I’ve already launched the world of Gungrave in two separate articles, so I do not really feel the necessity to do it once more. This is the brief model: two PlayStation 2 video games, an anime, and about 20 years of silence. Lastly, the collection has returned correctly with Gungrave G.O.R.E. Is that this going to be the return that followers of the collection, or newcomers, are in search of although? There’s just one strategy to discover out.
The sport places you within the position of Past the Grave, Grave for brief, an undead gunslinger who works for a regulation enforcement/peacekeeping group referred to as El-Al Canhel. The group’s objective is to cease the unfold of one thing often called SEED, a mysterious substance that I feel is a drug however isn’t actually outlined in any important manner, from spreading around the globe. They want to do that as a result of SEED turns folks into monsters, aside from when it turns them into crystal, which is generally simply to allow them to have the drama of a protagonist getting injected with SEED however with out the pesky downside of them dying. A prison group often called Raven Clan is spreading SEED all throughout Asia, so Grave is there to shoot them.
![Gungrave G.O.R.E villain](https://techraptor.net/sites/default/files/images/Gungrave%20G_O_R_E_20221111221427.jpg)
The plot is principally nonsense made so Grave has an excuse to undergo the sport’s 30+ chapters and shoot unhealthy guys. Characters form of simply pop out and in of the plot with little rhyme or purpose. A lot of the villains present up, say a single cool anime individual line, serves as a boss, and are by no means seen once more. Two separate antagonists are simply punched within the face so laborious that they out of the blue do a heel-turn for no discernable purpose, and everybody else simply form of accepts it. Whereas I’ve by no means performed the unique two video games, there is a very detailed cutscene that goes over their plots, and watching this does not actually make Gungrave G.O.R.E make any extra sense.
The entire tone and unhealthy writing could be summed up with the character of Zell, a minor antagonist coming back from Gungrave: Overdose. Zell isn’t talked about, nor seems in, Gungrave G.O.R.E till chapter 18. After you gun down his total band of mercenaries, you enter an apparent boss enviornment and he teleports in entrance of you, will get a boss title card, and also you struggle him with out a single phrase being spoken. After you beat him, he form of pathetically asks if you are going to kill him earlier than collection newcomer Quartz reveals up and tells Zell that he has been guarding the Secret Drug Cave for the Drug Clan all the time. Zell is shocked by this, exclaiming he thought he was guarding an empty cave and that he would by no means guard a Secret Drug Cave for the Drug Clan, says they tricked him, and proceeds to betray the Drug Clan and turns into your greatest pal. He then principally follows everybody round awkwardly and typically feedback on a state of affairs.
![Gungrave G.O.R.E enemy](https://techraptor.net/sites/default/files/images/Gungrave%20G_O_R_E_20221114212259.jpg)
Nonetheless, I am not right here for the plot. I am right here to play as a cool undead gunslinger and shoot a number of baddies. In a manner, Gungrave G.O.R.E delivers precisely that. Each stage can principally be boiled right down to strolling ahead, capturing unhealthy guys, strolling ahead once more, capturing unhealthy guys once more, and typically a boss struggle. Grave’s major technique of assault are two weapons that he can hearth repeatedly and with infinite ammo, and he’ll robotically lock on to anybody that’s close by. You may be utilizing these so much as a result of they’re by far the best potential within the recreation. It is not that Grave does not have extra. He carries round a giant coffin that he can swing as a melee assault, and it has a grappling hook that he can use to both pull enemies to him or pull himself to them. It is simply that none of these are helpful. The melee assaults are manner too weak and the grapple tends to both seize the flawed individual or simply not work in any respect.
As you deal injury to enemies, you will achieve destruction factors which you can spend on larger talents. At first, all you are able to do is kick a rocket towards them, however in a while, I bought powers like turning my gun right into a rail gun, capturing homing missiles, sword fees, slowing down time, and extra. You wish to use these talents as they destroy principally everybody close to you, but additionally you want to use them as a result of it is the one strategy to heal within the recreation. Having your well being tied to tremendous assaults is not a horrible concept, however there was multiple event I wanted well being and could not get into fight to get it. You even have a protect, which recharges over time, however as the sport goes on many enemies can simply destroy the protect in a single hit.
