The sixth generation of consoles was defined by its vast catalog of experimental, over-the-top IPs that prioritized gameplay with a very straightforward approach to design. Partially designed that way due to budget and technical constraints, it can be hard to find this style of game these days. Gungrave G.O.R.E., developed by Iggymob, feels like a return to the simplicity and absurdity of those PS2-era games from 20 years ago, featuring insane, over-the-top gameplay sequences and a simple, no-nonsense design philosophy that gets players focused squarely on the action.
Throughout four chapters in a preview build of Gungrave G.O.R.E., Iggymob demonstrates that it is ready to carry the torch of the Gungrave games of the past while also giving the franchise a much-needed visual update using Unreal Engine 4. While Gungrave G.O.R.E. can undoubtedly feel a little rough sometimes, its well-thought-out gameplay and break-neck action sequences appear to pick up the pieces to deliver a fun experience that is both old-school and refreshing in 2022.
At the forefront of Gungrave G.O.R.E. are some new and familiar faces. Yasuhiro Nightow, the art and game designer from the first two games, is back to bring Grave to life in yet another gory adventure. What's more, fans wondering what Ikumi Nakamura has been up to since her reveal of Ghostwire: Tokyo at E3 2019 will be happy to learn that this is her latest project. She has been working as a freelance creative director, art director, 2D artist, and character design consultant. Visually, the game looks like a 3D anime mixed with a hint of realism in its character models. The set pieces and character models in the opening chapters are distinct and pleasant to look at overall.
Gungrave G.O.R.E. does have some issues that seem to come from resurrecting a franchise after such a long hiatus. Early on, the game’s story is already awkwardly paced and mostly wants to show off neat action sequences. So far, Gungrave G.O.R.E.’s story feels almost like an afterthought, offering a big exposition dump at the start about the four Raven Clan leaders that the main characters are hunting before taking a backseat to the action. Cutscenes are brief and mostly show the star character, Grave, traveling from one place to another and occasionally brutalizing an enemy on the way. Throughout the first four chapters, there wasn’t much to extract from any character besides understanding that Grave is an anti-hero badass who is content with shooting swarms of Raven Clan members for hours on end.
Moreover, in trying to bring back that classic PS2 feel, Gungrave G.O.R.E. seems to have also brought with it the growing pains of action games of that era, featuring stiff animations for Grave and his enemies along with a very straightforward level design that may put some players off. The refinement and production values of today's games are not so present in Iggypop's revival of Gungrave, aside from the modern graphics. The term "budget" might definitely be thrown around in discussions about this game; however, these appear to be intentionally made decisions for the type of gamer that Iggypop's Gungrave revival is trying to reach.
Despite those problems and nitpicks, the game is still a lot of fun. Throughout the preview, Gungrave G.O.R.E. demonstrated that its core strengths lie in its wide suite of combat mechanics which all come together to create a very entertaining loop of gore, shooting, destruction, and explosions. UI problems, janky animations, and the occasional performance hitch become non-issues when players get right into the action, thanks to a solid gameplay foundation.
To start, Grave has two guns that he uses to auto-lock onto enemies and blast them to smithereens, leaving little but limbs and blood behind. His signature Death Hauler melee weapon is a coffin custom fit with a chainsaw to give the character another layer of anime-like absurdity. From here, Gungrave G.O.R.E. crafts some exciting interplay between melee and ranged attacks, where players would need a mixture of both to take down shielded enemies or anything that isn’t a regular Raven Clan grunt. However, simple shooting, punching, and dodging aren't the only things Gungrave has going for it.
Eventually, Gungrave introduces a stun mechanic, where Grave can stun an enemy, grab them, and perform a finisher to regain some shield energy. After which, the game introduced the Demolition Shot ability, which triggers a massive explosion that recovers HP upon hit. As the action picked up, enemies flooded the screen, and all the game’s systems came together; suddenly, Gungrave G.O.R.E. had become a DOOM-like experience where constant aggression would be rewarded with more shields and more health. This gameplay loop, where players need to keep the heat up at all times to increase their score while also stowing in mind the full extent of their kit to resupply shields and health, becomes intoxicating and wildly rewarding as players continue to create carnage on the screen.
Due to the brief nature of this preview, it wasn’t possible to dive into the full extent of Gungrave’s combat system, but there will definitely be more for players to discover in the full release. When accessing the skill menu, players can upgrade Grave with better base stats, new Death Hauler melee combos with unique use cases, and plenty of new Demolition Shots for more absurd kills. The potential depth possible with Gungrave G.O.R.E.’s combat is exciting, given the great foundation hinted at in this preview.
At the end of chapters one and three, Gungrave G.O.R.E. also gave a taste of its boss fights, which stay in line with the general retro action game design philosophy so far. The first boss was a huge Wasakin Spider machine sent to take down Grave. The Wasakin Spider fight ensured that the players had the fundamentals down, requiring constant shooting, timed dodging, and constant special moves to get through the fight. It's a boss battle that looks larger-than-life and gives the game a feeling of spectacle that it seems keen on accomplishing.
However, the second boss was where the game's general clunk showed the most. Ligabu, a reptile monster boss, is agile and fast, while the player-controlled Grave most certainly is not. The tried and true dodging and shooting pattern that Gungrave hammers into players early on seemed to fail, as the game doesn’t do well with invincibility frames and hitboxes. Eventually, the beast did fall, but it mostly came down to trying to fight with the game's less-than-stellar movement and dodging mechanics to get enough shots in before Ligabu attacked again.
The biggest takeaway from this preview is that Gungrave G.O.R.E. doesn't seem like it wants to do anything to revolutionize the Gungrave games from 20 years ago. Instead, Iggypop seems content with updating the formula with new graphics, striking cutscenes, and a more modern approach to general movement and shooting mechanics. Any fans who remember Gungrave and Gungrave: Overdose will quickly notice that even the original HUD layout is back for G.O.R.E., along with the exact same shooting stance and gait that Grave is known for. G.O.R.E. is shaping up to be more of an evolution than a revolution, and that could be totally fine for the audience this is targeting.
Iggypop’s upcoming Gungrave resurrection would be a tougher game to be excited for if it wasn’t so over-the-top and its gameplay wasn’t so entertaining. It is a ballet of bullets and explosions that will be carried by how much players can invest in its gameplay mechanics when the story and presentation both have a very budget feeling to them. When Gungrave G.O.R.E.'s combat comes together and its early 2000s techno soundtrack kicks into high gear, it's a thrilling ride.
When looking at the game's base components in isolation, Gungrave G.O.R.E. does seem rather basic. Grave’s animation transitions are choppy, the level design is entirely linear, and everything about it screams old-fashioned; however, many of those choices seem to be deliberately made for fans of the original games. The design philosophy behind G.O.R.E. is to make a Gungrave game from the past but with three console generations' worth of paint, which may just be what some gamers are looking for right now
Gungrave G.O.R.E. releases November 22, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.