a review just below me likened this to devil daggers but bad

this is devil daggers but actually fun. while it still has some pitfalls due to the nature of these "endless simple shooters" , it makes it infinitely more enjoyable by 1) making it so you can be hit by more than one thing and 2) movement. however that does not make me enjoy the game for more than a while. i find this genre so boring, because all it boils down to is "run in a circle killing shit while more shit spawns until you inevitably die. and they dont give a million different options for killing shit, its either the melee attack or an SMG. and while i dont have a problem with such limited options in general, in this context it breeds boredom. id want actual levels designed for such mechanics, and afaik this game will not be more than an endless shooter. i dabble in cybergrind every now and again, but my main reason for loving ultrakill isnt cybergrind, its the levels and perfecting them.

don't get me wrong, i did enjoy the game when it got chaotic. with the added movement it's certainly better than devil daggers. but its cumbersome to start a run over and over again and never feel like youre making any progress, getting angry and dying earlier and earlier. i think im gonna refund this one, but im happy i got to try it out.


maybe ill check it out in a few years again.

ps, if this review reads poorly i had a much better review but i deleted it accidentally so i rushed this one trying to remember all the points i made but the prose is worse.

For the longest time, I've defended the original version of Gungrave G.O.R.E for what it represented for the gaming market. A true risk in the sense that it was willing to call-back to what the public considers "outdated" game design for the sake of revitalizing a series and genre that hadn't seen a game like it in such a long time. It was a loving homage to fans of action games from the 6th console generation era, which prioritized challenge and satisfying replayability over story, presentation and accessibility. It wasn't a game for everyone, but it was definitely a fun game for those who know where to look.

As Gungrave G.O.R.E received more updates and as developers responded to fan feedback, I became more and more worried about the developers becoming ashamed of their own vision, making the game easier and lowering the skill ceiling so it could be more accessible to a wider market that wouldn't really care about the game in the first place. Gungrave G.O.R.E Ultimate Enhanced Edition (GGGUEE) on Switch is the culmination of those fears.

The Switch version of Gungrave G.O.R.E sands off a lot of the edges of the original. Grave now runs while shooting, he gains art score for even basic kills, the score amounts have been multiplied, and a system has been implemented that increases Grave's bullet speed the higher the beat count is. The pattern of these changes is clear: GGGUEE is ultimately trying to rectify the "wrongs" of the original by making it more palatable for the average gamer. And to a degree, it does accomplish that goal, but to what end?

I do find GGGUEE less challenging and easier to control than its original release, but at the same time I lose the interest and love I have of replaying the game because the core and satisfying gameplay loop that balanced Grave's weaknesses with his strengths is completely gone now that I can easily move everywhere and shoot everything. No longer do I have to carefully consider when to parry, dodge and use a meat shield. No longer do I have to think of the right moments to go on the offensive with a devastating demolition shot, with Storm Barrage or with Bullet Dance. In fact, my work is cut out for me. All I have to do is run around and Hold ZR. Eventually, I'll win by default. Of course, if I put the minimal amount of effort, I could also receive an S rank too.

While it may seem my argument is based on shaming people who had a hard time adapting to Gungrave G.O.R.E's difficulty, that is far from the case. The fact of the matter is that, at its core, for Gungrave G.O.R.E to be a good mindless action game, it needs a complete redesign from the ground up that isn't compatible with the hardcore design of the game's mechanics and levels. The "Over 100 improvements" claim is ultimately an exaggeration when so much of the core of this game is the same, but it is only the small changes which change it for the worse. GGGUEE has turned this from a game that a small subsect of people would enjoy and replay, to a game that, in all likelihood no one will ever play.

As harsh as that sounds, looking at the sheer lack of response to this port outside of a small handful, I ultimately have to believe it to be true. This is no due in part due to the rest of GGGUEE's downgrades, which range from a cut to 30fps in docked mode and inconsistently low framerate on handheld (compared to the smooth 60fps from the console version), downgraded visuals across the board, lack of anti-aliasing, and so on. To say that this is the ultimate and superior experience is not something I can agree with on any capacity.

To make the medicine go down, this new release includes multiple new characters that you can purchase as DLC. Unfortunately, these new characters don't quite add enough to the experience to justify any of the aforementioned changes. While they are fun to play, they're just too little to compensate the harsh qualities of this port. This is, of course, without mentioning that these characters are often more shallow to play as compared to Grave thanks to their limited moveset and that one of the DLC characters is a reskinned version of a character unlockable in the base game.

As harsh as I sound, I do still think the team had the best intentions in mind. Considering the poor sales of the original release and the financial struggle of losing the backing of their publisher, Prime Matter, it must've been really difficult to make so many of these compromises for the sake of breaking even. But that sympathy is hard earned when the team has otherwise made the situation worse with many of the decisions made with this release, such as locking many of the exclusive DLC characters behind DLC, their decision to not port any of the new content to the existing versions, their lack of marketing outside of limited social media posts, and of course, their misleading advertising that overinflates the amount of changes made to the experience and advertises characters without disclosing they're only available as DLC.

If not apparent by now, I shall continue to play the original release of Gungrave G.O.R.E as much as I can. I can only hope that, for survival and next, Iggymob learns the story of Icarus: "Don't fly too close to the sun, or else you'll get burnt".

have never seen a game get this much acclaim that i genuinely just really disliked this much

a masterclass in bad writing, combat that gets repetitve halfway through (who in gods name decided you should only have THREE special moves per character?????), boring story and dry ass characters, a true ending where you HAVE to 100 percent the game to get (and even then its still incredibly unsatisfying) only saved a bit by its great ost and amazing visuals

genuienly am so confused did i play a different video game or are the standards for indie rpgs this low? you really think THIS is a BETTER indie game than pizza tower? or dave the diver? you think this was a 2023 GOTY contender when shit like re4r, baldurs gate, ff16, hi fi rush, etc also came out???

i actually dont get it