It floats like a butterfly and stings like a swarm of bees! Gunbrella is an action-packed shooter with a dark and gritty past, present, and potential future (in a good way!).
The game begins as a seriously gruesome, pixelated run and gun and continues to be hours later as the story unfolds around you. Initially, I was worried it would be a little too intense for my liking. But the more and more I played the preview, the more I fell in love with the gameplay and dark-humoured world.
Gunbrella is high-powered, and chaotic
Doinksoft is coming from the indie success of Gato Roboto, a Metroidvania shooter from 2019. Working alongside publisher Devolver Digital, Gunbrella was shown at Day of the Devs about a year ago during Summer Game Fest. I was lucky enough to play the first couple of hours, blasting my way through grungy towns, rescuing townsfolk from being sacrificed, and fighting a giant meat monster named Baby. Check out some of the action in the video below!
Brown, Grey, and Red All Over
After a brutal discovery, you’re quickly the umbrella-wielding protagonist searching for answers. Getting to know and helping residents while they lead you down (presumably) stinky sewers and through hideouts that lead you steps away from ghouls and cultists. The vibe and setting of Gunbrella are realized through a grungy film grain aesthetic. Lots of browns, greys, and blacks, all splashed with red as you mow down enemies in your path.
The gameplay plays like a 2D twin-stick shooter with fun traversal elements. It felt tight and dynamic as I was wall-jumping, boosting myself with the umbrella, firing the shotgun, or tossing a grenade at various baddies. After a couple of less-than-successful attempts, I got a feel for how the game flowed, and from then on, it all felt natural. Moments later, I plotted my attacks on the fly as the fast-paced action continued from screen to screen.
Gunbrella’s mechanics are quickly thrown at you through small text tutorials, but none feels overwhelming. Once you string the moves and firing together, you will feel like a badass woodsman on a course for revenge and rescue.
An array of wacky characters and clever writing lights that path. This goes a long way as sometimes I needed to speak to the same person twice or thrice to obtain the valuable information they were withholding. These steps would have felt tedious without the witty words in front of me. The handy journal is written and presented concisely, making your growing task list fairly easy to follow. It remains to be seen if that changes later in the game; there were quite a few names and places to keep track of within just a few hours of the Gunbrella.
With even more weapons, enemies, locations, and people to meet later in the game, I’m excited to play more of Gunbrella when it releases. The gameplay is fun, high-powered, and chaotic in all the right ways. I can’t wait to bust down more turrets, blast cultists, and dodge angry ghouls. Gunbrella is available now for preorder and has a 2023 scheduled release date.
