Azure Striker Gunvolt

 3DS
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 85
  3. Negative: 8 out of 85

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  1. SwitSwat
    Sep 14, 2014
    9
    There are a lot of things this game does right, and while it may not be a perfect example of what modern platformers can be like, it certainly does a great job of offering a decent challenge with a great storyline. It's a must buy for 3DS owners and platformer fans.
  2. destroyer3242
    Sep 8, 2014
    10
    Absolutely phenomenal game. It's made by Inti Creates, otherwise known as the minds behind other games like Mega Man Zero series, as well as the ZX series. Azure Striker Gunvolt was intended to be the spiritual successor to the Zero series, for obvious reasons why. However, as it stands on it's own, it's a fantastic game without the company's history considered. This was one of the fewAbsolutely phenomenal game. It's made by Inti Creates, otherwise known as the minds behind other games like Mega Man Zero series, as well as the ZX series. Azure Striker Gunvolt was intended to be the spiritual successor to the Zero series, for obvious reasons why. However, as it stands on it's own, it's a fantastic game without the company's history considered. This was one of the few games that I do day one purchases on out of pure hype. The game itself is relatively simple. You play as a guy who jumps, shoots, and shocks people with electricity. You use your electricity by a gauge below your character that measures how much you have to be able to use before over heating. You can 'mark' enemies with your gun up to 3 times on a single target, and activating electricity will cause the marked enemies to be shocked by up to 3 bolts of electricity that lasts as long as you hold the button and the tag stands. It sounds easy, but the game is often designed to make the player feel more underpowered than anything. An enemy might have a shield to prevent you from marking them, for instance. Enemy placement might be in places that are risky to go to to attempt to mark the enemy to kill them. Even so, the game is relatively easy to learn for just about everyone. Mastering it, on the other hand, is the biggest challenge of the game. See, when you kill enemies or get special bonuses, you rack up a 'score' of sorts called 'kudos'. These kudos rise whenever you deal damage to an enemy with your gun or electricity. You can get additional bonus kudos through combat bonuses, such as double or triples (harder than it sounds), or air strikes, secret bonuses, etc. You are then ranked based on how many points you got at the end of the stage, and, depending on your time, the score is multiplied. C is the lowest rank you can get, and S+ is the highest. You'd think if you can get an S rank, an S+ rank is not too far off. But you couldn't be more wrong. The difference between an S and an S+ rank is not only simply not getting hit, but how efficient you are at slaying every enemy in the most efficient ways possible to rack up kudos combos. An example of this might be one stage that an S rank is required with 200k points, but an S+ is DOUBLE that amount. It's an insane challenge, but it's so incredibly satisfying when you work hard at it and finally get that S+ after memorizing stage patterns, paths, and where to execute doubles or triples to maximize your possible score. If there had to be one thing negative to say about Azure Striker Gunvolt, it's that it's tragically short, and casual players would beat it within a couple hours, but the replayability of this game is insane. Levels aren't tedious at all to repeat and go through over and over just to master it. It's not a chore at all, and you can accomplish some challenges to get some new parts for your character to do it again with upgrades to your character. And with the low, low price of $15 on the eShop, there is almost no excuse for any 3DS owner not to have this amazing game.

    TL;DR: It's only fifteen bucks. You owe it to yourself to buy this game.    … Expand
  3. Pieguy396
    Jul 26, 2015
    9
    Azure Striker: Gunvolt manages to recreate all the fun of the old classic megaman games (AKA challenge) for players who want that challenge, while at the same time, giving slightly less challenge for people who don't want it. My only problems with the game are it's really quite bad character customization and its lack of enemy diversity. The story is also excellent, although it might beAzure Striker: Gunvolt manages to recreate all the fun of the old classic megaman games (AKA challenge) for players who want that challenge, while at the same time, giving slightly less challenge for people who don't want it. My only problems with the game are it's really quite bad character customization and its lack of enemy diversity. The story is also excellent, although it might be slightly confusing.… Expand
  4. Zeag
    Sep 22, 2014
    9
    As a lifelong Mega Man fan, I can say without a doubt that this is a Mega Man game in all but name. Inti Creates took everything they did right with the MMZ and MMZX series and crafted this spiritual successor that is worth well over the asked 15 bucks.

