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Ganryu 2

Despite some occasional slowdown and framerate shenanigans Ganryu 2 is beautifully animated and moves around at a fair old lick, and the whole package is just a gorgeous neo-retro arcade treat.
Ganryu 2 Game Cover
64%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, stability
60% User Score Based on 62 reviews
Critic Score 79%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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Ganryu 2 Game Cover

About

Ganryu 2 is a single player arcade hack and slash game. It was developed by Storybird Studio and was released on April 22, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

In "Ganryu 2," a retro-style action game, players control Ganryu, a ronin seeking revenge against those who wronged him. The game features side-scrolling combat and exploration, with Ganryu battling various enemies and bosses across different stages. The story follows Ganryu's journey for redemption, set in feudal Japan with historical and mythical elements.

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Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
Ganryu 2 screenshot
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60%
Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • Ganryu 2 features beautiful pixel art and engaging music that evoke nostalgia for classic ninja games.
  • The gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, requiring skill and memorization, which many players find rewarding.
  • The controls are generally solid, allowing for smooth action and satisfying combat mechanics.
  • The game is plagued by bugs, including issues with the jump button becoming unresponsive, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Difficulty spikes, particularly in later stages, can feel unfair and may deter players who are not accustomed to punishing platformers.
  • There are limitations in controller configuration and no option to change key bindings, which can hinder the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Ganryu 2 is a mixed experience, featuring smooth mechanics and engaging hack-and-slash action, but marred by significant bugs that can disrupt play, such as losing the ability to jump. While the pixel art and challenging later stages are praised, the inconsistent pause functionality and overall glitchiness detract from the enjoyment, making it a frustrating experience for many players. Overall, the game may appeal to fans of retro-style gameplay, but caution is advised due to its technical issues.

    • “Most of the gameplay in this 2D action side scroller consists of walking, jumping, exploring, and fighting, but with great hack & slash action.”
    • “Ganryu 2 takes elements from the original game, refines them, and blends them with mechanics from an entire era of classic games.”
    • “The pause menu also doesn't consistently pause gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay experience is potentially frustrating and only worth the price if it's on sale.”
    • “Gameplay is also as bad as the dialogue since it's still filled with bugs even after all this time, and even if I ignore them, the game still plays very poorly.”
  • graphics
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are praised for their vibrant retro pixel art style, reminiscent of classic 16/32-bit arcade games, featuring smooth animations and a rich color palette. Reviewers highlight the impressive detail and layered visuals that enhance the game's world, contributing to an engaging and nostalgic experience. Overall, the graphics, combined with a catchy soundtrack, create a visually appealing and immersive environment that complements the challenging gameplay.

    • “The music is catchy as anything, to me anyway, and the graphics are gorgeous 16/32 bit arcade style with that parallax I love and plenty of color, and it's just non-stop action!”
    • “There’s an impressive amount of detail in the game’s visuals, and a much more layered look compared to the original game – the world of Ganryu 2 feels much more alive for it.”
    • “The graphics are great, animations are smooth, be prepared to see a lot of the same enemies over and over again though.”
    • “The graphics have a genuinely old-school sensibility, which may not appeal to everyone.”
    • “The visuals lack the polish and detail expected from modern games, making the world feel less immersive.”
    • “While the graphics respect the original Ganryu, they feel outdated and could use a significant upgrade.”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its engaging and nostalgic qualities that evoke the old Japanese era, while others found it mediocre. However, many players appreciate the catchy and well-crafted soundtrack, which complements the game's vibrant pixel art and fast-paced action. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its fidelity to the original game and is available for separate enjoyment on platforms like Spotify.

    • “The music and soundtracks were so engaging and brings back the old Japanese era.”
    • “It also has a great art style, soundtrack, and pretty challenging ride throughout.”
    • “The music is catchy as anything, and the graphics are gorgeous 16/32 bit arcade style with that parallax I love and plenty of color, and it's just non-stop action!”
    • “Aside from clean-cut, yet bug/glitch-infested gameplay, there is very nice pixel art, some mediocre music, and a god-awful story that made me seriously question my purchase as a fan of narrative - it is cheesy, badly-written, and cringe-inducing.”
    • “The soundtrack too, is razor-sharp.”
    • “Thankfully, the entire soundtrack is available on Spotify, so you can enjoy it separately from the game if you so choose, and I choose.”
  • story
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Ganryu 2" has been criticized for its lack of originality, being nearly identical to the original game but without the kidnapping element. Despite the developers' efforts to address various issues through patches, the narrative remains a significant point of contention among players, with many deeming it poorly executed.

    • “There are frequent patches and patch notes from Storyboard Studio, taking into account the feedback from both press and consumers alike.”
    • “It might have been off to a bumpy start, but Storyboard Studio has worked to fix these issues and strengthen the game, like a well-forged blade.”
    • “I haven't played the original, so I cannot speak of story quality in it, but Ganryu 2's story takes the cake in respect of how bad it is.”
    • “Story is literally the same as the first one except there's no kidnapping this time.”
    • “I’m talking about 'Ganryu 2', from developer Storyboard Studio and publishers Pixel Heart and Just for Games.”
  • stability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as losing the ability to jump and inconsistent hit detection. Players report that these issues can lead to frustrating experiences, especially during boss fights and level progression. Despite its nostalgic appeal and engaging design, the lack of ongoing support means that these stability problems remain unresolved, making it difficult for many to recommend the title.

    • “It's a spiritual successor of the 'Shinobi' game series - gameplay is neat, pixel art is good, boss fights are mostly great... but there's one small issue - it's buggy, sometimes buggy as hell due to which the player cannot complete the stage on the first try (for example - you will occasionally just lose the ability to jump).”
    • “A buggy, messy, glitchy game that was developed with passion... alas, passion, in contrast to love, fizzles out eventually, as evidenced in Ganryu 2 - once released, the game saw very little to no support, so the bugs/glitches exist still as of today.”
    • “I get it's old school but it's just dumb as you replay the same levels, usually die while learning new bosses' patterns and die cheap deaths from the inconsistent platforming or buggy hit detection.”
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79%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ganryu 2 is a arcade hack and slash game.

Ganryu 2 is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4 and others.

Ganryu 2 was released on April 22, 2022.

Ganryu 2 was developed by Storybird Studio.

Ganryu 2 has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Ganryu 2 is a single player game.

Similar games include Slain: Back from Hell, Cyber Shadow, Steel Assault, Rosenkreuzstilette, I Am The Hero and others.