Gunstar Heroes (1993)

Preliminary: Yep this is how you do it: exciting encouraging music, vibrant colors, simple controls, lots of power-ups. I'm not a big Contra guy or bullet hell guy, so we will see what I think of alter levels but this definitely is the kind of side scrolling platformer shooter I like

I like how quickly you get to the next mini-boss/boss (so far, at least), I like that it's not a one hit kill, and I love that there's no time limit.

Finished Stage 1 and was glad to see you recover between stages. Looks like there are only 4? But I assume it's Megaman style and will be at least a couple more. Seems it'll definitely be wroth a full playthrough, or at least until the challenge gets too frustrating! I'll hopefully find my favorite power-up, so far I like the Laser but haven't decided my favorite, and stick with it--it's nice you can control whether to pick up the power ups. So many nice QoL things like that!

Day 1

I like that, in many ways, it's a straightforawrd shooter where I'm just playing intuitively. But now after my break for dinner, I come back and delve deep into the manual and then a Weapons Analysis post that goes into detail about the different damage and traits of the different weapon combinations. I like that some can hit away most enemy projectiles, some can't etc (something I had been trying to discern mid-game, but just having enough fun anyway). Very well-balanced and full of possibliities and replayability. So far my favorite weapon combo has been Chaser + Fire which is itneresting because the Weapons Analysis asserts that is the strongest combo tho hard to get used to. I found it quite intuitive. I'm still just picking up most power-ups anyway, but that does seem to be my favorite combo so far.

Hmm at first I didn't like this board game idea, but it's kinda neat and adds a randomness like with the bosses on that one level where it can be different on different playthroughs. I also felt like some of the platofmring was frustrating, but honestly it's quite solid besides jumping gaps. Plus you can do the dive to compensate. And the jumping up/clinging/jumping down from ledges is exceptionally well-done, esp for a console game.

But ... if I roll a 1 one more time. Oh and wait turns out I liked Chaser + Force, not Chaser + Fire :-p So all my blabber above is only partly accurate :-p Ohhh I see what it was saying, you can legit control the flame with that combo. Nice, tho I think I still prefer Chaser + Force. Yeah, the Chaser + Fire is interesting but it's a bit much when also trying to control how I move as well as the flame.

Oh boy this still has not had burn out and it remains solid the Look and Sound are good but I hoenstly barely notice them because the gameplay is so engaging and approachable and hooking, but now it's a straightup spaceship shmup level so I'm hoping it keeps me. It was overall better than expected for a shmup level, tho I didn't love the platforming part's bosses. Still, excellent gameplay throughout and I've stayed hooked, looks like I'm finishing this tonight.

Oh boy sure enough the final segment is a boss rush. And nice! I beat the final final boss without any savestates! With just 55 health left. I don't remember picking a difficulty, but I assume I'm on Easy or at least Normal :-p

Kind of a silly ending, and the music continued to be just straightup triumphant arcade action music, never sentimental. But still a jam and good rhythm.

Wow... I realize this is in many ways an arcade game brought to consoles but... that ending. It was so lacking! Lol. Even the credits. It's just done. This is the only screenshot of the ending sequence I thought to took

Look: 8/10 Great colors, good settings, nothing spectacular or sentimental though.

Sound: 8/10 It felt exactly like being at an arcade... but at home.

Play: 9/10 Not usually my genre, but this was the best balanced and playable side scrolling shooter so far imo. It had the right amount of variation, frequent power-ups, and I dunno, just fun. I was hooked from start to finish.

Feel: 8.5/10 The hook was real. I do wish there had been something more sentimental or particularly striking or innovative (tho the combining of weapons is neat, I wound up pretty much just sticking with Chaser + Chaser or Chaser + Force throughout the game) to bump this to a 5 star etc.

Attachment: 8/10 Definitely on my list of shmups/shooters to replay!

Overall: 8.3/10

Completion: Main Game

Playtime: ~2h 45m

Wow, my last post about Gunstar Heroes is from the spicy date of March 17, 2020. An innocent time. Okay, maybe not that innocent, but still a lot more innocent than the following week here in the US.

