Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack is a video game compilation of 2D Side-Scrolling Action-Platform Games originally released for 3DS in 2016, while it was re-released for switch in 2017 and PS4 in 2020, which was developed by Inti Crates and published by Nighthawk Interactive.
The Striker Pack comes with 2 original titles such as Azure Striker Gunvolt which was digitally released for 3DS in 2014 as well as the PC release in year later, while the sequel was also released in 2016 for 3DS and PC in 2020.
Inti Crates was responsible for their works on Capcom's series such as Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX, and their independent titles such as Blaster Master Zero and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon.
At the beginning of 2010's era where Capcom had finally released Mega Man 10 for PS3, X360, and Wii making it a last entry being developed by Inti Crates. At the time where couple of new Mega Man project were being developed such as Mega Man Universe for PS3 and X360, and Mega Man Legends 3 for 3DS, but sadly it was both cancelled as in 2011 due to departure of producer such as Keiji Inafune had left the company to form his own company Comcept to work on Kickstarter title Mighty No.9.
It is so annoying back in early 2010 where we didn't get any of new Mega Man games which I was looking forward to play these kinds of games I grew up with the series, until I found out the game Azure Striker Gunvolt 1 and 2 for 3DS which is basically like a Mega Man alike games with different characters and similar playstyle with newer elements which I am more interested to play these kinds of games.
I was originally planned to get these games digitally on 3DS, but until I found out the re-releases for PS4 as Striker Pack in 2020 in which I made the mind up for a PS4 copy.
The Striker Pack are completely redone for both version featuring enhanced visuals running on 60 FPS, improved gameplay with rumble support, original Japanese voiceovers in both game, and All DLCs included in sequel such as songs, stages, and bonus features which I got to say it is a great way of owning this package for your collection.
After beating the both games for a week, I actually enjoyed these games because it's so much different from the Capcom's favourite Blue Bomber hero (Mega Man) featuring really cool characters, awesome stage bosses, great gameplay system, solid visuals and sharing with decent replay values is what I've wanted to look for a great alternatives to Mega Man Series.
So without go further do, let's start the review.
Presentation
The first game set in near future where several people called adepts have developed septimal powers which allowing them to use their superhuman abilities. Then you have the corrupted corporation known as the Sumeragi Group doing their dangerous job by controlling and experimenting on adepts causing to harm mankind, so you are Gunvolt working with QUILL organisation where your mission is to stop Sumeragi's ulterior motives.
While the sequel takes place after the event of the first game where the members of Sumeragi Group seeking a revenge on Gunvolt due to their failed project and loss of their leader that affects the future of corporation.
The story in the game is quite interesting which involves the corruption of the group's project planning to brainwash the people and harming the innocents is just like how Maverick brainwashes the robot masters in Mega Man games which is pretty sounds good for this type of game.
I also liked the dialogue conversation between the characters featuring a visual novel-style text that really helps the story development in the game that keeps you interested.
You have a kick ass blond-dude Gunvolt is one of the character that is not just only had his cool hairstyle and blue long-coat, but he sharing a relationship with young girl named Joule, who is a captive of Sumeragi's scientists, after he finding out that Lumen is her septimal projection which is the reason why Gunvolt had refused to kill her in mission instead he saving her life that causing him to become a freelance agent to protect her from Sumeragi Group.
Then you have a villain group known as the member of 7 deadly sins such as Merak the slothful conjurer, Jota the prideful silhouette, Viper the burning wrath, Carrera the magnetic avarice, Elise the eternal envy, Stratos the gluttonous fly, and of course these non-binary fake Zonda, while the sequel had Gibril the full metal jacket, Milas the aquadynamic merman, Teseo the serial experiment, Tenjian the frozen blade, Desna the starstruck beauty, Asroc the pygmailon furnace, and Ghauri the prism master.
I got to say these bosses are looking quite awesome which feels very original to this game with unique abilities and cool concept as well as they are just a good as the robot masters from Mega Man series during the boss battles.
I also liked the Copen the adept slayer who are featured in first game as well as being a playable character in sequel. He one of the character who shares his hatred for adepts and warns Gunvolt that they are not on the same side, so it took sometime for Copen and Gunvolt to get used to know each other throughout the story.
He also aims to search and protect his sister, who is hospitalised in very building, in sequel which I also find it interesting between the siblings that build up the story development.
The presentation is looking amazing in both game. I really appreciate the art style of anime characters in visual novel design making these characters looking more colourful and cutesy as well as being able to recognising their facial expression to express their character's personality in every scenes.
