Gunbird

With the sheer volume of shoot’em ups on the Nintendo Switch, it will take something quite special to stand out from the crowd!

Having played and loved Zerodiv’s conversion of Psikyo’s Gunbird, we had high expectations for Gunbird 2. Don’t get us wrong, Gunbird 2 is sublime, but it feels like more of the same.

The premise for Gunbird 2 is similar to the original – five protagonists are called upon to appease the Potion God by providing the elements of the Sun, Stars and Moon for him (instead of pieces of the Magic Mirror of Atra) in order to obtain a special medical potion. Just like the original, the story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, so watch-out for the Queen Pirates! The story is absurd and as cheesy as ever, which is exactly how we like it.

As mentioned, the player has a choice of five characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character possesses a number of different methods of attack; from the standard shot (powered up from downed enemies), an area-clearing bomb, to the melee-like attack which is powerful but forces the player to get dangerously close to the enemy, and the charge shot. All of the attacks are unique and different enough for each character, so Gunbird 2 will have you coming back to play through and finish the game with each of them.

Since this is an arcade conversion, if it is played in ‘child’ difficulty mode, the game can be completed within a sitting of one Seinfeld episode (minus the ads). Luckily Gunbird 2 has enough difficulty modes and scoring methods to satisfy those who enjoy playing for high scores, so the game will definitely keep pulling you back.

Let’s get one thing straight, the gameplay in Gunbird 2 is frenetic, with bullets raining everywhere, especially as you keep powering up your attack. The constant barrage of firing and dodging never gets old, unless you despise vertical shmups! Gunbird 2 is fun to play solo, but it gets better and crazier when playing with a friend. The visuals are stunning, especially when you can see more of the background in TATE orientation – we love seeing the villagers running around on the ground. Coupled with the beautiful visuals is the equally awesome audio, with tunes that are in keeping with the theme (ie: whimsical) and sound effects that are meaty enough without piercing your eardrum.

If you already have Gunbird and are still enjoying it, Gunbird 2 may not offer enough in gameplay to warrant a purchase (even though it is still cheap!). If you don’t have Gunbird in your burgeoning Switch shmup library or are in need of a good old fashioned vertical shmup, then we highly recommend you grab Gunbird 2 – it’s AUD$9.99 well spent!

image source: Gunbird 2

If you are a long time shoot’em up fan, there is no doubt you would have come across Gunbird on other platforms (or in the arcade). If you have fond memories of Psikyo’s beautiful vertical shmup and are now in possession of a Nintendo Switch, we reckon it is time you reacquainted yourself with Gunbird.

Let’s start by saying that Zerodiv have done an absolute corker of a conversion on the Switch. Not only can you play Gunbird in landscape form, you can also turn your Switch 90 degrees and play it like it should be, in portrait /vertical goodness. If the label Psikyo sounds familiar, it may be due to their pedigree in games, one example being Aero Fighters 2 (Sonic Wings 2), which we absolutely love. Lucky for us (and you too!), Gunbird hits the shmup sweet spot by being up there with the aforementioned beauty.

The premise of the game doesn’t really matter, but for those that want the back story, Gunbird provides 5 protagonists, each one with their own special chosen craft. The story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of the Magic Mirror of Atra to make their wish. The antagonists are a group called The Trump, yep, you read that right, The Trump, who are lead by the fearless female, Rogue.

Just like all great vertical shoot’em ups, Gunbird has a plethora of power-ups to pick up to bling out your artillery to ridiculous levels and also bombs, which are in limited supply, so they should be saved for the awesome boss fights!

Gunbird can be played in single player or with a friend in co-op mode – which amps up the playability! The cut-scenes between stages are quite funny and add to the charm of this exquisite shmup.

Gunbird ticks all the right boxes for a shoot’em up and we are glad that it’s not one of those full-on bullet-hell type games, although you can dial up the difficulty for it to be one. This game caters for all skill levels, from monkey (yep, apparently monkeys can’t play as well as a child) to rage-inducing hardness.

In conclusion, if you are into shoot’em ups, then Gunbird should be an instant buy. At AUD$9.99, it really is great value. Gunbird is an absolute 10/10 blast that should be in your Switch games library right now!