A refreshing and inspiring action platformer experience.
After playing and having fun playing the two games before the series, Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is arguably the sequel that has been on my radar since its announcement. You may not have the cash of something like Rockman, but Gunbolt isn’t leaning forward when it comes to fast-paced action. This third entry in the mainline series provides a satisfying experience with a few bumps along the way.
Given that its main attraction is gameplay and overall aesthetics, it’s interesting to see Gunvolt 3 leaning a bit further towards the story. Here we start with a battle priest giraffe who throws a talisman and wields a sword. After the tutorial mission, you’ll meet Gunvolt, and since then you’ll be able to switch between the two characters more or less on the fly. From there, the pair takes several stages (a total of about 12), culminating in a battle with a boss known as Berserk Adepts, each with its own theme. All the adepts you defeat will join your team and open up new opportunities for bunter between missions. Eventually, you come across another segment of villains trying to harness dangerous powers. Voice acting is pretty good, but I found myself moving most conversations quickly. It allowed me to get back to action much faster.
There is something in the flow of the Gunbolt game that is just fun to play. Attacking and locking on enemies with projectiles, allowing electricity to shock and dive into enemies is not old yet. The giraffe amulet allows her to mark the target with one button and then fly with another button. Marked targets also take more damage from her sword slash, but most basic enemies explode with a single dash attack. Some platforms revolve around throwing amulets at lanterns and other objects and then dashing them to scale vertical sections. Marking multiple targets at once and then running a single dash creates a beautiful chain of destruction and produces point multipliers, but more than that, it feels great. Gunbolt’s controls are a bit different and move a bit slower than the giraffe, but there are certain sections where the double jump and float abilities make him a better choice, and his offensive abilities are actually some during the boss battle. It can do continuous damage.
No level exceeds their welcome, and each has its own collection that unlocks new passive and active abilities. Some abilities can be upgraded to improve their effectiveness, but the abilities found at the end of each stage are random. This can be frustrating for completionists, but I don’t think most players actually need more abilities than they end up with. For example, I had the experience gained and the passive ability to increase the height of the jump, and the active ability that I could use to heal myself. One of the amazing aspects of Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is that the game was incredibly easy and never died. I don’t remember the previous two games, or even the spin-off Luminous Avenger iX game, being less challenging. I’ve certainly played games in this genre, but even if I could go back to the previous stage to improve my score, time, and rank, the lack of difficulty options is a surprising omission.
Undoubtedly, what makes Azure so impressive about Gunvolt 3 is how great it looks. Inti Creates once again showed how talented they are when it comes to HD pixel art. The final product will provide the best visual experience on Nintendo’s hybrid platform. Character design isn’t groundbreaking, but whenever a gunbolt or giraffe is in motion, the beauty of what’s unfolding on the screen is undeniable. Fortunately, one of the notable issues in the presentation is Story Mode +, which you can switch and adjust. This puts the conversation and conversation head at the bottom of the screen and may obscure enemies and bosses. If you’re not completely absorbed in the story, it’s a good idea to turn it off.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 represents a new step in Inti Creates and the flavors of retro-inspired jump-and-shoot, slash, and dash action games. The emphasis on the story doesn’t apply to everyone, but the ultra-fast gameplay is filled with lasers, explosions, and the chaos of its fun brand that looks just right. The third Gunvolt entry is a simple recommendation for fans of the series or its spin-offs, and even if the amount of content and challenges aren’t too robust, the visual spectacle will certainly help make up for it.