![Gungrave G.O.R.E night fight](https://techraptor.net/sites/default/files/images/Gungrave%20G_O_R_E_20221118014958.jpg)
The massive downside? You are principally simply doing the identical factor again and again and over for one thing round 12 hours. Transfer ahead, shoot a wave of enemies, transfer ahead. What begins as a kinda zen zone out expertise turns into a repetitive slog. There’s an insane quantity of various enemies, however virtually all of them both stand in a single place and shoot you or run as much as punch you and all that actually adjustments is how a lot well being they’ve. It begins to harm, bodily. I am not joking: I might solely play Gungrave G.O.R.E in brief bursts as a result of my finger would actively change into sore with how usually I used to be urgent the set off.
Outdoors of normal enemies, there are boss fights. A few of them are in opposition to big enemies with numerous smaller components you may lock onto. One, in opposition to a robotic spider, enables you to break the legs to stun it or shoot off the missile launcher. One other, a large monster that rolls across the enviornment, can have its arms shot to stun it and cease its assaults. Nonetheless, most bosses are simply regular-sized enemies with teleports and laser beams. You may be doing the identical factor with most of them: dodge and shoot. Smash that shoot button more durable and quicker.
How briskly you shoot does not matter when you hit one of many recreation’s many random problem spikes. Often, this comes within the type of introducing a bunch of enemies that may stunlock you with their assaults. The variety of occasions I have been unable to do something as a result of I’d simply be knocked down, rise up, and instantly knocked down once more is absurd. This occurs throughout boss fights too: one stored me pinned with a roll assault, one other had a bunch of fast hearth lasers I could not dodge, whereas a 3rd stored spawning partitions that pushed me off the sector. One boss I solely bought by as a result of the boss bought jammed in a wall and I used to be in a position to shoot it from security.
![Gungrave G.O.R.E boss fight](https://techraptor.net/sites/default/files/images/Gungrave%20G_O_R_E_20221115232729%281%29%281%29.jpg)
There is not a lot to interrupt up the capturing, and by that I imply there aren’t any puzzles, there aren’t any automobile sections, and there aren’t any bits of exploration or dialogue. I begged for the rest, and someplace a monkey’s paw curled. There are a few platforming segments. They’re simply the worst a part of the sport. The sport is solely not constructed for this, and I might discover myself sliding off of platforms, jumps not triggering correctly, and hitting my head on unavoidable low objects.
On a few events, you will step into the sneakers of different characters. Bunji is one other gunslinger that performs equally to Grave, however he has extra dashing and mobility-focused talents to keep away from being shot. Quartz does not even have weapons however is as an alternative a martial artist that punches enemies and has entry to counterattacks. Quartz is definitely the weakest of the three as the sport is solely not constructed round melee fight, however total it serves as a pleasant break from Grave’s talents. They are not radically completely different characters, and you do not get to play as them for greater than a single stage every, but it surely’s at the very least one thing apart from consistently mashing shoot.
Sooner or later, I began to lose my thoughts. Gungrave G.O.R.E is 12 hours of doing the identical factor again and again and again and again and again and again and over and so forth and so forth. There’s so little selection right here that I might play the sport blindfolded. All I would like is to push the left stick foward, and faucet R2 quickly. I actually would not wish to play the sport with earplugs on although. In a single factor that I can say is totally in Gungrave G.O.R.E‘s favor, and completely kicks ass, is the sport’s soundtrack. It is unironically on my brief listing for greatest soundtrack of 2022, and if no different a part of this recreation will get remembered, the soundtrack will.
![Gungrave G.O.R.E](https://techraptor.net/sites/default/files/images/Gungrave%20G_O_R_E_20221116001436.jpg)
Gungrave G.O.R.E Assessment | Verdict
It feels unfair that Gungrave waited almost 20 years to return again solely to be let down by an excellent mediocre recreation. Nonetheless, that is simply the truth of it. A nonsense plot, extraordinarily repetitive gameplay, irritating glitches, and bodily ache attributable to taking part in Gungrave G.O.R.E all harm the expertise badly. This is hoping the subsequent 20 years go a bit of higher.
TechRaptor reviewed Gungrave G.O.R.E on PlayStation 5 utilizing a duplicate supplied by the writer. The sport can be out there on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Collection X|S.