Gungrave G.O.R.E. is the latest game is the series which started way back in 2002 on the Playstation 2. Twenty years ago I was a lot younger and I thought the box cover just oozed cool and it was one of the few PS2 games that made me wish I could afford one. I managed to track down the anime series based on the game and it held me over even as the sequel came out two years later and I was once again shut out from playing it. Here we are two decades later and thanks to Gamepass I get to finally play my first Gungrave game and I think that I am probably not the only one new to the series.
The game is an over-the-top action game in the Devil May Cry vain where the hero, called Beyond the Grave, proceeds to mow down hundreds of enemies with his pistols of the giant gun strapped to his back that looks like a coffin. The enemies come fast and furious and vary in their sales and weapons. You will get grunts coming at you with baseball bats, some firing from a distance with a rocket launcher, oversized sumo fighters slamming into you and of course the stylish level end bosses that always crack up the challenge a bit.
As cool as Beyond the Grave and the bosses are, the stock enemies do not stand out or make any sort of impression at all most of the time. That is not to say that blasting them with your wide variety of weapons and abilities is not fun as it is a blast once you unlock more abilities and can start chaining your attacks together. You have unlimited amount so you might gun down a few dozen grunts, grab one as a shield, rip your shield in half when they are no longer needed, pull yourself across the map with a grab move, unleashing a rocket at a crowd of enemies and finish it up with a melee finisher. Once you get going it is a lot of fun to just relax and enjoy the carnage.
The game itself feels half cooked, there are no secrets or hidden collectables that I could find and I often would discover a hidden hallway that would just end without any items or bonuses for the exploration. The levels feel designed to explore and discover things but there just isn’t anything to find which is unfortunate.
Each level you get rated on a number of factors including how long your chain of non-interrupted kills lasts, how stylish you were in your distraction and if any enemies managed to escape your wrath. This offers a level of replayability to help compensate for the lack of hidden items or paths to go back and discover. You have the ability to replay every level whenever you want and this will help give the game a little but of deployability.
Overall I enjoyed playing through the game and loved the main characters and bosses design. The non-stop shooting is a great way to turn your brain off and just enjoy some gaming action. Don’t expect anything new or truly mind breaking here and you will enjoy the game, and if you have Gamepass there is not reason for you not to give it a try.
Gungrave G.O.R.E.
XBox Gamepass, PS4/5, PC
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