The path of Gungrave GORE. from pen to videogame translation has its roots in a distant era, in a certain sense obscure: an era in which a product, albeit mediocre, could give birth to a genre or to a pop current that transcends the medium of use of the work. We are talking about the Sony PlayStation 2 era, where the first chapter of the saga was received in a lukewarm way, and then exploded in visual awards such as the character design by Yasuhiro Nightow whose traits are recognized for Trigun, another comic and animated product, while the design of the mechanical elements of the games were taken care of by Kosuke Fujishima (Sakura Wars). How was the arrival of the title in the modern digital world? Let's find out!
From grave to street
We are still under the hegemony of Millennion, an organization that controls an entire state and runs things like a despot, lording it over right and left. The organization must be stopped once and for all, e Serious is sent once again on the field from Mika Asagi, now become a young adult (while Serious being a Deadman, a kind of undead, does not age). During the initial stages of the game, the aim for our heroes (of which we only actively control Grave) will be to dismantle the production of the Seed drug, which effectively keeps the population in check by the Millennion.
The desire for revenge that moves Grave makes his hunt relentless, although the protagonist never says a single word either before or during the missions that Mika assigns him: while maintaining a self-awareness of when he was still human and called himself Brandon Heat, Grave remains a character devoid of emotions and feelings except the spirit of revenge that moves him, and the indiscriminate protection of Mika, daughter of his ex-girlfriend. The story sector has never been the main element of the series as well as the two previous chapters released on PlayStation 2, although the second title – Gungrave: Overdose – can be considered today as a spin-off, since the story of the modern chapter picks up exactly where it left off in the first chapter.
Bullet Storm
The gameplay of Gungrave GORE. (Gunslinger Of REsurrection is an acronym for the word bet) sums up as a sort of “bullet hell” which are unleashed on the protagonist, who with the strength of two guns (gigantic) and a huge metal coffin (which will turn out to be an arsenal of weapons of all kinds) will have to face hordes of enemies of the strangest species. The enemies in question will be men, often protected by riot shields or energy barriers (similar to the one our hero Grave wears), for this reason they certainly won't die at the first gunshot! Bosses of all kinds, from wild beasts to huge robots, Grave will take them all out to complete his mission.
Don't be under any illusions, in Gungrave GORE there isn't much room for tactics or puzzle solving: all you have to do is throw an unspeakable amount of bullets (which fortunately never run out) against enemies and objects to explode. To do this you will have from your different skills that can be unlocked and enhanced at the end of each mission, Where you will receive a grade ranging from S to E through the letters of the alphabet. Each vote corresponds to a more or less high amount of experience points to spend to improve Grave's weapons or skills:
- Cerberus: the giant guns that Grave uses;
- Coffin: the coffin that Grave carries on his shoulders tied to a chain, this will allow him to perform special attacks, but it can also be used as a melee destruction tool, as well as being useful for deflecting any missiles launched against him (sending them back to sender).
More you will play aggressively, the more skills Grave will be able to use: for example by scoring a minimum of 50 shots between enemies and the surrounding environment, Grave will be able to rain bullets by shooting in bursts in all directions; the blows (called Beats in the game) over time generate an energy that allows Grave to unleash a deadly blow, releasing a huge rocket from the Coffin that disintegrates everything at the point where it impacts (so although you are in hell of bullets, aim matters, and you'll have to be careful what you shoot at).
Out of time
Gungrave GORE is a game that came out of time: woody, slow and damned banal, it seems that it hasn't had a real evolution during these twenty years since its first appearance, but that the developer IGGYMOB (already creator of the chapter Bumpy VR) yes it is limited to taking what was on the PlayStation 2, translate it into modern graphics and leave the corridor game system without the slightest customization. The elements that make up the rooms or simply thesetting general, it is undress, with nothing to do except defeating hordes of unfortunate people, human or otherwise. There isn't a collectible to find, a chest to open, an upgrade or an alternative skin that gives the taste or satisfaction of having explored the few rooms that make up the map, and throughout the game we will just move forward, as the writing at the beginning of each mission says, "Let's Kick Their Ass!" and stop.
The skills and strength of Serious they are indeed interesting, but although the feedback with the character is the right one, it is not reflected in the enemy who, despite being in enormous numerical quantities, will die easily, moreover the energy armor that protects Grave regenerates over time, so just stop for a few seconds and continue if it runs out.
There is no way to regain lost health: the only way to do this is in fact to die and restart from the checkpoint, which is usually the beginning or the middle of a mission, or the entrance door of a boss so even if you arrive with only one life point in front of the boss it will be enough for you to die to find yourself with full life and full abilities in front of the latter. Of course, in all of this you will lose points for the "report card" at the end of the mission, but if your interest is not to get S in each one, you can easily care about it and move on.
The game is a wasted opportunity, in fact, the developer could take what is good and translate it with the modern modus operandi of gaming, but apparently the desire to innovate and the patience to roll up one's sleeves and offer a product appropriate to the current era was lacking . Gungrave GORE is anachronistic, old and not at all original, you can play it if you are a fan of the saga but otherwise look and move on.
Review- Gungrave GORE (Tested on PS5)6Final Vote
Gungrave GORE is a game out of time: woody, slow and damned banal, it seems that it has not had a real evolution in the twenty years since its first appearance. There isn't a collectible to find, a chest to open, an upgrade or an alternative skin that gives the taste or satisfaction of having explored the few rooms that make up the map. Throughout the game we will just move forward, as the writing at the beginning of each mission says "Let's Kick Their Ass!" and stop. The game has the flavor of a wasted opportunity, the developer could have taken what is good and translated it with the modern modus operandi of gaming, but apparently the desire to innovate and the patience to roll up one's sleeves was lacking and offer a product appropriate to the current era. Gungrave GORE is anachronistic, old and not at all original, you can play it if you are a fan of the saga but otherwise watch and move on.
