Gunbrella

Gunbrella is another example of developer doinksoft proving they know how to make a wicked cool video game. Featuring rainy nights and gorgeously bleak environments overrun with pollution as the backdrop, the steampunk and noir vibes are palpable as you investigate the inner politics of a town and, most importantly, your wife’s killer. Thankfully all that deliberate dreariness is complemented by a cool traversal system with the umbrella and frenetic 2D action that does a good job balancing the difficult task of empowering and challenging the player. Topping it all off is a final area and twist seen to be believed. Gunbrella is amazing and a must-have modern action title for your library of games.

While Gunbrella might struggle with providing a challenge, it more than makes up for it by providing a dark, gritty world where your choices have very real consequences. Not all is doom and gloom, as the comedy flows like polluted water down a city’s gutters on a rainy night, and you can bet it’s accompanied by some killer jazz.

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.

Gunbrella is a straightforward, short experience that's refreshing amidst so many games that aim to fill up months of our play time. Its combat might be a bit repetitive, but it's still always a pleasure due to how great it feels to wield the game's titular weapon.

If you like your graphics pixel-perfect, your scenery bloody, and your gunplay fast and tactile, you’ll have a blast with Gunbrella. It is a game about a gun which is also an umbrella.