Gunbrella Review

Have you ever popped your washing on a clotheshorse and thought to yourself, “Hey, it would be sweet if this thing doubled as a catapult,” or wondered how great a hair straightener/slingshot hybrid would be? Neither, but after playing through Gunbrella, the latest release from developer doinksoft, I’ve been eyeing off all the appliances in my house with duct tape in hand and a devilish glint in my eye. Far more appealing (and safe) than my backyard fusion appliances, Gunbrella is an action platformer with a killer gimmick at the heart of its gameplay, a gorgeous noir-inspired pixel art style and a runtime that is trim enough to be played within the confines of a rainy weekend.

Our nameless protagonist is called to action in the same way as many are, with a heartbreaking loss and thirst for revenge. Coming home to find his wife murdered and his newborn daughter abducted, our stoic, coat-and-scarf-wearing leading man is left with only one clue, the murder weapon. The peculiar device of mysterious origin is none other than the titular Gunbrella, an innocuous-looking rain reflector that doubles as a deadly ranged weapon. Now wielding this blasting brolly, the grieving fellow sets out to find the killer and bring him to justice.

Arriving on the shore of a small town named Orwell, the investigation begins. A simple tutorial moves you through the game’s combat and traversal mechanics, all of which are centred around the Gunbrella. Not content with just turning enemies into liquid and then protecting your clothes from being soiled by the viscera, the tool has many practical other practical applications. Holding the right bumper will deploy the parasol, causing you to dash in the direction your pointing, allowing you to reach greater heights. And of course, what would a good umbrella be if it couldn’t support your weight and carry your gracefully to the ground like a gruff, bearded Mary Poppins?

Mary Poppins never had to deal with this shit

Mix that together with the ability to attach to ziplines and hooks, unfurl the umbrella to use it as a shield, and the added skill of wall jumping (afforded to you by way of some sturdy mountain boots), and you’ve got a tight set off platforming mechanics to play with. While the challenges found within the world increase in difficulty, all these abilities are available to you from the beginning, incentivising you to experiment and ultimately master the unorthodox device and the skills that come with it.

As it’s a perfect marriage between function and firepower, the Gunbrella’s bells and whistles don’t end with platforming abilities. The weapon comes standard with unlimited shotgun shells, though various other ammo types are introduced as the story progresses. The tri-burst rifle ammo is a more ranged option, grenades and mines bring the boom and the sawblades bounce around enclosed spaces for when you’re feeling particularly chaotic. The damage output and reload speed can also be upgraded by exchanging cogs (found on mechanical enemies) at a particular vendor, though the upgrades are pricey. In fact, every vendor has been hit with inflation, as I could only comfortably afford ammo in the latter stages of the campaign, making it hard to part with for most of my playthrough.

As much of a Swiss Army umbrella the titular tool is, you can only utilise one function at a time, adding a nice little wrinkle to gameplay. Changing between the offensive and platforming aspects of the weapon has a satisfying fluidity to it, and the well-structured level design further explores that, pushing you to pull off that cool sequence you’re visualising and making you feel extremely badarse in the process. The one thing that goes against the grain in this sense is swapping between ammo types. Done with the up and down directions on the d-pad, you cycle through them one at a time, and that left me fumbling around on more than one occasion when in the middle of a fight. Outside of that, the gameplay is slick, smooth, and engaging.

This guy looks like he would complain about minimum wage being too high

Moving through several locations, from various rundown towns and mines to junkyards and factories, you’ll run into all manner of foe. The early stages of the game introduce the Cult-45 Gang, a group of scarlet-hooded zealots that have an unhealthy obsession for absconding with non-consenting townsfolk. Initially wielding shotguns and then eventually levitating and slinging balls of energy, these grunts get you familiar with blasting baddies, while also acting as a gateway to Gunbrella’s hidden secret.

While you’ll encounter plenty of other enemies, including murderous machines, other Gunbrella-wielding gunmen and various vicious animals, the most surprising opponents are the ungodly abominations made of flesh and hatred. Injecting a dose of the occult into the noir fantasy world, these screen-filling bosses show off some nasty enemy design and provide a healthy challenge to boot. Without spoiling any plot points, it’s insinuated that these otherworldly apparitions are somehow tied to the mistreatment of nature and the greed of humanity. I wasn’t expecting to find an environmental message hidden within a game about a deadly umbrella, but it was a welcome surprise that added a little edge to the overall narrative.

The dark and melancholic story is perfectly accompanied by an excellent pixel art style that uses a minimal colour palette to great effect. Comfortably sitting in warm tones of brown, grey and red, the visuals are moody without being dull, all while managing to be cute and comfortable. Each new area feels fresh and new, but its still easy to tell that these locations all fit into one, cohesive world. The audio design should also be praised, with the shopkeepers mumbling in not-quite-languages, ghoulish enemies squelching about and weapons bursting with powerful booms all adding to the experience.

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt revitalised waiting for a train, but each to their own

Though it starts off as a pretty cut-and-dried affair, the story does take a few interesting twists and turns before reaching its end. You’ll be able to make a few key decisions along your path that affect how things pan out, and the option to complete side quests for citizens in need can net you some extra rewards. I found the pacing in the third quarter to be a little bit uneven though, with the tension ratcheting up around then only to slow right down to a leisurely stroll. The temperature rose again, and everything ends on a high, but I felt a little bit of whiplash along the way.

Final Thoughts

From combat and traversal to the story and characters, everything in Gunbrella revolves around the device that gives the game its name, and for good reason. Using its multiple functions to zip around the world, turning cultists into jelly is fluid and fun, and the game just gives you all the tools necessary from the very beginning. The slightly uneven story gives you a reason to care, without being overbearing, and the few twists that it offers will be more than enough to keep you interested. Throw in a gorgeous pixel art style and a tight six-hour playtime and you’ve got yourself a very solid action platformer that’s worth heading out into the rain for.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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