The Gungeon

Lore & Background

The Gungeon is a firearms-themed dungeon that players must traverse to find a gun that can "kill the past". The name "Gungeon" came to lead designer Dave Crooks after he listened to the soundtrack for the game *Gun Godz* by Vlambeer. He presented the name to his fellow team members, and they created the game's lore over a lunch meeting. The Gungeon is made up of five main floors, with an additional secret floor called Bullet Hell, each typically having fewer rooms than twenty—for example, 8–12 on the first floor. The layout and rewards of each level are procedurally generated from a number of pre-created rooms. The Gungeon is inhabited by bullet-shaped enemies called Gundead. As players slay enemies, they obtain in-game currencies called bullet casings and keys. Each of the first four main floors ends with a boss from a fixed set of possible bosses for that floor, while the fifth main floor, the Forge, has the High Dragun as its sole boss.

In Their Own Story

The player takes control of one of four characters—the Marine, Convict, Hunter, or Pilot (collectively called the "Gungeoneers")—who must reach the bottom of the Gungeon to find a magical gun that can "kill the past". Although each Gungeoneer starts out with items and weapons that are unique to the character, they can all shoot guns, knock over tables to provide cover, and dodge attacks by performing a "dodge roll" that allows them to be temporarily invulnerable to damage. The player further has a limited number of "Blanks" which can be used to delete all enemy projectiles in a room. Combat is reliant upon memorizing patterns of enemy behavior, and using cover and dodge rolls to avoid bullets. If the player dies, they lose all items and guns obtained on a playthrough and must start again at the first floor.

Reader's Guide

The Gungeon is made up of five different floors, each having roughly twenty rooms inside. The layout and rewards of each level are procedurally generated from a number of pre-created rooms. To defeat Gundead, the player uses a wide variety of guns and items; they can be obtained by unlocking chests or through shops and boss fights. As players slay enemies, they obtain in-game currencies called bullet casings and keys. Bullet casings can be spent at shops in exchange for guns and items, and keys are used to unlock chests. Obtained guns range from conventional pistols and rifles, to more exotic firearms such as a unicorn horn that fires rainbows or a mailbox that shoots envelopes. Each level ends with a random boss that must be slain to advance to the next floor. As the player progresses through multiple playthroughs, they may encounter non-player characters (NPCs) inside the Gungeon. Once encountered, NPCs either set up shop inside the Gungeon, or travel to the Breach, a hub world. At the Breach, the player can unlock new items that randomly generate inside the Gungeon, or can talk with NPCs to accept services and quests.

Did You Know?

• The name "Gungeon" came to lead designer Dave Crooks after he listened to the soundtrack for the game *Gun Godz* by Vlambeer.
• Dodge Roll designed and playtested each individual room of the Gungeon's levels, then used procedural generation to assemble them into a random configuration.
• The Gungeon has five main floors, plus a secret floor called Bullet Hell, each typically having fewer rooms than twenty—for example, 8–12 on the first floor.
• The game sold over one million copies by June 2020.
• A direct sequel, *Enter the Gungeon 2*, is set for release in 2026.