Review PyramidHeadcrab 2/5 · Aug 3, 2024
Secret Dreamcast Game
There's so much cool going on with this game, but man... Is it ever boring. XD This presentation values are great, very much feels like a Dreamcast game. The core mechanics seem like they are very strong as well, and I think a better game could build upon them.
But first and foremost, the music fucking sucks. It's really …
There's so much cool going on with this game, but man... Is it ever boring. XD This presentation values are great, very much feels like a Dreamcast game. The core mechanics seem like they are very strong as well, and I think a better game could build upon them.
But first and foremost, the music fucking sucks. It's really short samples that sound like stock music, endlessly droning on while you hear the "beep beep" of your lock-on system and the cacophony of gunfire.
The controls are pretty bad too. Like. They're very much "of the era," but also very frustrating. Your movement is tank controls, in a 3D action game. But the game also demands some degree of accuracy in aiming. It uses that snap-back aiming system, like where it snaps back to centre when you release the right stick. This worked in Metroid Prime, for example, because you had a fixed lock-on system... There is no such thing here. So you are constantly fighting the camera controls when an enemy is out of your view. If an enemy gets behind you, you have to slowly turn your character with tank controls to return fire.
And this all completely falls apart when fast, flying enemies are introduced.
I really, really love the jetpack system here though. You press LT to jump, and keep hitting LT to further rocket boost in the air. You click the left stick to air-dash, which you can control directionally and use as evasion tech. But anything that uses thrusters works on a meter, so it has to be used smartly. I really, really like this system. A lot. And I would love to know if any other games have expanded upon it.
Ultimately, GunValkyrie is a great little experiment. But it's not a good game. I think it's one game devs should look at and be like, "Hey, that's something we can build upon." But actually playing it is a miserable experience, and one I can only recommend to people OBSESSED with Dreamcast era games and people interested in playing with the mechanics.
Oh, and as an aside, this game looks AMAZING on Series X. Someone must really love this game, because the upscaling job here is some of the best I've seen for an Xbox game.
