Azure Striker Gunvolt

About

Azure Striker Gunvolt or Armed Blue: Gunvolt in Japan (Japanese: 蒼き雷霆 ガンヴォルト) is an 2D Side-Scrolling Action game developed and published by Inti Creates with input from Keiji Inafune for the Nintendo 3DS and Steam. It is Inti Creates' first self-published title and multimedia franchise.

History

Released in August 2014 for the Nintendo. In addition to utilizing gameplay similar to Mega Man Zero, Azure Striker Gunvolt also introduced new gameplay elements such as Gunvolt's ability to "tag" enemies and target many at once, adding an additional layer of complexity to the genre. The game also got a PC version on Steam released in August 2015, featuring full Japanese voice acting and some lines cut from the 3DS version.

Azure Striker Gunvolt is a side-scrolling action platform game. The player controls the eponymous Gunvolt, who is able to jump, dash, and utilize a gun with special bullets that "tag" their targets, which grants a homing effect to Gunvolt's electric fields. The player's actions are limited by an energy bar, which depletes when using the electrical field, using additional movement abilities such as double-jumping or air dashing, or being hit by enemies.

Gameplay

Gameplay focuses heavily on the player's technique and skill in moving through levels. While finishing a level is relatively easy, the game provides a ranking system as well as several optional challenges. The game introduces a "chain" system in which the player's score is constantly increased so long as the player avoids being hit by enemies, with special actions such as defeating an enemy in the air or defeating multiple enemies at one time providing an additional bonus. The game uses an item-forging and equipping system, the former of which is instrumental in achieving the game's true ending.

Plot

Azure Striker Gunvolt is set during an unspecified date in the near future, in which several people called "adepts" have developed "septimal powers".These powers enable superhuman feats including flight, the use of powerful energy weapons, and manipulation of the elements like fire, water, and electricity. The world is at peace thanks to the efforts of a world-spanning corporation known as the Sumeragi Group. However, the Sumeragi Group is, in reality, controlling and experimenting on adepts. Gunvolt, one of the most powerful adepts, has the ability to create electrical fields and works for an organization known as QUILL, which is seeking to reveal and put a stop to Sumeragi's ulterior motives.

Reception

Azure Striker Gunvolt received critical acclaim and sold over 90,000 units six months after its release, being praised for its art and gameplay, although it has experienced some criticism of its similarities in plot to the Mega Man series. Inti Creates later announced that Azure Striker Gunvolt had sold 100,000 units by March 2015. In March 2016, Inti Creates announced that Azure Striker Gunvolt had sold over 150,000 units worldwide and aired a presentation regarding its sequel on April 26, 2016. In May 2016, Inti Creates announced that it had sold 160,000 units worldwide.

Impact

Spin-off

Mighty Gunvolt (マイティガンヴォルト Maiti Ganvoruto in japan) is a platform video game developed by Inti Creates originally for the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game is a spin-off of Inti Creates' Azure Striker Gunvolt, additionally featuring characters from Gal*Gun and Mighty No. 9.
Mighty Gunvolt is an 8-bit style platform game in the style of Mega Man, in which players shoot their way through five main stages (as well as additional stages available as downloadable content). Players can play as one of three characters; Gunvolt from Azure Striker Gunvolt, Beck from Mighty No. 9, and Ekoro from Gal*Gun, each with their own unique abilities. Gunvolt can perform a double jump and use a chargeable lightning attack, Ekoro can float in mid-air and convert certain enemies to her side, and Beck can use slides and tackles to access certain areas and charge through opponents.

The game was released on the Nintendo eShop on August 20, 2014 in Japan and April 2, 2015 in Europe. A port for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, titled Gal Gunvolt (ぎゃるガンヴォルト Gyaru Ganvoruto in Japan), was released in Japan on August 6 2015. A version of the original Mighty Gunvolt has also been announced for Microsoft Windows, and will be available for free to purchasers of Azure Striker Gunvolt within the first month of its release on PC.

On May 17 2017, it was confirmed that Mighty Gunvolt will recieve a sequel called "Mighty Gunvolt Burst" for the Nintendo Switch and 3DS. Featuring both Gunvolt and Beck from Mighty No. 9 as playable characters. It offers new features such as a character growth system and “Burst Combo” system, which is triggered when you’re close to the enemy and land a finishing blow, giving you a score bonus. The Switch version will also feature HD rumble support through item dowsing.

The game was released on the Nintendo Switch on June 15th 2017 and on the Nintendo 3DS on June 26th.
A port for the PlayStation 4 was released under the name "Gal Gunvolt Burst" on March 15th in Japan and America, and on April 6th in Europe.

On the Inti-Creates' blog, a MS-DOS text-based port of the game was made to celebrate the release of the PC version of the game.

Sequel

The game was teased in February 2015, when Inti Creates posted a tweet with the logo for the game. No further info was revealed until over a year later, when a Nintendo Direct on March 3, 2016, showed footage for the game. An official trailer was published the same day, revealing a vague release date of "Summer 2016".
A physical release containing the game and its predecessor, titled Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack, was released alongside the digital release in Japan and North America. On May 19 2017, it was revealed by Inti Creates at Bitsummit 2017 that the Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack will be ported to the Nintendo Switch, increasing from 30 frames per second to 60, including all the DLC, and featuring HD Rumble.

The gameplay is directly based on the one in the original game. The main character, Gunvolt, controls nearly identically as in Azure Striker Gunvolt, using a gun to lock onto enemies and then using his electric field in order to attack them. The game, however, now adds the option to play as Copen, a character that played a major role in the previous game. He has an entirely different control scheme, now focusing on his dash attack, which is used to lock onto enemies, then using a gun to attack them. He can also use powers from defeated bosses, similar to the Mega Man franchise.

As a result of the collaboration with Yacht Club Games, players can unlock a special boss battle against the titular protagonist of Shovel Knight through use of the Shovel Knight amiibo. In December 2016, Japan released a DLC pack that contains score attacks, a song track and a speed run mode.

OVA

An original video anime adaptation was announced by Inti Creates at the Anime Expo 2016 convention in Los Angeles, California on July 3, 2016. The series will be directed and produced by Yoshinori Odaka, with animation by LandQ Studios, scripts written by Shigeru Murakoshi, and character designs by Masakazu Sunagawa. It was planned for a 2016 release, but it was delayed to 2017, eventually being released worldwide on the Nintendo eShop on February 9, 2017, along with an English dubbed version.

Novel

Azure Striker Gunvolt: Fleeting Memories (陽炎のメモリア, Kagerou no Memoria) is a side story written by Toshiaki Tai, first appearing in INTI CREATES' YouTube program Interactive Wave. An English translation by Matt Papa is found on their website.

Cameos

Gunvolt is an unlockable character in the 2015 game Runbow.

Gunvolt is featured in the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS game Blaster Master Zero along with Ekoro from Gal*Gun: Double Peace (Both developed by Inti Creates) as DLC characters.

In the upcoming crownfunded game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, developed by Inti Creates, one of Miriam's abilities is called "Voltaic Chains", based on one of Gunvolt's Septima skills, a reference to the "Septima" powers is aluded by callng it a special “seventh" ability--not a demonic one.

Also, one of the multiple accesories for customization ("Morpho ribbon") is based on Lumen's hair ribbon.

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