3D Gunstar Heroes
Release Date: August 20, 2015
Action, platformers, remaster/remake, Nintendo exclusive, multiplayer, singleplayer, LAN
A remake of the action platformer game Gunstar Heroes from 1993, developed by the Japanese studio M2. The player is taken to a fantasy world where the two main protagonists (Gunstar Red and Gunstar Blue) fought Golden Silver, a sinister robot. Neutralization of the antagonist was possible thanks to the heroes hiding away the four diamonds that gave him power.
Gunstar Heroes from 1993 proved to be a great hit, which resulted in the release of a sequel entitled Gunstar Super Heroes for Mega Drive in 2005 and a port for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 four years later. The Nintendo 3DS version offers several extra settings and adds three-dimensional effects. 3D Gunstar Heroes for 3DS was published by SEGA.
Plot
The plot of 3D Gunstar Heroes is practically identical to that of the 1993’s original. The Japanese edition is only slightly different from the international one. The remake’s developers made it possible to quickly jump from one version to the other, thanks to which the player can experience both while only having one copy of the title. The main protagonists are twins named Gunstar Red and Gunstar Blue who fight a robot called Golden Silver. Thanks to the siblings’ struggle, alos including Yellow (sister) and Green (older brother), four diamonds that gave Golden Silver power had been hidden away and thus the antagonist was neutralized. Another antihero, Colonel Red who took control over Green’s mind, intends to reverse this state of affairs and restore the robot to operation. The player can assume the role of Gunstar Red or Gunstar Blue to thwart Colonel Red’s plans.
Mechanics
In 3D Gunstar Heroes, similarly to the original, the player can combine two weapons to create a kind of a hybrid. M2 expanded this option with the Gunslinger mode that allows us to combine not two but as much as four guns. Another notable addition introduced for Nintendo 3DS users is Mega Life Mode that allows the players to double their base amount of hit points (from 100 to 200). Thanks to the addition of the Gunslinger and Mega Life modes, the game is much more friendly to new users.
The possibility of choosing one of two ways of targeting enemies is also an important novelty. The first one allows us to aim and shoot while in motion, while the other forces us to stand still to take aim. This setting can be changes at any moment. What’s more, we can also switch the protagonist while playing.
Game modes
3D Gunstar Heroes for 3DS features a single player mode and a local multiplayer for two players. To play together, we need two copies of the game.
Additional information
The player can change the game’s graphics to more retro-looking with the emulator developed by M2. Thanks to it, we can see the world of 3D Gunstar Heroes as if we were looking at a CRT display. What’s important, the studio didn’t extend the production’s screen to panoramic proportions, so 3D Gunstar Heroes only offers 4:3 resolution.
Last updated on December 5, 2016
