Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack

Genre: Compilation / Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack is a Compilation of two Action-Platformers, Azure Striker Gunvolt, originally released on the 3DS in 2014, and Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, originally released on the 3DS in 2016. This release, which gathers the two games together along with all of their DLC, came out on 3DS in 2016 and was brought to the Nintendo Switch in 2017 (later coming to PlayStation 4 as well).

For those who are unfamiliar with this series, these games were designed by some of the same people who made the Mega Man Zero games and it shows – the way characters move, the anime art style, and even the extreme levels of melodrama present here are very reminiscent of the Mega Man Zero games, as well as the Mega Man X game series.

In terms of presentation, you’re getting two games with a similar pixel art style of visuals that’s really nostalgic, albeit enhanced with plenty of electrical effects due to the main character’s primary power being electrical in nature. These are accompanied by very anime-esque voice acting and fast-paced but somewhat forgettable J-Pop-y soundtrack.

Here is what I thought of each game in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Azure Striker Gunvolt	Action-Platformer	1	B+
tl;dr Azure Striker Gunvolt is a solid Action-Platformer in a similar vein to games like Mega Man X, but its “tag” mechanic that lets you lock on to enemies adds a different element to the game. The view of the action is a bit too cramped, and this is made even worse by the characters frequently chiming in with comments that take up a good third of the screen. Also, the challenge level is a bit too much on the easy side, and the levels are too linear. But overall, this is a fantastic Action-Platformer that’s a blast to play.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2	Action-Platformer	1	B+
tl;dr Okay, take everything I just said for the first game and repeat it here, because this game has all of the same strengths and weaknesses. There is one major addition this time around though – this game allows players to play as Copen, who has a fighting style similar to Gunvolt’s but more melee-focused, like a Zero to Gunvolt’s X. This gives the game some good variety and the result is a game that’s even better than its predecessor.

This version of the game adds HD rumble, remaps some of the controls to work on the Nintendo Switch (as the game no longer has a second screen and the touchscreen isn’t accesssible in docked mode), and includes high-resolution versions of the game’s cutscene artwork, but otherwise there’s not much that’s new that has been added to the Nintendo Switch version of these games. Yet, despite the lack of extras, there is the matter of the price – $40 is pretty steep for two 5 year-old games that sell on the 3DS for $15 each, and it’s worth noting that the 3DS version of this compilation is also only $30, so it definitely feels like Nintendo Switch owners are getting a raw deal in this port.

Still, despite being overpriced and lacking significant new features, Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack is still a pair of excellent Action-Platformers that are still a lot of fun to play. There’s absolutely room for improvement here, but even so, these games are still a lot of fun to play, and this compilation is well worth getting, especially if you can catch a good sale.

tl;dr – Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack is a Compilation of two excellent Action-Platformers that play similarly to the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero games, and the gameplay here is top-notch, although the 3DS origins of these games makes them feel a bit cramped, and the $40 price tag is pricey for what’s on offer here. Still, if you’re a fan of the genre who can find this game on sale, it’s absolutely worth snatching up.

Grade: B+

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