I had recently played the great Astro Boy: Omega Factor, and was ready to try another Treasure game, so I "acquired" the 3DS version of this game. Sadly, I was soon crushed repeatedly by a complex early boss until I admitted defeat and moved on, but I remember being really impressed by it.

Now older and wiser, I finally went back for Round 2 today on the Genesis version. I was quickly reminded why I liked it so much at first.

The best way to describe the game is "explosive". Combat feels amazing, in large part because of how satisfying the visual and audio effects are as you blow people up. It's a game that will beat you up a bit, but also one that can feel like a total power trip. If you're not shooting stuff, you're probably doing something else that feels just as great. Body slams and other melee attacks, catching bombs mid-air and throwing them away, dodging huge boss attacks, some wild fast-paced setpiece...

And that's not even mentioning the great weapon system. A set of core weapons can be used on their own or mixed together for cool combo effects. I look forward to replaying the game at some point with totally different weapon setups. The controls for shooting felt great, using the "fixed" option that has you stop in place to shoot in 8 directions. The only time it really felt awkward is a horizontal space shooter level late in the game that I wasn't huge on.

The game itself is a short, fast-paced romp through 7 or so levels, packed with loads of enemies and bosses. There are also fun little extra ideas peppered in, like a level that you progress through with dice rolls like a board game. Like... what?! Really cool for this sort of game. The highlights of the boss roster are pretty outstanding, and even some of the less exciting fights are quirky enough to be memorable. There are some great visual effects too, pretty impressive honestly.

Overall this is a tight, compact little gem that's packed with ideas and feels very confident and polished. I think it's aged extremely well from a gameplay perspective and is a can't-miss title from the 90's.

Had a blast playing through this. Super fun and extremely varied gameplay. I found it a tab bit too easy but other awesome.

This game suffers the same issue that Contra Hard Corps does due to Sega's 3 button controller. In the beginning, you are asked to select a fixed vs free shooting type, both of which have their pluses and minuses. If the game had access to one more button, they could have had a button you hold to trigger fixed shot, a la Super Metroid.

Highly recommend this!

Gunstar Heroes is a classic for the Genesis. I've played it off and on over the years, but only recently was able to get through the whole thing (co-op with a friend, how it's best to enjoy). Really fun, frantic run-and-gun side-scroller. It's this sort of fast-paced arcade-style game that really defined the system. Waves upon waves of enemies to mow down with your lasers, flames, and bullets -- and explosions go off all around you. It's a blast!

What makes the game fun for multiple playthroughs is how the weapon system works. You can pick up two weapon styles, and choose to mix them up how you wish. Have you ever wanted to wield a homing flamethrower? Now you can. Then you can switch it up to shoot extra-fast lasers, or just go full-Contra with double-powered bullets. Lots of fun to mess with.

The other aspect that really stands out for this game are the bosses. Mayhem, just pure mayhem for some of these wacky yet challenging set pieces. I think this was a time when devs were trying to find ways to make games feel a bit more "epic" in an action movie sort of way, and Gunstar Heroes pulls that off really well. I think my only downside for this game is that it does lag pretty bad at times, but still it's impressive how well the game does generally manage to run with so much happening on-screen at any given moment. (Lag is less of an issue if playing alone, I'll note.) The game also leans heavily into spectacle, so those looking for a more precise run-and-gun will want to stick with Metal Slug and the like.

I was not immediately attracted to Gunstar Heroes. As a fan of Contra Hard Corps, I didn't like Gunstar Heroes' art style and having to choose between fixed shot and free shot seemed limiting. Also without having a manual, I didn't know how to pick up power-ups. After a few attempts I gave up on the game. A long time passed and I ended up trying out the GBA sequel a bit (which allows the use of both fixed shot and free shot together), I eventually did go back to the original. I guess for whatever reason, it clicked with me this time and I was amazed at some of the effects and the boss battles. Batshit crazy would be an appropriate descriptor of the action. Also it was fun to do the non-shooting moves like kicks, slides and throws which added some nice variety. Weapon combining was also fun.

If only the 3DS remake of this game could be made available on PC because I hear that M2 added some nice features including the combination of free shot and fixed shot. I am almost tempted to buy a 3DS just for the Gunstar Heroes remake.