    The only thing that will take a little adjustment is the Force Field combat mechanic, but once that's taken care of, you'll have a blast!
  5. MARUYAMA
    Apr 9, 2015
    3
    A really bad case of style over substance...

    before you even start the game throws at your face a lot of needlessly complicated plots and names, some of it will only start making snese about halfway through the game the gameplay itself is needlessly complicated too, it could have been much more fun if they stayed true to megaman x, which they're clearly borrowing from. gunvolt has to    A really bad case of style over substance...

    before you even start the game throws at your face a lot of needlessly complicated plots and names, some of it will only start making snese about halfway through the game
    the gameplay itself is needlessly complicated too, it could have been much more fun if they stayed true to megaman x, which they're clearly borrowing from.
    gunvolt has to mark enemies with his gun and then press R to use his magnetic forcefield to hit them and/or float
    a lot of areas in the game end up becoming harder than they should thanks to that gimmick.

    the soundtrack is ok, most of it sounds like filler music from megaman x5

    the level design is ok for a common game, but for inticreates it's pretty bad, they put out some of the best ds games ( in japan/europe ) and even their shinchan games had way better/ more enjoyable level design.
    some of the levels will consist of trial and error, so youll be needing a bit of luck too.

    most of the boss battles are frustrating and at times feel unfair, with the bosses leaving little to no room for maneuver,all boss battles try to be massive flashy set pieces, which would work better if at least one of them wasn't, it's unbalanced.
    speaking of the bosses, each of them is a stereotype, some of them adopting the more modern anime stereotypes, but still being characters with absolutely no depth. as an example of a modern stereotype, there's a lazy teen who says something along the lines of "i could be watching cat videos instead of battling with you"

    SO,
    this is the equivalent of Inafune waving a flashy keychain with blinking lights and treating the player like a baby
    the gameplay is very flawed, even for inticreates
    the music is average, the level design is weak and slow paced with a lot of padding with gimmicky/puzzle segments to make levels seem longer than they really are
    the american version is STILL censored despite people on the internet making an uproar about it before release and inticreates promising it wouldn't be censored here

    this game is just Inafune tryign to go back to making games with Zero from Megaman X
    just as mighty 9 is him getting megaman back, but he's missing on WHY people found Zero cool to begin with, so they spend all their tokens on style and none on making an actual good game or having a decent character development.

    but instead of bringing back exciting new ideas he's showing why the series should remain dead, there's nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing of substance, it's just him trying to emulate what he thinks fans liked about the games.

    and as a final insult, it graduated from the Shantae school of crappy endings
    both the real and fake endings are not only short bad, but is also ends with "this is not the end, it's only the beginning"
    which as the Super Mario Bros movie proved, it's a failproof way to beg people to ask for a sequel.

    he's clearly trying to reproduce megaman X, trying to reboot the franchise, but even the first megaman had a nice satisfying ending that let you sit back and think "wow, this was quite a ride"
    the ending to this made me close my 3ds and think "wow, what a waste of time"
    even later installments like megaman 8 and x7 had a more satisfying ending

    the only reason this game is not worse is because Inticreates had a solid base to work with for the gameplay, otherwise this would have been a much much bigger mess.
    instead of playing this, get an emulator or a R4 cartridge and play their shinchan DS games, I mean it, they're far superior in pretty much every way.
    which is surprising considering the "legendary" inafune is involved in this project and it turned out to be one of the worst from inticreates in years.

    his flame of passion for games clearly was extinguished long ago    … Expand
  6. x2495iiii
    Jun 24, 2015
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is extremely well made. The art os wonderful, the story is fascinating, and the music is excellent.

    However, the gameplay was clearly not designed with fun in mind.

    In order to do well on a level, you neex points. To get points you need kudos. To get kudos, you need to never take damage. EVER. You can't take the level slowly either, as time limits are also used to determine score. This turns what would otherwise have been a phenominal game into a chore, a job you're not paid to do. Then there's the final boss. If you don't die by falling into one of the pits that together take up about half the floor, or getting pushed into one of those pits, or the LITERALLY unavoidable falling sun that it can summon when its nearly dead, you get treated to the least fair boss fight ever, where you get shot by bullets that are nearly impossible to dodge, take your powers away, and are constantly re-fired, and since you can't double jump with no powers, dodging additional hits is even more unlikely. You also can't attack back until you get your powers back. If you manage to win, your reward is an unskippable cutscene and credits. My reward was the game failing to save my progress at the end of the credits. What a waste of time.

