Developer: Iggymob
Publisher: Plaion
Release Date: 22nd November 2022
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox & PC
Reviewed on: PS5
▫️ Code provided by the publisher ▫️
The original Gungrave game that launched on PlayStation 2 back in 2002 has gained a cult following over the years. We did get a sequel in the form of Overdose two years later but after that the franchise lay dormant for over a decade. It was revived in 2017 as a VR game, which serves as the prologue to this long-awaited third core entry in the series that we have today. But does Gungrave G.O.R.E manage to live up to the hype? Or is this a concept that should have remained in the six feet under?
The narrative is not the game’s strong point. There is a plot, but it’s pretty thin on the ground. You are on a mission to take down the Raven Clan, stopping the production of a devilish drug called SEED. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much deeper than that, but it is enough to bridge the gap between gameplay. Cutscenes can be entertaining though. Especially the opening one which consists of you soaring out of the sky in a coffin, crashing into a pack of onlooking gangsters and flying through the air in slow motion, snapping an unsuspecting enemy’s neck in the process.
Speaking of gameplay. For better or worse, Gungrave Gunslinger Of REsurrection (which is genuinely what G.O.R.E stands for, I haven’t just made that up) sticks very close to its PlayStation 2 roots. If you are nostalgic for an old-school corridor shooter with visual cues for incoming enemies, this is likely to be your jam. If it isn’t, then there is a chance you come away from the experience feeling like this is more of a remaster, than a new entry in the series.
Initially, I was disappointed by the combat. It felt very limited and didn’t offer much variety. But over the first hour or so you unlock many more moves that spruce up enemy encounters. While you can manually aim your guns, they come fitted with an auto-aim that allows you to focus more on your movement and keep the flow going. This is where your beat counter comes in. The beat counter, which is essentially a combo meter, tasks you with maintaining a steady stream of damage as you progress through levels. You can keep this going by blasting enemies or pieces of the environment. The latter is very useful to save for when you have a slight break between getting attacked.
Building up your beat counter will give you access to bigger moves that let you deal with multiple enemies in quick succession. It also lets you build up a higher score, which will be welcome when you are shopping for upgrades between missions. These upgrades include health, damage and access to new moves. While the gameplay definitely improves once you unlock more of your arsenal, there is no denying that moving Grave around the world can feel cumbersome. As I said earlier, this feels way more like a remaster than it does an entirely new game and in my opinion, it suffers as a result. Many times my beat count was reset because getting from A to B took longer than it should have due to the player movement.
Graphically the game also underwhelms. It doesn’t look bad by any means, but this is definitely a PlayStation 4 game with a PlayStation 5 port. The cutscenes look sharp and crisp, which makes the transition to gameplay even more jarring. I loaded up the PS4 version just for comparison and didn’t notice any real visual differences between the two which was disappointing.
Those looking to bag the platinum will need some skill and patience as well. While plenty of the trophies such as destroying X amount of objects, reaching a beat count of X, killing X amount of enemies and defeating the various bosses will come naturally and can be done on any difficulty, there is a trophy thrown into the mix for finishing the game on hard mode.
VALUE: It is absolutely worth noting that this game is available on Game Pass, and so if you have an Xbox I do recommend downloading and giving it a go. However, outside of that service, £44.99 is a tough sell. There are many games that do the formula better and cost less. That’s not to say those who enjoy what is on offer here won’t get their money’s worth – especially given the titles meaty 15-hour campaign, but if you are willing to wait I would expect a significant discount in the near future.
In closing, Gungrave G.O.R.E feels like a blast from the past. If you have nostalgia for the old PS2 games and want to experience a newer, flashier version then this will absolutely provide that. Just don’t go in expecting the series to have moved with the times.
-Terry 🦊