It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s cheap! While the 3DS system has very good games it has always been a secondary console to me like when you are bored of your PS4/XBone or PC you go play some 3DS games. But not this game oh no, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 is one of the games you go “have I been playing this for 3 hours already?” Stick around and find out why!
Second playable Character!
After the first Gunvolt game, they introduced a new playable character : Copen. His playstyle is more vibrant and fast paced while Gunvolt’s playstyle is more of a wait and react one.
When you startup you will get an introduction mission that will teach you how to play.To be fairly honest the controls are something to get used to in the beginning BUT you can change them to your liking. After this mission where Copen is introduced you will be sent back to the title screen when you can choose either of the rivals to play with.
One of the best 2D sidescrollers!
Usually when you have 2 playable characters the game lets you pick any character in any situation much like a party but not here. You have 1 story but from 2 perspectives , so you get to see the same levels and bosses but in another order and with a different reason.
You can fire up any mission you like from the menu and when you have beaten the story mode for any mission it lets you alter the settings for a greater challenge. Speaking of challenges this game has them , you can complete so many extra challenges which unlock better rewards and even extra levels with extra story!
Ok so I do have a downside , the levels are pretty easy and repetitive after a while but the bosses make up for that. These bosses will have you at the edge of your seat, they are pretty hard and you will need to unlock certain upgrades to find yourself finally beating that one special enemy. Then when you find the correct strategy for a boss and you replay the game with the secondary character you can throw all your stats in the garbage because the playstyle is so different. This keeps the bosses fresh and still a challenge when you do go for that second playthrough (which you should to fully understand the story).And while the bosses are hard it makes it even harder when they spam your screen with gibberish talking during story mode.
but you can turn these off when you’ve beaten the level once.
Just the right amount of kawaii
While I’m not a fan of those overly sexualized little girls in games and anime I don’t mind it if it’s not over the top. In this game it’s not, while some moments will have you go “oh japan you did it again” it’s rather funny and not like some games where you cringe to death in some scenes. I’m mostly speaking about the 2 guardians Copen and Gunvolt have, they will revive you in battle with extra powers should you happen to die (spoiler: you will die).
Conclusion:
While it has a few flaws like not being able to see certain parts of the screen because the boss or teammates are talking,
the game just screams fun, I have played a few sidescrollers like Metal Slug but this one is very unique and just overall fun to play.
Today you can buy this game for less than €15 on the Nintendo store and in my opinion is a must-have for every 3DS owner!
