Lightning strike three times
I say this so often, but it’s hard to imagine a gaming landscape without Inti Creates preserving old school experiences for new audiences. Azure Striker Gunvolt 3″ keeps that train moving.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3″ (PC, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Inti makes
Publisher: Inti Creates
Released: July 28, 2022 (Switch) / August 2, 2022 (Xbox) / Q4 2022 (PC)
MSRP: $29.99
At this point we are equal to gunvolt spell. Here’s a recap since the series began in 2014:
And yet I’m not tired of it all. Still!
While the story still sometimes dives into the depths of madness in Azure Striker Gunvolt 3″, we are grounded again with the addition of a new playable character: Kirin. Cleverly, Kirin is the focus this time around, as she is the main playable character, with Gunvolt serving as a sort of interchangeable “bonus”. Playing as Kirin gives the game a completely different feel, as you can play pretty much the entire game with her alone.
Her hook throws talismans (kind of like Gambit throws cards in) X-Men), which cling to enemies similar to Gunvolt’s lock-on feature. Except this time, those talismans are “softening enemies” for sword strikes, giving Kirin a “Zero to Gunvolt’s Mega Man X” gameplay combo. The whole “battle priestess” angle works through and through, and her attacks have a lot of flair that makes her feel different, not only compared to Gunvolt, but also to previous characters in the series.
It’s also really intuitive. You measure how much damage you have going to do to enemies by marking them for dead, and a small indicator will appear on their health bar showing the damage you’ll inflict if you hit them with talismans attached. You can charge enemies while dodging and then plug and cut the hole. He is an agile and fun mechanic in practice. Then you add a dash for locomotion (namely activated by throwing talismans at enemies or specific objects that can be aimed, such as lampposts), in addition to more possibilities for Kirin to continue a combo without hitting the ground, and you got a stew.
As mentioned before, you can switch to Gunvolt, which is more like a timed cheat code. He has infinite jumps (allowing you to clear big platformers that Kirin has to work on to get through) and extremely powerful attacks, mimicking his older style of firing a aimed rifle at enemies so he can unleash homing lightning attacks that do everything. of the actual damage.
With this system, the idea that Gunvolt spends time in the form of a wolf (which is part of the story, collected early), is Kirin, but using a separate power meter (which can usually go from 0% to 300% ), you can activate a transformation and directly control Gunvolt as long as you have 100% meters or more. From then on, the clock is ticking and a drop to 0% (or manual downshift) brings Kirin back into the fold.
Smart, because you only need to use Gunvolt as often as you want. If desired, you could basically play as Kirin all the time. But if you need to pick me up a bit (because Kirin is low on health, struggling with a boss, or you keep falling into potholes), Gunvolt is a quick push of the button. It’s ideal for Kirin to take center stage as fans who may want an air of familiarity can still get it, but Azure Striker Gunvolt 3″ forges his own path with a new hero. I wouldn’t mind if Inti Creates repeats this formula in the future.
Just like others gunvolt submissions, a score attack element is very central. Kirin doesn’t touch the ground, or switch to Gunvolt – it all makes for better clear scores, and I can’t wait to see what the community has in store for the Kirin, Gunvolt and Kirin/Gunvolt speedrun categories. From there it’s a traditional gunvolt game with an intro level, four bosses that can be done in any order, a centerpiece, more selectable bosses and a finale. Along the way, you’ll acquire new abilities for Kirin (usually in the form of blade abilities and passives that adjust your stats or abilities), as well as power-ups of sorts that can summon friendly matches such as a marvel vs. Capcom help out.
As is the case with several other Inti Creates projects, you won’t be too confused if you jump right into the threequel, as things are explained through quick bits of explanatory dialogue in cutscenes. In other words, you won’t get lost, but there are direct narrative continuations and references to past games that past fans will enjoy (not to mention the series as a whole, especially if we’re just talking about the two previous main game entries). , is not such a big waste of time). A full (usable) English dub will make that all the more palatable for the first audience.
Not everything lands story-wise, but it does have this very tight cast-driven feel, as some of the story relies on converting people on the enemy side to your cause. Stupid dialogue (including a boss and later muscle-obsessed companion) propels some of the less fun combat, though it can obscure a few boss encounters with all the HUD elements enabled. Sometimes the whole screen is full of insane text/effects to the point of parody, but those effects help set this series apart – especially the special spoken word moves that almost all have proper names.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3″ very reminiscent of earlier games as a baseline, but I’m more than okay with that as it deviates where it counts (and hardcore fans will find plenty of other nuances too). As far as I’m concerned, Inti Creates can continue to make tight action platformers indefinitely. I’ll keep talking about this until the cows come home, but give them Mighty No. 9. Keep giving them spin-off projects like curse of the moon. This studio has a stranglehold on the genre.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
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