Slightly amusing name aside, Gumshot actually holds up on its own as pretty enjoyable megacollab experience. qMystic's projects (especially those from around this era) can be wildly inconsistent, so this was a very pleasant surprise. On the surface it may look like a standard affair, but the attention to detail in Gumshot should not be overlooked.

qMystic's recruitment for design creators is generally good, and it's safe to say that the team assembled here is a really good one. No part looks especially poor (although some of the earlier parts leave a little to be desired) and no one part stands out above the rest. Obviously, when the colour scheme and style of a megacollab is fixed it's easy to make some surface level consistency, but Gumshot goes beyond. Pulses are used expertly for the majority of this level. It should really be a case study - the pulses add so much energy and they sync very well. There's also a myriad of transitions through the latter parts which add a lot of (forgive the pun) flavour to an already (forgive the pun) delicious visual (forgive the pun) treat. They add a bit of personality as well, so they do more than just seamlessly get you from one part to the next. Some parts throw in a few more colours than the pink and cyan, and these do make a nice chance, it's easy to wish that the level either decided that all the parts would do this, or that none of them would, because it does add a little bit of inconsistency.

Gumshot isn't just a spectacle, because the gameplay is up to the task of backing up the visuals. It's a very balanced level overall with only a couple of awkward sections dotted through the duration. Click patterns are generally enjoyable and feel right which is VITAL for a level of this intensity. There's not really any new ideas here, but that can be forgiven as it's in no way a must - but you'd be forgiven for feeling like this level could have helped in starting a trend of gameplay creators in megacollabs playing it a bit too safe in order to increase output. That's not a hit on this level, though, and certain parts (like those near the end) have got some juicy flow to them, and they make the level worth giving a shot, even if you've got to get through the slightly amateurish execution of the earlier ameplay sections. However, it does feel like Gumshot could have taken its zany theme further when it comes to gameplay, because a good portion of the drop is rather forgettable, and there's not many worse fates for a level.

Gumshot likely attracted much attention because of its name and borderline thumbnail-bait endscreen (a testament to its quality and in no way a strike against the level), but get past all of that and you'll find a surprising amount of quality backing it up. It's in no way a revolutionary level, and it might not stick in the conscience of most who beat it, but it is far from a bad level. There's quite a lot to chew on here.