Johnny Trigger is a free action-packed mobile video game that lets you take on hoards of mafia goons in spectacular slow-motion bullet mayhem. Developed by SayGames, Johnny Trigger puts you in the cartoony shoes of the titular character. The game, in true platformer game fashion, offers you an adventure through various obstacles and gun-toting enemies. Take note, however, that Johnny Trigger is mostly a mindless game to pass the time once you’ve gotten past a few levels.

One path isn’t boring

Platformer games are pretty standard in their set-up—mostly found as side-scroller games. You’ll usually have to traverse platforms by running and jumping around, and there are enemy NPCs to take care of so you can reach the end of the level. Some games try to spice up this age-old formula to the genre, adding some cool mechanic in the combat system or placing some puzzles for you. 

Whatever the case, though, platformers and side-scrollers are pretty popular, most especially for mobile games, as they are usually a bit flat in animation and don’t need much of your device’s computing capacity to run well. This means that even with a repeating gimmick, you can easily enjoy a game that switches things around without expending itself too much. However, for Johnny Trigger, that’s rarely found. 

Slow-mo magic

At first glance, Johnny Trigger’s combat mechanic will remind you of the 1999 film The Matrix’s famous “bullet time” or bullet dodge scene—and even the coolness of John Wick. The handsomely-suited Johnny will run on normal speed, but once he jumps and flips over to where mafia goons are waiting, the world will slow down. 

You then get to see his gun’s line of fire, allowing you to tap when it hits an enemy to shoot at them. Thus, with multiple enemies during a slow-mo bullet time, you can carefully defeat them in consecutive order. The only time you can possibly mess up is when you make a miscalculation on your bullet trajectory and let them shoot you first because you missed your opportunity. 

Johnny Trigger’s levels are just segments of a long “dungeon” wherein Johnny is running towards a boss fight in the end. Each level is actually pretty short and you can easily face off against the boss in mere minutes. There are weapons and outfits you can unlock and buy—and sometimes, you have to save hostages in the levels—but other than that, Johnny Trigger just repeats.

Take it easy with the bullets

For a game to stave off boredom, Johnny Trigger is a good choice. It doesn’t require much problem-solving to win several levels, and it will sometimes feel like you’re playing a free side-scroller mobile version of John Wick Hex. However, if you’re the type who wants more variety in gameplay because you play for several hours, this may not be the game for you, as Johnny Trigger tends to rinse and repeat with its levels. Plus, this game can be quite heavy with the ad placements. It is recommended only for those who play for a few hours a day.