gunbrella starts on a boat. It’s an innocent start, as the main character steams through the gritty water to reach the dock and the start of developer Doinksoft’s demo for the game. Even after the first 20 minutes of playing, it still feels more airy mystery than menacing. Only towards the end does the tone change and you get a glimpse of the dark forces within, cumulative with a fight against a boss who is downright unnerving in his movements, ferocity and blood. Mysteries are stacked on top of other mysteries and it’s up to the player to find answers. Thus begins the story of the man who gunbrella.
Fortunately, the main character of the story is well equipped to deal with the supernatural elements that will cross his path, and he will do it all as he tries to solve the mystery at the heart of the story: where did the gunbrella Comes from? The demo does a great job of giving users minute details through the main character’s in-game diary, where he records clues as well as some of his personal thoughts on things. The diary is also used to keep track of quests, puzzle tips and information from the different inhabitants of the world.
The star of the game is of course the gunbrella yourself. Movement with the gunbrella goes very fast. It’s quick to speed up the player and carry them farther than any umbrella is entitled to, so the gunbrella is a terrifying mobility aid. Doinksoft tries to maintain a balance between freedom of movement and gunplay by not allowing users to fire when the umbrella section is armed and open. This includes using the gunbrella to block incoming fire and even return shots when you open it right before taking damage. Players can switch so quickly with a few mouse clicks that experienced players should be able to deliver impressive performances. Various ammunition can be obtained from shops or as drops from enemies, but the demo doesn’t show any vendors that support ammo crafting yet. Hopefully the full version of the game will also be able to craft ammunition.
Most of the crafting in the demo is based around crafting health items. However, players will have to travel to different suppliers to craft different types of items, so those who want to make bandages that heal completely and boiled rats that only heal one heart will have to go to different locations. It’s not a bad idea to have separate crafting systems in different locations, but if the game doesn’t have a fast travel mechanic when it’s released, it’ll be annoying. The tinkering generally doesn’t have much depth yet, but there are items the player can pick up that indicate a more robust system. It’s also a bit difficult to determine what junk is to sell for money and what items can be used for crafting because all items are listed along with descriptions that don’t help determine their usefulness.
Graphically, Gunbrella looks impressive in its pixelated depths. Foreground objects are scattered throughout the different areas, while the background art adds to the overall atmosphere of the game. It really shows a talent for pixel art when every animation looks so incredibly smooth. From flowers that blow in the wind and rain, torches that sparkle in chandeliers, to tapestries that move gently when fired upon or touched, Doinksoft has gone above and beyond to create an enjoyable world to soar. Boxes explode into many pieces, flaming lanterns explode and spread fire, and bits and pieces of the enemy spread over a large area when shot. It almost feels a bit over the top with his blood, but it quickly gets absorbed into the action and just becomes another part of the game, like the protagonist bleeding all over the floor when his health goes low. The film grain, however, adds a touch to the game’s overall dark tones, but hopefully the full version will allow you to turn it on and off to enjoy the game’s sprites in all their colorful glory.
The characters scattered throughout the demo all have their own personalities and desires and are all quite hilarious. Stopping and listening to some of them can make for some pretty funny dialogue exchanges, like two men discussing the kidnapped mayor by telling each other how much better they would be the mayor. Some will offer foolish reasons and logic why things happen the way they are. Others are more serious in nature, but the overall feel of the game so far is one where humor will be intertwined with the dark and supernatural themes.
gunbrella is going to be a well-constructed action platformer with a strong emphasis on fast movement that works well with its gunplay so far. Publisher Devolver Digital and Doinksoft are making something fun to look at and fun to play, and hopefully they’ll flesh out the remaining systems to add more depth to the world of the mysterious gunbrella.
gunbrella will be released in 2023 for Switch and PC. A demo is currently available on PC.
0 Comments