Gunbarich

 Switch
User Score
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3

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  1. TheFlannelFox
    Nov 29, 2017
    8
    Dancing bears, laser gorillas, and pinball battle?!

    Well get ready for arcade chaos! Gunbarich is a Japanese arcade game originally released in 2001 by Saikyō. A nice combination between brickbreaker and classic pinball, with some boss battles sprinkled on top. You control the paddle’s left to right movement working to get your timing just right to hit your pinball...giving it a    Dancing bears, laser gorillas, and pinball battle?!

    Well get ready for arcade chaos!

    Gunbarich is a Japanese arcade game originally released in 2001 by Saikyō. A nice combination between brickbreaker and classic pinball, with some boss battles sprinkled on top.

    You control the paddle’s left to right movement working to get your timing just right to hit your pinball...giving it a little extra zing which deals more damage to bricks and enemies. The goal being to break all of the bricks within a certain amount of time.

    If your pinball gets past you, you die and if you run out of time you die. Dying from running out of time while only having one block left in a level is super frustrating, but made me smile everytime, enjoying that old school “we don’t care try again” mentality. The rounds move fast so if you die in world 4, it doesn’t take you long to get back to where you were, so the emotional investment in each round is minimal. Also ending each round with that old school arcade scoreboard rings that good ole nostalgia bell is a great way.

    The fun of Gunbarich comes with the increasing difficulty and variation in level design. Eventually the pre-world instructions are simply “becareful there will be increasing difficulty…”
    Which peaked my interest and did not fail to deliver, like when i ran into these enemies and swallow you pinball then spit it out in one of its three other locations randomly. This truly surprised me upon first encounter and became one of my favorite enemies. Making me scour the screen for my pinball...the moment it burst out.

    Like many other Nintendo Switch ports you have the option to toggle between the retro graphic style and the more crisp remastered version, RETRO PLEASE! I love this recurring feature in modern day remakes.

    Speaking of graphics, they’re crazy. Dancing bears, sweet anime illustrations, I love the look of this game. Vintage japanese oh yes please.

    Gunbarich is a nostalgic pinball playground, that while challening, has the variation to break up the monotany and keep you coming back. This game will continue to freshen up my morning commute for many pinball battles to come.

    Check out my video review on YouTube channel TheFlannelFox    … Expand
  2. joehi1
    Dec 12, 2017
    7
    Gunbarich really accomplishes what it wants to accomplish.

    It's a very interesting brickbreaker style game that has a good amount of character to it. The levels are fast paced game play is smooth and being capable of playing the game in a vertical arcade cabinet fashion is a great way to play. Controls feel pretty good on the Switch and this unknown title really fits well on the    Gunbarich really accomplishes what it wants to accomplish.

    It's a very interesting brickbreaker style game that has a good amount of character to it. The levels are fast paced game play is smooth and being capable of playing the game in a vertical arcade cabinet fashion is a great way to play. Controls feel pretty good on the Switch and this unknown title really fits well on the Switch. I'm very pleased with my purchase of the game. The game is quite difficult but that does not mean it deserves a lower rating because of it. Gunbarich is a very underrated arcade title and I hope more people buy the game.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. FNintendo
    Sep 14, 2017
    70
    GUNBARICH brings back the breakout genre that was so popular in the arcade halls in decades past. Loyal to its origins, this game brings forth a consistent and challenging difficulty level, along with frantic and unpredictable score-attack action, perfect for quick and very intense gaming sessions. Its only downside within its style is that it can become repetitive a bit too quickly.
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  2. Switch Player
    Sep 4, 2017
    50
    With some decent pinball gameplay at its core and the addition of a rotated view in Tabletop mode allowing that classic feel of a vertical arcade game, GUNBARICH could have been an interesting title for the Switch. Unfortunately, it is far too hard to complete on its original settings, leaving most players to ultimately get rid of the ‘lives’ and ‘continues’ system, instead dying over and over again until they reach the end. Adding an overly congested screen into the mix on top of this results in a game that is hard to recommend.
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  3. Nintendo Life
    Aug 21, 2017
    80
    This Breakout-like game may not offer massively varied gameplay or an engrossing storyline, but as ball and paddle games go, Gunbarich is superb. Different enemy types and hazards keep things interesting with power-ups giving a range of ways to remove the blocks, and while it's easy to play, the game offers a stern challenge. Good music and visual design add to the appeal, with fun character designs and some great little touches; blocks grow eyes and look worried when their neighbours are destroyed, for example. There's a lot of replayability in trying to improve your score and although there's no online high score board to aim for, Gunbarich offers plenty of entertainment and is a recommended download.
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