Gunbrella starts on a boat. It is an innocuous start, as the main character steams through the pixelated waters to reach the dock and the beginning of developer Doinksoft's demo for the game. Even after the first 20 minutes of playing, it still feels more light-hearted mystery than menacing. Only near the end does the tone shift and give a glimpse of the dark forces within, cumulating with a fight against a boss that is downright unnerving in its movements, ferocity, and gore. Mysteries are stacked on top of other mysteries, and it's up to the player to find answers. So begins the tale of the man who wields the Gunbrella.
Luckily, the protagonist of the story is well-equipped to deal with the supernatural elements that will cross his path, and he will do it all while attempting to solve the mystery at the heart of the story: where did the Gunbrella come from? The demo does a great job feeding users small details through the protagonist's in-game journal, where he records clues as well as some of his personal thoughts on the matters at hand. The journal is also used to keep track of quests, puzzle hints, and information given by the various denizens of the world.
The star of the game is, of course, the Gunbrella itself. Movement with the Gunbrella is very fast. It is quick to accelerate the player and carries them farther than any umbrella has any right to, so the Gunbrella is a fearsome mobility tool. Doinksoft is attempting to maintain a balance between ease of movement and gunplay by not allowing users to shoot when the umbrella part is engaged and open. This includes using the Gunbrella to block incoming fire and even return shots when opening it right before taking damage. Players are able to change so quickly with a few mouse button presses that skilled players should be able to accomplish impressive feats. Different ammo can be obtained through stores or as drops from enemies, but the demo doesn't show any vendors that support ammo crafting yet. Hopefully, in the full version of the game, ammo will be craftable as well.
Most of the crafting in the demo is based on creating health items. Players will have to travel to separate vendors to create different kinds of items, though, so those looking to create bandages that fully heal and cooked rats that only heal one heart will have to go to different locations. It isn't a bad idea to have separate crafting systems in different locations, but if the game doesn't have a fast travel mechanic when it releases, it will be an annoyance. The crafting in general doesn't have much depth yet but there are items the player can pick up that hint at a more robust system. It's also sort of difficult to determine what is junk to be sold for money, and what items can be used for crafting, as all items are listed together with descriptions that don't help determine their usefulness.
Graphically, Gunbrella looks impressive in its pixelated depths. Foreground objects are strewn throughout the different areas, while the background art adds to the game's overall atmosphere. It truly shows a knack for pixel art when every animation looks so incredibly smooth. From flowers blowing in the wind and rain, torches glittering within chandeliers, to tapestries that gently move when shot or touched, Doinksoft has gone all-in to create an enjoyable world to shoot up. Boxes explode into many pieces, flaming lanterns explode and spread fire, and enemy bits and pieces scatter across a wide area when gunned down. It almost feels a bit over the top with its gore, but it quickly blends into the action and becomes just another part of the game, like the protagonist bleeding all over the floor when his health gets low. The film grain, however, does add a touch to the overall darker tones of the game, but hopefully, the full version will allow it to be turned on and off to enjoy the game's sprites in all their colorful glory.
The characters sprinkled throughout the demo all have their own personalities and desires and are all rather hilarious. Stopping and listening to some of them can net some pretty funny dialogue exchanges, like two men discussing the kidnaped mayor by telling each other how much better at being the mayor they would be. Some will offer silly reasons and logic for why things are happening the way they are. Others are more serious in their nature, but the overall feel of the game so far is one where humor will be intertwined with its darker and supernatural themes.
Gunbrella is shaping up to be a well-constructed action-platformer with a heavy emphasis on speedy movement that, so far, works well with its gunplay. Publisher Devolver Digital and Doinksoft are crafting something fun to look at and enjoyable to play, and will hopefully flesh out the remaining systems to add more depth to the world of the mysterious Gunbrella.
Gunbrella will be released in 2023 for Switch and PC. A demo is currently available on PC.
