the field of view and colour saturation to suit your preferences.
  
  
• Digital Unboxing Feature | A unique feature that I’ve never encountered before is the ’90s unboxing experience.’ Here, you can open a digital game box and discover information about Mullet MadJack, including helpful tips and tricks, controls, and much more—all presented with humour and vibrant, bright colours. I thought this was a brilliant touch to include on the home screen, available right from the moment you start playing.
  
  
• Weapons | There are eight different weapons available in Mullet MadJack. You start with the revolver, which was my weapon of choice for quite some time due to its accuracy and high damage. Other available weapons include the Shotgun, Railgun, SMG, Rifle, Plasma Gun, and Fire and Ice Katanas. Depending on your playstyle, each weapon offers a slightly different gameplay experience, especially with the variety of upgrade options available. Some weapons are significantly more powerful than others.
  
  
• Upgrades | In Mullet MadJack, every time you complete a floor, you’re presented with a selection of upgrades, allowing you to choose one for the next floor. There are over 50 different upgrades to pick from, including higher-level guns, double damage, bigger explosions, maximum health, and more. Initially, you can only select from three upgrades, but as you progress through each chapter, you can unlock a fourth slot and even gain the option to reroll upgrades. Some upgrades are noticeably rarer and less likely to appear than others. For example, I only encountered the double damage upgrade on the boss fight floor a few times, but it proved to be highly effective when it did show up.
  
  
• Sound | The sound effects and music in Mullet MadJack are highly impressive. During gameplay, amidst all the chaotic mayhem, the gunshots and explosions significantly enhance immersion. Mullet MadJack features over 29 tracks of synthwave, retrowave, and retro styles, creating a dynamic and engaging experience. While I found some of the voice acting a bit annoying after a while, this can easily be muted if preferred.

Mixed & disliked!

• Unskippable cutscenes | After completing each chapter, you’ll encounter some cutscenes. While some are skippable, there are a few lengthy ones that cannot be skipped. These are enjoyable the first few times, but once you’re familiar with the story, you’ll likely want to skip them and get back to the main game.
  

How long did I play the review before publishing? 12 Hours
How long to beat the story? 4 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 42/48 OR 845/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 15 Hours+
You’ll love this game if you like these | Turbo Overkill, Doom Eternal and Severed Steel

CONCLUSION

Score: 92/100 – I’ve had an absolute blast playing Mullet MadJack. I love when a game appears out of nowhere and delivers exactly what you’ve been looking for. Mullet MadJack is versatile—it’s perfect for hours of gameplay in a single session or even a quick ten-minute break to progress or just have some fun battling robots. Its 90s-inspired style is dripping with nostalgia, reminding me of movies like The Running Man and Terminator. The developers have truly nailed every aspect, and I hope more people get the chance to experience Mullet MadJack.