The text font and sizes are perfectly well design making it easier to read through the story dialogue that is not overly small, but bigger text so everyone can able to enjoy the story conversation.
The text box is quite transparent that did not block the view of slide presentation which is also good that you can able to see what inside of the slide presentation.
I also liked the settings of the locations in both game which has stuff like media tower has city buildings at background, datastore and data facility filled with futuristic network server rooms, Pharma lab has outside trees and inside vines, biochem plant has nuclear stations, subaquatic base are underground ocean facility, mysterious manor has dark cathedral style rooms, the sewers filled with underground water, and frozen city has icy base centre which I find these style of level design are actually well built that is just as close to Capcom's favourite blue bomber games.
Overall, it has amazing presentation settings, decent storyline, and awesome cast of characters.
Gameplay
In both games, you will have a level selection on the menus as you take control of Gunvolt in 2D perspective, while you get to play as Copen in sequel, as your goal is to defeat many levels as well as bosses in order to complete the whole game.
Gunvolt has dart gun as a basic gun attack which shoots special bullets that tags the enemy's target which can be attacked with electrifying fields increasing the amount of damages, but the electrifying fields as well as additional movement abilities are limited which can depletes the energy bar causing to overheat which you unable to use your powers in 5 seconds, but you can also recharge your energy by double tapping down button to refill your energy bar only if it's half empty.
Your character requires the techniques and skills to become stronger for later bosses, so you may need to level up your character to obtain a new weapon and skills as well as collecting many materials at the end of the level where you can able to purchase your techniques from the shop such as double-jumping, air-dashing, reducing damage, cooling down energy power, increasing shields for defence and etc.
You will have selection of weapons such as ability to shoot two diagonally up and down as well as travelling along with floors and ceiling, shoots out drones firing 7 shots in direction, charged to pierce objects and shields, and firing auto-shot with powerful bullets.
You can add additional clips that expand tags capacity up to 8 targets, but it also greatly decreases the flashfield's attack power which these clips are only featured in sequel.
Your skill moves will be added on your customisation menu only if you meet the requirements, so you will able to perform the moves such as Astrasphere that summons rotating electric ball, luxcalibur and grand strizer that launch huge-ass sword, voltaic chains that crisscross the screen, dragonsphere that shoots powerful orbs, and crashbolt that strikes with lighting attack which these offensive skills dealing with heavy damage, but it is also limited with SP if using the skill attack which causing your SP to regenerate after 1 min per SP.
Then you have support skills such as galvanic patch or renewal recovers his health, septimal burst recovers his energy bar, split second recover his overheat status, septimal surge uses special skill, and septimal shield reduces his health damage.
For sequel, Copen's gameplay style is lot different from the Gunvolt counterpart such as rapid-fire pistol as basic weapon deals with higher damage, his dash move that locks into enemy allowing him to shoot it with targeted attacks, and he can bounce of walls by using the air-dash diagonally.
He has different equipment system loads with subroutines into his gear such as healing aid, bullit capacity, auto-recover, deadly aim, and weapon recharger which you can able to customise these from loadout menu.
His EX weapons are also quite useful in the game such as stellar spark that shoots lighting bolts, hailstorm blade that launch short-range slash waves, twintail bunker that thrust drills forwards, hydro zapper releases two water-like lasers, broad circuit firing wide-scale of data circuit, ferrous fangs shoots with blood-like substance, prism break creates prism strike, and vantage raid launches ring-shaped shots which is quite effective against one of each bosses weaknesses are much easier to pin down by using the right effective EX weapons.
After explaining the details on player's combat mechanics, I'm going to talk about the level aspects of platforming and bosses which is getting quite interesting in the game.
Each of the levels are filled with smaller enemies and hazards objects, so you have gunner armed with blaster rifle, flamethrower, missile launcher, grenades, shield, and swords, while soldier has knife, chainmines, and machine gun.
Sumeragi robots uses blaster cannon, chainsaw, and gatling gun, the defense turrets uses roll cannon, flying drone uses energy shot, and mini tank fires missiles.
Then you have traps such as spikes, bombs, lasers, electrics, steams, fires, and others which requires you to avoid contacting with these dangerous hazards that can harm you in every levels as well as memorising both the enemy and bosses patterns such as projectiles which adds up the overall difficulty in the whole game.
The game does have a platforming segments such as changing gravity from bottom to top from sinner's row stage, deactivating security lasers in dark area from stratacombs, jumping up high with catapults from media tower, destroying blocks of crates as well as standing on platforms to ride across without falling into pits from biochemical plant, running on slippery ground from frozen city, and avoiding water-like tornado from the sewers which I finding it quite creative for 2D side-scrolling genres offers a unique level design.
