Gunbrella Review (PC)

I launch myself into the air, using the gunbrella to boost my vertical movement and reach a new area, unfortunately just as an enemy turns and spots me. The red-robed figure shoots a stream of bullets but it’s easy to open the gunbrella again and block them before returning fire with my own shotgun. He drops some coins. I eat an apple to boost my health, preparing for more battles ahead.

It takes a few minutes to take out a few more enemies, using a combination of solid movement, blocks at the right time, and firepower applied at close range. It’s time for a relatively easy puzzle that opens up a new path, deeper into the lair of the bad guys. I hope the keys to the mayor’s cell aren’t too far away. The enemy forces aren’t that capable but they some have a lot of real estate to backpedal through.

A couple more normal enemies and a big boss fight are required to lay my pixelated hands on them. The gunbrella serves me well, especially when it comes to dodging enemy strikes, although I do have to use two bandages to make sure I don’t die. With keys in hand, it’s time to liberate some hostages, locate a precious stone, and take a ride to the city where I might find some answers about my powerful weapon and its origins.

Gunbrella was developed by doinksoft and published by Devolver Digital. I played it on the PC via Steam. The game is also offered on the Nintendo Switch. The title combines platforming and action, focusing on the unique tool that players will use to enhance both.

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The protagonist starts off unnamed and quickly discovers his wife dead, with only the gunbrella left on the ground near her suggesting a way to find the killer. It’s time to ride the trains and travel across the world, looking for information, finding a tinkerer, stumbling onto other characters who need help and might offer some aid of their own.

Gunbrella’s world mixes technology and magic in almost equal measures and lays some noir on top. Almost no one seems happy in the towns and cities and the sewers and wilds are always filled with danger. They depend on crude and the exploitative economy built around this resource. The core quest isn’t very original but plenty of NPCs, especially those that have little impact on the story, have funny or interesting dialogue. Gamers do make choices but don’t expect a deep consequence system and a constantly changing world.

The variety and fun are all connected to the gameplay and the unique way the gun-umbrella hybrid is used. Our hero can run and wall jump, but to truly master space and movement he needs to use the gunbrella to boost himself up, dash horizontally, and glide. Don’t be afraid to be chaotic, especially when enemies are around, but the game also requires precision.

The gunbrella is equally important on the defensive. Enemies react quickly and a burst of fire will quickly reach the player’s character. Open the umbrella and it will create a shield. Tap the button at the right time and it will reflect projectiles back to the source, especially important when dealing with automated turrets. It takes a little time to get into the rhythm but once that happens, it’s easy to deal with ranged enemies without pulling the trigger.

And, of course, this special umbrella shoots its own projectiles. At first, range is limited but it’s easy to use the many movement options to close in on opponents. New types of ammo, including grenades, appear as the game progresses. I tended to save them for the more difficult moments, especially the boss fights.

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Vendors and chests will also give gamers access to bandages, which will restore health, and food, which will add extra protection. Gunbrella uses a bench-based save system and they are well placed, limiting the frustration associated with death. The game also features an upgrade system for the gunbrella, which feels underdeveloped, and plenty of vendors that take coins and give players the items required to boost their capabilities before boss battles.

Presumably, developers chose not to emphasize these elements because they want players to focus on the core mechanics, movement, and shooting. And these are good, with the gunbrella at the center of all action. Players who carefully chain moves, blocks, and attacks can clear entire rooms without getting hit while looking stylish. Bosses introduce plenty of new quirks but never feel impossible to defeat.

I actually wanted the game to throw more enemy groups at me to force me to optimize tactics. If they couldn’t be integrated into the narrative locations, a separate Arena mode would have worked, with some wave-based mechanics.

Gunbrella’s pixelated look will be familiar to any fan of the indie space. It works well with the mechanics and theme, although more variety for the locations would have been nice. But enemies are instantly recognizable, as are most other hazards, and the developers have created some pretty out-there designs for the bosses, equally fun and frightening.

The soundtrack is also good, shifting between a quiet approach when the player is moving through safe locations and talking with NPCs, and a more propulsive set of tunes when the action starts. The gunbrella sounds suitably powerful. The game does not feature voice acting, although characters deliver short phrases as their speech bubbles appear.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion