Since my preview of Gunbrella back in July, I have been eagerly awaiting its release so I could continue my adventure. Thankfully, developer Doinksoft, and publisher Devolver Digital, will not only be releasing Gunbrella on the PC, but it will also be available on the Nintendo Switch. With their decision to release on those platforms, I have been afforded the opportunity to review the entire game on the Nintendo Switch.
If you want to read up on my preview, you can do so here, and this will explain the plot and gameplay, which only differs slightly between the PC version to the Nintendo Switch version. I will point out those differences below, but to get the full details read my preview.
First off, being on the Nintendo Switch the controls are exclusively in the gamepad format. When playing on the PC, using a gamepad was my preferred method of control, but one of the first differences I noticed was some of the button prompts were changed. Not too worried, I went into the options menu to reassign the buttons to where I wanted them.
Graphically, Gunbrella is just as impressive on the Nintendo Switch as it is on the PC. It also appears they have toned down the clutter, improved the background details, and made the lighting gloomier in certain environments. All these slight improvements have increased the ambience of the game.
Even though the repressive feel of the game was evident in the preview, the added improvements drive it home in a meaningful way. This is where my only criticism for Gunbrella is – the lighting has been made too dark in some environments. Though the graphics portray emotional depth, they hide too much and are more of a hindrance to gameplay.
Though Gunbrella just has the one foible on the Nintendo Switch, it is not enough to take away from this great game. If you like two-dimensional, side-scrolling action games with some platforming, I strongly recommend picking up Gunbrella on either of the available platforms. The deepening intrigue of the storyline was more than enough to hold my interest right until the end.
The Good
- Intriguing storyline
- Remappable buttons
- Easy to learn controls
- Graphics have emotional depth
- Interesting and meaningful characters
The Bad
- Too dark in some environments