    That's basically what this game is. A waste of time.    … Expand
  7. JJTX
    Mar 24, 2019
    8
    Azure Striker Gunvolt is a solid Mega Man-style run-and-gun platformer with a few unique mechanics. Most missions are fairly straightforward, but the boss battles can be very challenging -- particularly the final one, which is as tough as any I've ever faced. The game looks very good on the Nintendo 3DS screens and has a pretty good soundtrack, along with some hokey dialogue to move theAzure Striker Gunvolt is a solid Mega Man-style run-and-gun platformer with a few unique mechanics. Most missions are fairly straightforward, but the boss battles can be very challenging -- particularly the final one, which is as tough as any I've ever faced. The game looks very good on the Nintendo 3DS screens and has a pretty good soundtrack, along with some hokey dialogue to move the familiar and anime-inspired story along.… Expand
  8. GalanDun
    Sep 5, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a games critic myself, I really like Azure Striker Gunvolt. It's one of the few Nintendo eShop games worth you time and money. If you liked Mega Man X, platform shooters or science-fiction masterpieces then {Azure Striker GUNVOLT is for you. If you want a heartbreaking and in-depth story, then this game most certainly is for you.
    Inti Creates certainly outdid themselves on this game.
    So in the end I give the game a 10/10    … Expand
  9. edwartexe
    Mar 11, 2015
    9
    amazing take on plataformer action. the way its presented its both challenging and fun. the game's dificulty is given by how the player wants it to be in its own mechanics: a few items will either give you a shield or limit your max hp. you can refuse the checkpoints for more points in your score and the better your score, the better items you get. fast paced and its simple mechanics aplyamazing take on plataformer action. the way its presented its both challenging and fun. the game's dificulty is given by how the player wants it to be in its own mechanics: a few items will either give you a shield or limit your max hp. you can refuse the checkpoints for more points in your score and the better your score, the better items you get. fast paced and its simple mechanics aply so well in the levels giving out enough variet of situations and enemies. the story is simple but that doesent mean its bad, its great and it comes in a great presentation.
    i'll say its one of the must play for the 3ds
    my only complain is what the translators did ... some of the dialogue was cut in the US version :P that kinda sucks.    … Expand
  10. Crysouls
    Jul 16, 2020
    6
    Um sucessor espiritual de Mega Man X feito pela Inti Creates
    - Jogabilidade, mecânica excelente. Enredo interessante com plot twist e com final extra a pedido dos fãs se tornando o true ending do game.
    - Legendas para várias localidades incluindo Brasil. - Para acostumados com mega man o desafio será nulo mas tem o modo masoquista para vocês selecione ''other game modes'' e em seguida    Um sucessor espiritual de Mega Man X feito pela Inti Creates
    - Jogabilidade, mecânica excelente. Enredo interessante com plot twist e com final extra a pedido dos fãs se tornando o true ending do game.
    - Legendas para várias localidades incluindo Brasil.
    - Para acostumados com mega man o desafio será nulo mas tem o modo masoquista para vocês selecione ''other game modes'' e em seguida o ''hard mode'' assim você vai sofrer como se fosse um Mega Man X    … Expand
  11. tukumalu
    Dec 4, 2020
    8
    Bring back memory of Megaman Zero days with similar art, engaging characters and tight gameplay

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best 3DS Game of 2014
27
#27 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2014
18
#18 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. games(TM)
    Jun 27, 2015
    80
    IT does offer a great time, as well as a chuckle now and again. [Issue#162, p.109]
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  2. SpazioGames
    Jun 8, 2015
    75
    Azure Striker Gunvolt is a delicious appetizer while waiting for the main dish, represented by Mighty No. 9, but the taste would have been much better if the enemy design wasn't so weak and if more levels were included.
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  3. FNintendo
    Apr 29, 2015
    80
    While the game's plot is mostly unnecessary and there could be a wider variety of enemies, the top notch production values and the game's overall fluidity are enough to seduce anyone who enjoys action gaming.
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