Azure Striker Gunvolt: Inti Creates' Mega Man Legacy

High-difficulty platformers in the style of Mega Man have become rare. Especially after the failure of Mighty No. 9, which did not live up to what fans expected. Fewer people know that Inti Creates filled that gap with Azure Striker Gunvolt, a game in the spirit of Mega Man Zero that still brings its own interesting ideas.

The first game came out in August 2014 on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Ports followed for Windows in 2015 and for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, where it shipped as part of the Striker Pack. I played both games on the Switch and bought the physical edition through Play-Asia. What surprised me: Gunvolt does not reinvent the genre, but it understands its references very well.

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From Mega Man to Gunvolt: Inti Creates and the idea

Inti Creates is not an unknown studio: the team worked on Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX titles and knows the feel of those games first-hand. Azure Striker Gunvolt therefore borrows more than the look. It takes the structure, with selectable stages, a boss at the end of each one and a high demand on movement and timing.

The difference is in the details. While Mega Man Zero depends mostly on precision and patterns, Gunvolt rewards a different kind of attention. The hero is not a robot with an arm cannon but an adept who can create electric fields. That single element changes the whole way the game is played and gives the fights their own rhythm.

Anyone who wants the wider context can start with the history of video games in Japan. And if you like the stranger side of the industry, the most bizarre games created in Japan make for a good detour.

Story: QUILL, Sumeragi and a Muse called Lumen

The plot takes place in the near future, where people with special powers, called adepts, live alongside ordinary humans. The Sumeragi conglomerate presents itself as a peacekeeping corporation, but in reality it controls and experiments on adepts. Gunvolt, one of the strongest adepts, works for an organisation called QUILL, which wants to expose what Sumeragi is really doing.

At the start Gunvolt is assigned to assassinate the Muse Lumen. Her singing is considered dangerous because it can resonate with and control adepts. When they finally meet, he discovers that Lumen is the septimal projection of a young girl named Joule, held captive by Sumeragi. He cannot kill her, rescues her instead and leaves QUILL after a falling out to work as a freelance agent.

The story starts from familiar pieces, but it gains depth as it goes. The bosses in the second half carry the seven deadly sins as a theme, each with a different weapon and personality. Some of it stays clichéd, yet the bond between Gunvolt and Joule gives the game an emotional core that goes beyond pure action.

Gameplay: tags, Flashfield and Overheat

Gunvolt's main weapon is a gun with special bullets. The shots deal almost no direct damage: they tag enemies. Gunvolt then creates an electric field whose discharges travel to the tagged targets. More tags on one enemy channel more energy towards it, so hitting three times before triggering the field deals considerably more damage.

The field is not just a weapon. It keeps Gunvolt in the air for a moment and can repel some projectiles, which shapes the way you move through stages. Abilities are tied to an energy bar that drains when you attack, double jump or take a hit. When it is empty, Gunvolt enters the Overheat state and cannot attack or defend for a while.

Another quirk is Prevasion, an ability that converts hits into energy and therefore prevents damage. It makes the game more accessible, but it spends exactly the energy Gunvolt needs for attacks and movement. Relying on it all the time risks Overheat, the most dangerous moment of a fight.

On top of that come offensive skills that allow powerful attacks or restore energy, plus levelling and equipment for weapons and items. Materials and gear are unlocked by clearing stages. Equipment is not just decoration: without the right setup, the true ending cannot be reached.

Rankings, Kudo points and replay value

Clearing a stage is relatively easy. The real game begins afterwards: results are graded from C to S and S+, and a high rank takes more than simply surviving. The score grows through a chain as long as Gunvolt avoids damage. Extra points come from enemies defeated in the air or several at once.

There are also challenges and achievements that can reward items or money, plus speedrun targets and specific conditions for individual stages. Anyone who really wants the S ranks has to multiply points without taking damage or touching a checkpoint. That explains why some players keep going after the credits: the stages look very different on a second and third run.

A separate system rewards bold play: the Kudo points you collect act as a multiplier but are lost when you take a hit or use certain abilities. Holding them until the end of a stage pays off. At 1000 Kudo points, Lumen starts to sing, and her revival after several defeats against a boss also brings music into the fight.

The first game offers several difficulty options that make the start easier while leaving room for personal goals. If you like action with a clear story and a solid combat system, you will get pulled in quickly. I gathered similar recommendations from Japan in the best games released in Japan.

Gunvolt 2 and the Striker Pack

The sequel arrived in 2016 on the 3DS and improves the foundation in many places. The stages are richer, full of secrets and small innovations, and the bosses are staged with more care. The biggest change is a second playable character: Copen fights completely differently from Gunvolt and changes how you approach each stage.

On the Switch you get both games as the Striker Pack, physical or digital. The bundle is the easiest entry point because it contains the full story in one release instead of two separate purchases. A PlayStation 4 version of the Striker Pack followed later.

Verdict: a must for Mega Man fans

Azure Striker Gunvolt is not a retro copy but a self-assured action game with its own identity. Tags and the electric field make the fights faster and more tactical than in many genre entries, the rankings give replaying a purpose, and the music carries the atmosphere. In some ways Gunvolt is even more consistent than the later Mega Man titles that got stuck in the past.

If you are looking for a Mega Man-style game on 3DS, Switch or PC, this is the one to get. I was lucky enough to find the physical edition through Play-Asia for less than 100 reais; with some patience, deals like that still show up. The digital version usually costs around 40 US dollars, and given the amount of content it is a fair price. Buying both games in the bundle is worth it because Gunvolt 2 continues the story in a meaningful way.

One last comparison is worth making: anyone curious about how another Japanese studio handles a big role-playing game should read the analysis of Xenoblade 2. And if you want more recommendations from Japan, the list of the best games released in Japan is a good next stop.