Platform:

Genesis version.

Graphics/Sound:

I think treasure always has this unique but kind of weird look in their games, especially in the character designs. I don't really know anything that looks like this, and while I don't find the character style overly appealing the whole game looks amazing. Also if you want to know how over-exaggerated explosions should look in games this is your reference point. It's awesome.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is so simple it catches you within seconds. You just run around and shoot everything that gets near you, with a choice of 4 weapons and combinations of those. There is also some stages that mix up the basic formula, for example one board game section where you shoot dice and get special tasks on the board, like kill a miniboss or solve a small puzzle. Or a stage where the game becomes a shmup for a while.

Difficulty:

I think this is a rather easy game. It's less about the challenge than about the entertainment. It must say that I was in the lucky position that I never had to play through this alone, I always had a second player, which I guess makes this both more entertaining and easier.

It's several times been called the best game on the Genesis. While I dislike such statements since different genre games are most of the time hard to compare at all, but for this genre I agree that it's the best I have played yet. Maybe even beyond this system. It's a must play I think.

Gameplay, Story and Value:

Often heralded as one of the greatest run and guns of all time, one would expect Gunstar Heroes to have tight, responsive controls with fast and accurate shooting and movement.

One's expectations would then be met.

Gunstar Heroes features a simple yet flexible control set. One button jumps, dives when pressed in the air and slides while ducking. Additionally you can wall jump. Another button fires your weapon or throws an enemy when you're in melee range, sort of like how beat 'em ups work. The third button switches between your weapon options. Guns play a pivotal role in the game due to their ability to be combined with one another. While there are only four unique guns - a laser beam, homing weapons, flamethrower and Contra style blaster - they can be combined for various effects. Combining the blaster with the flamethrower yields large explosive rounds. Homing gun with laser gives you a single laser beam that will seek out enemies. You can also double up on a single gun for a more powerful version of the same weapon!

All of these aspects come together very naturally, providing a solid gameplay experience.

The game itself is spread across seven different stages which can be tackled solo or with a friend cooperatively, and the difficulty ramps up quickly. Said difficulty can, unfortunately, be mitigated a bit by the homing laser combination, which can trivialize boss fights. While the laser locks onto the boss slowly draining their health, all you need to worry about is avoiding damage. It probably isn't as overpowered as I think it is, but being able to focus your attention entirely on movement and forget about aiming and shooting makes what would normally be an intense encounter significantly easier. Of course, that same weapon combination isn't really the best when it comes to the levels themselves as the laser will only focus on one enemy at a time.

Stages are varied and fun, having you doing everything from riding an underground train to running across a flying fortress to playing an evil board game, and most stages have you fighting one or more minibosses before taking on the main boss of that level. These fights are all fun and frantic and with a little strategy (and good reflexes) you can potentially get through them unscathed. Gunstar Heroes manages to maintain a high level of difficulty without ever feeling too cheap about it.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

While I wouldn't go so far as to say Gunstar Heroes is the best looking game on the Genesis, it still looks very good. It's art style conveys a wacky Super Sentai theme which is a lot of fun. It actually feels similar to the recent Super Time Force Ultra, which I'm also very fond of. Everything runs smoothly, free of any sprite flicker and, for the most part, any lag. Which two players on screen at once things can get a bit crazy, and mixing up players is easy. Additionally, while it doesn't happen too frequently, having a second player will also introduce a bit of lag into the game when the screen is particularly hectic.

Sound and music in the game are both fine, and the music is good when you can hear it, the problem is that with everything going on, the audio tends to fade into the background. That said, it certainly isn't doing anything wrong and only serves to add to the experience.

Afterthoughts:

I expected to have a good time with Gunstar Heroes and I was not disappointed! I think in the end I still prefer more precise shooters like Contra and Super C, but this game certainly appeals when I'm looking for a more frantic experience, especially with a second player. In terms of sheer fun, I'd happily put Gunstar Heroes right up there with Rocket Knight Adventures, though they're two totally different game. All in all, it was a great time that earned its spot on my shelf.

Review:

Gameplay: