Bite the Bullet is platform game in which players control a mercenary- either Chewie or Chewella. As the player progresses through the game, they're given the option to upgrade their character's health and gain abilities, such as the ability to freeze attacking enemies, via a skill tree. During a level, players can either destroy enemies outright with their weapons, or they can deal enough damage to render enemies stunned and then, while they're in a stunned state, eat them. Consuming enemies in the game adds fat, calories and protein to the player; the more fat a player a player consumes, the slower they become. If players consume enemies or items which are "rotten", the game enters a "gut-crafting" mode, in which players are given the opportunity to modify and enhance their weapons using calories, protein and fat picked up from consuming enemies, but will lose calories whether or not they modify anything. Enemies will sometimes drop weapons with unique modifiers, such as the ability to draw enemies closer when they're struck. Each level in the game features a different setting. After consuming enough enemies, players can enter "Zombro" mode in which they lose access to their weapons while invulnerability, speed, jump height, and the ability to melee attack enemies. As the game progresses, the player can choose a character class, determining what abilities they'll gain, and which enemies they can consume, from that point forward.
Plot
Bite the Bullet takes place in a futuristic, dystopic setting; mankind suffered a food crisis that resulted in the invention of "bionodes," implants that enabled humans to consume inorganic matter, but also resulted in mutations. The mutated humans, dubbed ghouls, were left behind on Earth as the rest of humanity colonized other planets in an event known as the Great Exodus. The game follows a mercenary tasked with collecting DNA from Earth's ghouls by eating them. Collected ghoul DNA becomes part of the Compendium, a database of the galaxy's species. The player's employer, Vora, is the CEO of the DarwinCorp, the megacorporation that runs the Compendium and assigns the player missions. The game opens with the player being introduced to Joachim, who invites Chewie/Chewella to the teleporter room for the game's tutorial- it is through the teleporter room that players access subsequent levels.
Development
Bite the Bullet was announced by Mega Cat Studios in June 2019 via a blog entry on their official website, where its setting was originally described as being "the 2Xth century, urbanization and pollution caused food and resource shortages." While the game is currently in development for Windows, the developers are planning on a Linux release. In August 2019, the Mega Cat announced that the game was also being developed for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Reception
Bite the Bullet was featured as part of the Indie Megabooth during PAX East 2019 and 2020; press at the event described the game as being "like Contra with a twist". The game was also featured as part of 2019's Media Indie Exchange in Seattle and Los Angeles.
