Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2

The Japanese development team returns to us with the second part of Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX, a side release in the series of 2D platform games Azure Striker Gunvolt. The first part was released in 2019 and we admired it for the improvements. The usual gaming experience of the series is there, and here comes the second part after two and a half years, so how was the experience?

Story and Gameplay

The events of the story take place after the end of the first part, and Copen defeats the Sumeragi company that led Blade and through which it aims to protect the people. Copen finds a strange weapon with technology not from this world, and as he tests this weapon, a portal to another world opens, attracting Copen, Lola and Kohaku. Into another world. A few months after entering the new world and learning about the Null Mechanism, Copen and his companions go to the Grave Pillar tower to search for answers as to why they were brought to this world and how they got to theirs world can return. The story justifies the events and nothing more that we are used to from genre games.

The game is similar to the first part in terms of presenting 16-bit graphics with a user interface with modern graphics and presenting the dialogues between the characters in the form of a series of graphics as well as a short clip depicting the special movements of the Copen character and also the leaders. On the audio level, the game offers a variety of melodies of a similar nature. Classic and serves its purpose.

Gameplay Changes

The gameplay system is very similar to the first part, but has some important changes. Instead of a pistol, which is suitable for use at long and short distances, Copen relies on a saw for short distances. The game continues to focus on the idea of ​​tagging enemies by colliding with them while charging, allowing them to be automatically targeted during deployment. The special abilities you get from enemies, but your ability to dash through the air are limited. Instead of being able to charge multiple times, you can now charge once, and then you have to touch the ground before you can charge again. In the first part, the Overdrive function was introduced, in which your companion Lola transforms and begins to ignite Copen’s enthusiasm for fighting, the ability to dash into the air returns several times, although also in a limited form compared to the first part.

Due to the need to access Overdrive mode for greater freedom in battle, the development team has simplified the conditions for accessing this mode, since you still have to collect a thousand points, but the damage received does not result in that You will lose your points As in the previous version. The type of changes the development team made to the method. The gameplay made the experience less dynamic while retaining the element of speed, but with an emphasis on moving the player towards a more deliberate approach to completing the stages, especially as the stage designs made them more difficult in a way have that forces you to take advantage of all the abilities of the leaders you have acquired, and this change may appeal to some, but may not appeal to those who like it. Pleased Due to the very dynamic nature of the first part, as the difficulty level increased, the Healing ability was introduced, which can be used indefinitely but consumes your score meter, preventing you from reaching Overdrive mode or stopping it if you do achieve The same goes for the special attack ability that is performed… Copen and Lola are together.

Boss Encounters and Collectibles

The second part is similar to the first part in terms of presenting a special series of boss encounters. Since the healing ability is presented to the player and no limits are placed on its use, we note that the difficulty of the boss encounters has increased, requiring more mastery and reaction speed this time if you want to finish it without using the healing ability use and without taking damage, which requires a mix of skill and the use of appropriate skills against each leader, resulting in you receiving a better rating at the end of the stage.

As you play, you collect gems that you can use to acquire new skills or develop Copen’s basic abilities. All phases of the base game will contain 4 medals, hidden in many ways or placed in hard-to-reach places. When you receive them With all these medals you will receive a nice surprise that we leave to you to discover. After completing the original story, the boss successor mode is available to you and you also have the opportunity to confront each boss individually with the excellent content that the game offers.

Conclusion

We completed the original experience in three and a half hours, and collecting all the medals took us a total of 5 hours, and the reward you get for collecting these medals adds more hours to the gaming experience. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 offers many of the elements that made the first part special. The changes have made the experience less dynamic. These changes may not please everyone, but they increase the challenge that the experience brings, which we recommend to all fans of 2D platform games.