Gunbird 2
Contents
Gunbird 2
Gunbird 2 is a vertical shooting game developed and published in 1998 by Psikyo. The game is a direct sequel to Gunbird, and features a light-hearted cast of characters trying assemble the ingredients for magic potion to make their wishes come true. This was the first Psikyo game to feature medal-chaining as a scoring mechanic, which would later feature in Strikers 1945 III/Strikers 1999.
Gunbird 2 is noted for it's comedic tone, wide selection of characters, and addition of a melee attack which offers a powerful new offensive option. The game has been ported to a number of platforms, including the Sony Playstation 2, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Gameplay Overview
Gunbird 2 is a 3 button game. Each game loop consists of 7 stages, with the first three stages being randomly chosen from a possible four. In the second loop, stage 2-1 takes place in the stage that was not selected in the first loop. Completing the first loop rewards the player with a choice of two uses for the magic potion, with a unique ending for each choice.
Controls
- A Button (Press): Shot
- A Button (Hold): Charge Attack (depletes Power Gauge)
- B Button: Bomb (depletes bomb stock)
- C Button: Melee attack (depletes Power Gauge)
Weapons
Main Shot
Basic attack performed by pressing the shot button. This attack is upgraded by collecting Power-Up items, and reaches max power after 3 items have been collected. After collecting two Power-Up items the shot is supplemented by a secondary attack, or sub-shot, which offers some additional screen coverage. Colliding with an enemy will reduce the shot power by one level, and losing a life will reduce the shot to its base level.
Power Gauge
The power gauge is located at the bottom left of the screen, and is filled by killing enemies and collecting coins. Holding the A button releases a character-specific attack which depletes the gauge. Melee attacks, performed with the C button, will also deplete one level of the gauge.
Bomb
Bombs do not grant invincibility, but instantly clear enemy bullets and deal damage within specific areas of the screen. The precise effects of bombs are character-specific.
Characters
Gunbird 2 offers 6 playable characters, each with their own playstyle and unique advantages. 5 Characters are available by default, but a 6th, Aine, can be unlocked by entering the code 51024 in Maintenance Mode. He can then by selected by pressing down on the "?" icon on the character select screen.
Alucard
- Shot: 3 green bat projectiles aimed forward. Good horizontal coverage.
- Subshot: Purple bats that fly forward on a slight delay. At max power, up to 8 bats can be on screen at once.
- Charge Attack: 2 swarms of blue bats that home in on enemies.
- Melee Attack: Alucard strikes with his cape.
- Bomb: Deals damage in a + shape.
Marion
- Shot: A 6-way spread shot.
- Subshot: Homing star projectiles.
- Charge Attack: A single large projectile that fires directly forward.
- Melee Attack: Marion attacks the enemy with her rabbit familiar
- Bomb: A starstorm that clears the screen.
Valpiro
- Shot: Blue shot aimed directly forward
- Subshot: Purple sawblades that move slowly up the screen. Up to 4 blades on screen at once.
- Charge Attack: 2 rocket arms that move slowly up the screen, each firing a 3-way shot.
- Melee Attack: Rocket punch.
- Bomb: A 360 laser sweep that covers the entire screen.
Tavia
- Shot: 6 green shots aimed directly forward
- Subshot: Blue ripples that expand as they travel.
- Charge Attack: A wide missile barrage that snakes upward.
- Melee Attack: A pink energy whip.
- Bomb: An armada of robots carpet bombs the screen.
Hei-Cob
- Shot: A purple 6-way shot
- Subshot: Blue scimitars that spiral upward. Up to 4 on screen at once.
- Charge Attack: Summons a djinni that shoots directly forward for several seconds.
- Melee Attack: Hei-cob launches a bomb a short distance forward. The explosion lingers and deals damage for a few seconds.
- Bomb: A djinni appears and clears the screen with a huge shockwave.
Aine
- Shot: A single purple arrow projectile.
- Subshot: 2 orange arrows that flank the main shot.
- Charge Attack: A sword swipe that covers the entire vertical length of the screen. Narrow coverage, but hitbox lingers for a few seconds.
- Melee Attack: A 2-hit sword swipe.
- Bomb: Clears the screen and converts enemies to rose items that can be collected for points
Items
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Power Up Increases your shot power (max power after the 3rd item) |
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Bomb Increases your bomb stock by 1 |
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Gold Coin 200-2000 point score item. Point reward depends on when the coin is collected during its spin animation. |
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Gemhead Secret item that grants gems when attacked. |
Loops
After clearing 7 stages and defeating the last boss, the player automatically enters a second loop. The second loop features significantly denser bullet patterns, and enemies will now release revenge bullets on death. Stage 2-1 takes place in the stage that was not selected in the first loop.
Reception
The game sucks. GameSpot's Steven Garrett rated it a 5.8/10, opining that "if a good 16-bit shooter is what you're looking for, you could do a lot better elsewhere."
Legacy
Gunbird Special Edition
The PlayStation 2 version of the game was based on the arcade version.
Cancelled PlayStation Portable remake
A enhanced remake, titled Gunbird 2 Remix was announced by PM Studios for the PlayStation Portable in 2009. It was slated for an early 2010 release exclusively in digital format. However, no news has been heard since then, and it is considered vaporware.
