Gunbrella Reviews
It never realizes its full potential as an action-platformer, even as it succeeds in controls, atmosphere, and moral decision-making.
Gunbrella ultimately fizzles out, playing its strongest card upfront and stumbling as it attempts to follow it up with something meaningful. For what it’s worth, playing with the eponymous central mechanic is never anything but a joy, but the rest of the game around it, however, never flies quite as high as you do. While the world it builds is a compelling and stylish parallel to our own present and future anxieties, it does little else but reflect them. A great sense of style and killer accessory can’t carry all the ambitions of Gunbrella, a game that certainly wants to tackle a great deal of subject matter and design ideas, but should’ve probably settled for fewer than it did.
Gunbrella is a visually stunning & charming game with great gunplay & solid platforming, but it struggles to focus & falls short of its potential.
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
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
Gunbrella represents a commendable initial attempt at the concept. It maintains a tight pace without overstaying its welcome. With some refinement and improved character art, a sequel or successor could truly excel.
Gunbrella's compelling revenge tale, challenging platforming, and light Metroidvania elements make it an entertaining indie action game.
Gunbrella has a lot of potential, both in its storytelling and combat. Unfortunately there never feels like there is enough of either that will or could catapult the game into the upper echelons of pixilated side-scrollers. It is very close to being something special, even when it is embracing some familiar adventure tropes. Hopefully, the world of Gunbrella will be expanded on and grow, because it deserves more of the things that make it great.
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
Having played both Gato Roboto and Gunbrella, I'd say that the former is the stronger overall experience, edging out the latter because of its progress-halting bugs (which may be mostly hammered out during the game's launch). The atmosphere and movement abilities of Gunbrella are excellent, but the lack of enemies and opportunities to use the titular weapon are a bit disappointing. If you prefer more of an adventure-game bent to your action-platformer, then Gunbrella is definitely worth a look, even if its rain-shielding, double-barreled frame could use a little more polish and a lot more target practice.
The only real complaint I had with Gunbrella was the map system, I always felt like I was lost as I wandered around cities, sewers and more, but due in large part to the fun of traversal with the Gunbrella I never really was too angry at being lost. A large part of Gunbrella’s charm for me is its atmosphere, as I said I love the noir genre; so much so that I am writing a neo-noir novel, so I thoroughly relished my time with Gunbrella. From its beautiful pixel graphics, its fantastically smart writing, and its amazing soundtrack, Gunbrella is yet another great game in the sea of great games that is otherwise known as 2023.
Gunbrella is a captivating mix between action, platform and noir storytelling. The game is enjoyable and well crafted, but its level design and the platform phases could have shine way more.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Gunbrella, con su mezcla única de estilo visual, narrativa intrigante y jugabilidad sólida, se destaca como un testimonio del ingenio de Doinksoft y la visión editorial de Devolver Digital. Un título imprescindible para los amantes del noir-punk, el pixelart y los aficionados a los juegos de plataformas y disparos 2D.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Gunbrella shows that umbrellas can be as lethal as they are fun, at least in a dark virtual world where shoot first and ask questions later is very effective. Violent, stylish and thought-provoking, here's a short but well-worth journey on Switch.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Even if it can be a little too easy and was over far before I’d have liked, Gunbrella’s incredible movement options, surprisingly intriguing mystery, and punchy gunfights quickly made it one of my favourite indies in recent memory and a universe I’d love to see more of in the future. Just remember, there’s a 100 percent chance of blood raining from the sky, so you better bring a brolly.
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.
Doinksoft does a fun job of integrating Gunbrella's story into platforming gameplay, as well as making use of its "gunbrella" mechanic.