Run ‘n Gun-a-thon — Part 4

The story of how developer Treasure came to be is inspiring. A group of Konami employees were dissatisfied with the company turning down their original game ideas in favor of pumping out sequels for successful IPs. To be free of this creative interference, the designers left Konami and formed their own studio, vowing to make the games they want to make, not necessarily what makes the most cash.

I desperately wish more developers thought like that. No offense to those working on AAA games, but indie studios have been shaming their big-budget cousins for the better part of a decade. A small team and budget seems like a disadvantage, but that’s actually how Treasure has always operated. They generally hire between 20 to 30 people at any given time to preserve, as president Masoto Maegawa put it, an “independent-minded” mentality. Smaller teams allow the passion of every participant on the project to shine through.

Treasure’s first project, Gunstar Heroes, exudes passion. With its over-the-top action and twists on the established Contra formula, it’s no wonder it stood out upon release. Thankfully, it still plays well. Being able to combine two weapons to create a unique shot type is neat. This pairs well with the addition of a healthbar. If this played like Contra where you died and lost your weapon after one hit, it would be much harder to appreciate the weapon combos. But don’t think having a lifebar makes the journey a breeze! Even on Normal difficulty, Gunstar Heroes can be just as difficult as the classic Contra games. The challenge is mostly fair though and a couple leves break away from well-worn run ‘n gun tropes. The board game level, for example, has you conquering a gauntlet of minibosses to reach the end boss instead of moving and shooting right. I see why Cuphead brought it back for King Dice. The minecart level has you switching between the floor and ceiling. This is put to excellent use in the showdown against Seven Force, who is easily the best boss in the game.

It’s easy to get absorbed by the action, so much so any perceived blemishes are unlikely to affect the average player. I’m not average, however, and the truth is I don’t actually hold Gunstar Heroes in high regard. I have a couple minor qualms like the horizontal shmup level not being fun and wishing for a toggle between the free and fixed shooting modes. The former is mainly a personal preference. I’ve always gravitated toward vertical shmups like Xevious and Galaga instead of horizontal ones like Gradius. Something about aiming and dodging in the former feels more comfortable. The two shooting modes being separate does make sense given the limitations of the Genesis’ three-button controller, but an option to switch modes in the pause menu or even before a level would have been nice. I might have been willing to accept that limitation if it wasn’t for the biggest mishap of Gunstar Heroes: flat level design.

Most of the levels consist of long hallways full of enemies appearing in front of and behind you. Like the later Contra games, these feel like uninspired shooting galleries and were exhausting to get through. Level 5 especially feels like it goes on forever. At least in Hard Corps, these sections were very brief, allowing for the best part of the game, the bosses, to shine. Gunstar Heroes also has good bosses, but no amount of explosions can hide the fact you’re doing the exact same thing in most levels.

Overall, Gunstar Heroes was a solid, albeit imperfect debut for Treasure. Thankfully, this wouldn’t be their last attempt at a run ‘n gun. Two years later, they would release Alien Soldier, which will be the final game of the marathon. Until then, have a wonderful day!

Hard to dislike a classic like this. For a 90's run and gun, there's quite a bit going on gameplay-wise. The weapon fusing, the melee attacks and maneuvers (diving, jump kicking, wall jumping, sliding)...

And then you see the graphics, and you hear the music, and Treasure really was working hard here! Bosses felt a little spongier than I would have liked... maybe their health is inflated when playing co-op? Not sure.

The levels were cool to go through as well! Even the casino level was fun, though also quite painful due to the RNG LMAOOO

Me and my friend had a great time sharing pick ups, accidentally throwing each other at enemies, and beating bosses on our last bit of health! Gunstar Heroes is great.

An excellent Run n’ Gun from Treasure - a group of ex-Konami devs and the pedigree definitely shows, it’s high octane Contra gameplay but with a Mega Man styled stage select, an innovative weapon system (with merging powers like in Kirby 64), excellent bosses and a super surprising shooter section at the end. An absolute joy to play, I cheesed some bits but finished just over 2 hours, I’ll definitely play it again with a different order and maybe on hard. Coming off Mischief Makers as my sole Treasure experience, the ideas definitely show but this is just so much better. This is a must play for gaming enthusiasts.