I got to say the gameplay mechanics is working quite well especially with the release of PS4 and Switch that the developers did a great job of reassembling the controls schemes thanks to customisable button layouts and using the right stick as skill attack as opposed to 3DS's touch-interface makes it easier to pull off special moves nicely.
The weapon system and ability movement is actually good on both characters especially with using the techniques and upgrading the gears did add up a variation of gameplay style making the whole game a fast-paced action, but however I finding it bit annoying with collecting materials at the end of the level where some of the techniques items are required to purchase from shop which is fine, but it is really difficult to find a rare material that is harder to obtain which I had to replay the whole level again till I get a rare material item that I wanted which seems to waste lot of time that doesn't mean it affected my overall experience on both games.
The boss battles are also pretty solid in both games requires a good knowledge of memorising the patterns which is good but I finding it their patterns is bit overdone that is easily takes lot of damages from boss's projectiles which is bit unfair for those who are aiming to get a higher rankings without losing many life, but it takes time to get used with it that made the game quite challenging.
Then you have a list of challenge tasks on the menus where you need to complete each objectives such as clear stage within the time limit and with required rank will reward you with bonus material items which I think it really motivates my gaming experience if I can able to earn highest rank and beating time records as many possible.
The game also features two difficulty options under the extra modes in first original game, while the speedruns and score attack mode are included in sequel which brings a ultimate experience to Gunvolt universe.
Overall, it has great controls, excellent weapon and ability system, solid levels and bosses, and has extra game modes.
Graphics
The graphics is looking spectacular for 2D side-scrolling games which is just as good as for those who previously enjoyed Mega Man Zero and ZX sub-series featuring impressive sprite animation on characters, nice parallax scrolling on background layout, sparkly lighting effects, and great use of colour palate for environmental level design making it a retro-style visuals.
I'm quite impressed how this game looks everything polished on PS4 version making a impressive console conversion over the 3DS version featuring highly 60 FPS running on higher resolution without any roughness and less detailed on-screen layouts which I am glad that the developer had nailed the console version pretty well.
Overall, it has impressive visuals design and polished resolution.
Music and Sounds
The both game does have a very good soundtrack featuring original upbeat music and J-Pop style vocals does get a job right for the game that fits well in every levels and scenes. It was composed by Ippo Yamada who was responsible for his work on games titles such as Mega Man Zero and ZX did a fabulous job working on his music score in the game that makes you pumped up for action.
The both game does also share with a great sound design and environmental noises in every levels and I wouldn't mind the full Japanese voice acting in the game which is pretty sounds good for most part that really adds the emotions of character's personality.
Overall, it has very good music, great sound design, and acceptable voice overs.
Special Features
The game comes with all completed DLCs packed with additional game modes such as speedruns and score attack, new songs, and missions packs are all included in the sequel which is kinda cool to have it on this video game compilation.
Overall, it's a solid overall package.
Advantages
Amazing overall presentation
Great gameplay system
Impressive visuals design
Very good music
Solid overall package
Decent replay values
Disadvantages
Overused bosses's patterns
Difficult to find rare material item
Final Verdict
Presentation 8/10 - amazing presentation settings, decent storyline, and awesome cast of characters.
Gameplay 8/10 - great controls, excellent weapon and ability system, solid levels and bosses, and has extra game modes.
Graphics 8/10 - impressive visuals design and polished resolution.
Music and Sounds 8/10 - very good music, great sound design, and acceptable voice overs.
Special Features 8/10 - all completed DLCs packed with additional game modes such as speedruns and score attack, new songs, and missions packs.
Overall 8/10 - Inti Creates did a remarkable job on console version which is a faithful conversion of original 3DS titles bundled with two awesome games and extra content in whole package.
Azure Striker Gunvolt is a great alternatives to Capcom's Mega Man series that is what I'm been wanting to play these kinds of games featuring awesome characters, solid bosses, impressive graphics, and great gameplay system is the reason why I love these games that I've been playing for weeks on my PS4.
If any of the fans of the Capcom's Mega Man series who wanted a cool side-scrolling action-games like these then it is for you to experience a Gunvolt series that is worth buying it for your collection. To keep you mind, the Striker Pack is just only recommended for PS4 and Switch owners which is unlikely for 3DS or PC owners had to re-buy the same games, so I'm definitely look forward for another Gunvolt action (Azure Striker Gunvolt 3) for future release.
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