Gunblitz Demo

Although space is as silent as ever, people have constantly come up with a variety of theories and fantasies regarding what may be hiding out there in other galaxies. However, the most prevalent belief seems to be that if there is intelligent life somewhere else in the universe, it would most likely make it its sole purpose to destroy us. Or at least that’s Hollywood’s opinion.

Gunblitz is not going to win any originality prizes and it features a two-sentence story, but retro sidescrollers such as this one are not meant to be played for the story or the narrative. Instead, what fans want is to keep shooting as many bullets per second as possible and have the screen cluttered by explosions and debris at all times, even if that makes it incredibly difficult to survive.

To begin with, your ship is equipped with a few interesting components that come in handy every now and again, such as a shield that can absorb damage. Your ship also has two separate firing modes, which means that you can either keep blasting the foes using the laser, or you can try your luck with the missiles and see whether they don’t get distracted by enemy projectiles on the way there.

Just like in every good sidescroller, you’ll die more often that in any other genre, but the rewards for surviving the levels are definitely worth it. The enemies crowd on you in an instant if you stop missing the shots or stop paying attention to the screen, and there is not much you can do once they have you outnumbered. Granted, the game is a bit slow and annoying in this regard as well.

In fact, the controls are funky and the ship moves too slowly to keep up with most enemies, which makes it frustrating. As far as the graphics are concerned, the two-dimensional engine pulls its weight and you can admire a variety of detailed ships while completing the missions. Unfortunately, the surrounding vistas are never more detailed than a few stars and the occasional pixelated planet.

When it’s all said and done, Gunblitz is not exactly a jewel of the shoot ‘em up genre, but it can help you lose a few minutes on a lazy afternoon. However, the bad controls make it difficult to enjoy it for more than that.