Gunbrella Reviews
Gunbrella delivers on tight and responsive bouts of action. Although it’s a challenging platformer, you can enjoy it from beginning to end across an evening as you hone your Gunbrella skills and get your revenge. What’s more enticing is the story and characters who bring up interesting topics that make you question certain aspects of your adventure. The price is definitely right for this game, and I’ll gladly jump back in because it is so damn fun.
Gunbrella is an adventure with a real sense of vigour. Its narrative remains gripping, even in its weaker beats, and paints an evocative picture of a dark world that isn’t so different from our own.
The story is weird and interesting enough to also keep you entertained, which certainly helps make Gunbrella feel fresh despite there being a number of retro-themed action-platformers on the market today. I’d highly recommend checking out Gunbrella when you get a chance, you won’t be disappointed.
The question I asked myself after my adventure with Gunbrella was: did the game live up to my expectations? The answer is half-hearted. One, because my expectations were very high, I must admit. And two, if I'm impartial, Gunbrella is far from perfect. But if I have to paint an overall picture, I'd say I enjoyed my time with the game. The umbrella-gun mechanic is a fine innovation, and the story is intriguing all the same. But the game has its problems with the controls and its bland soundtrack. It won't be one of the best games of the year, but it won't be a failure either. It's a good game that I enjoyed. And sometimes, that's enough.
Review in French | Read full review
There isn’t a lot that needs to be said because Gunbrella, despite the unique premise, is really straightforward: what you’ve seen from previews and trailers is what you’ll get. It’s a really well-designed platformer that might be a bit too brown and dour at times, but plays like an absolute dream. With excellent level design, great boss fights, and just the right amount of funny dialogue bits to remind you that yes, you’re playing yet another high-quality Devolver outing, Gunbrella might not be one of the publisher’s top titles, but it’s still absolutely worth your while.
Gunbrella is a visually stunning and mechanically innovative, and while the narrative isn’t on even footing as its counterparts, it’s a standout title. From its stylish pixel art to its engaging gameplay and intriguing world, Gunbrella is a must-play for fans of action-adventure and retro games alike. With its unique blend of humor, mystery, and action, it’s a testament to what doinksoft does best, and does so well.
Gunbrella arouses curiosity with its unique concept of a weapon that combines a shotgun and umbrella. The versatility of this hybrid equipment is explored in visceral and challenging combat, and there are also sections of exploration that require intelligent use of the umbrella. It is an experience that has good moments, especially in combat and ambiance, but that fails to maintain a consistent level throughout its duration. The adventure is worth it, but it is important to be willing to overlook the problems.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
There’s no doubt that it does some things differently, and there’s merit to that, but Gunbrella just falls short of next-level greatness
The new game from Doinksoft is more ambitious than Gato Roboto, without losing the humility, intelligence and precision that characterized its debut.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Doinksoft does a fun job of integrating Gunbrella's story into platforming gameplay, as well as making use of its "gunbrella" mechanic.
Gunbrella might keep things simple, but its brilliant gunbrella, creative level design and set pieces, and enticing visuals ensure that it’s a blast to play. I found myself surprisingly invested in the hero’s plight for revenge too, with the colourful characters he meets on his journey proving to be a comical bunch – even if the game can be equally dark in places. It’s just a lot of fun to play and doesn’t try to overcomplicate the 2D platforming-shooter formula. You’re just a man with a gunbrella, and sometimes, that’s all you need to have a f*****g good time.
Gunbrella has a wonderful chaotic energy that translates to truly satisfying combat and platforming moments, helping to facilitate an unorthodox, yet compelling story. The difficulty can trip some people up and a few sections do border on frustrating by making you re-fight through several screens to get back your progress. However, the challenge is mostly enjoyable, there’s some great writing in here, and it all comes together in a well-presented, finely tuned package that you’ll find really hard to put down.
For reasons surely tied to design and layout, Gunbrella doesn’t always feature a fully scrolling map, being instead divided into some small sections where you must reach the edge of the screen to move to the next area, and segments where the screen smoothly moves along according to your character, such as one very hectic train ride. The latter makes for the best experience of all and makes me wish that the whole adventure would focus wholeheartedly on this approach. If we’re nitpicking, it’s also annoying that when a conversation topic starts, we can’t exit it and are forced to click our way out of this repeat dialogue until it ends. The sporadic jazz tunes add to this noir flavor and may not be to everyone’s taste, but there are other frenzied tracks coming into play with boss fights and varied key moments, so it evens out in the end.
Gunbrella shines as a grungy noir-punk adventure with an immersive narrative and versatile gameplay centred around the Gunbrella itself. Its diverse challenges, rich world, and engaging side quests offer a memorable gaming experience, making it a must-play title at an affordable price.
Devolver Digital has been on quite a run for years now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, thanks to the excellent curation of their catalog. Gunbrella is a game that has been on my radar ever since it was announced a couple of not-E3’s ago, and now I’m glad that it was very well worth the wait. It’s the sort of game that doesn’t overstay its welcome and manages to deliver a satisfying six to eight hours of platforming/shooting goodness that anyone looking for a good retro game is bound to enjoy.
Playing Gunbrella reminded me of the first time I played classics like Cave Story, Untitled Story, and Owlboy: games that nailed the vibes in all facets, provided a play experience I could just lose myself in, and didn't overstay their welcome. Games that delivered satisfaction on all levels. Games that more than earn that declarative "video games are GOOD" while playing. Doinksoft had already cemented itself as a studio worth following with games like Gato Roboto and Demon Throttle, but Gunbrella makes them a "no questions asked" team moving forward. It's one of the best games I've played all year.
Gunbrella offers tight and thrilling action, a moving story of revenge, and a fascinating world well worth exploring. I’m not sure what more I could ask for in an action platformer. While it’s a relatively short journey, lasting me only about six hours, I had a blast during my time with Gunbrella and I think most players will as well.
Gunbrella is a complete package of fun, wackiness, and charm. The gameplay is tight and satisfying, while the characters and story go places I didn't expect.
I was really left wanting more of Gunbrella's levels and gameplay, to the point where I feel that 6 hours wasn't enough. Perhaps it could benefit from more stages that mix challenge and creativity. As it stands, it is still a great indie action platformer to pick up. Gunbrella really delivers where it counts: an action-packed 2D run-and-gun search action offering with a quirky-yet-serious presentation and a badass weapon.