Gunbrella

Gunbrella is a sensational action platformer with incredibly fluid locomotion and a story that takes some unexpected turns.

Starting at $8.51Buy now

Get on Steam

"Gunbrella" is a single-player platformer game with an interesting noir-punk plot, set in a world dependent on a scarce natural resource. As the player, you'll wield the Gunbrella, a versatile weapon/umbrella, to navigate side-scrolling action levels and uncover secrets. The game features exceptional mechanics, delightful visuals, a unique atmosphere, and plenty of humor, leading you through diverse locations filled with intriguing characters and challenges.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 403 reviews

story88 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features smooth and satisfying movement mechanics, making traversal and combat enjoyable.
The art style and music create a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
The story is engaging with interesting characters and humorous dialogue, providing a compelling narrative.

The game is relatively short, with some players feeling it lacks depth and replayability.
Boss fights can be too easy, leading to a lack of challenge and excitement in combat encounters.
There are issues with control mapping and some bugs that can detract from the overall experience.

story
204 mentions
43 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and well-crafted, featuring intriguing characters and unexpected twists, while others criticize it for being predictable, linear, or overly simplistic. Many appreciate the dark themes and emotional depth, though some feel the narrative detracts from gameplay, leading to a lack of challenge and pacing issues. Overall, the story is seen as a significant aspect of the game, with varying opinions on its execution and impact.
- “The story is interesting and kept me intrigued.”
- “The story is really fun, and I usually don't care for story, but this drew me in and made me care for the characters more than usual.”
- “The story hooks you fast and turns out to be an absolute roller coaster, with very heavy themes and story beats that had me genuinely in tears after all was said and done.”
- “The story is very linear which would be fine if it was at least interesting, but it's very basic and the consequences of your choices mostly boil down to whether someone will be seen during the ending cutscene or not.”
- “The story is basic and predictable, but held together by a charming cast of characters.”
- “I wanted to love it, but I was just disappointed with the story, characters, and gameplay.”
gameplay
148 mentions
47 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gunbrella is characterized by its unique mechanics and fluid controls, which many players find enjoyable and engaging. However, there are widespread criticisms regarding the lack of challenge, repetitive combat, and underutilization of its core mechanics, leading to a feeling that the game does not fully capitalize on its potential. While the atmosphere and pixel art are praised, the overall experience is marred by a focus on story over gameplay depth, resulting in a game that feels short and simplistic despite its promising concepts.
- “The gameplay is fun and it's got a nice atmosphere.”
- “The gunbrella as the central combat and traversal mechanic is very well implemented.”
- “Some of the most fun movement and combat mechanics I've ever experienced in a 2D platformer.”
- “There isn't much of a challenge, and it feels like a lot of the focus of the developers went more to the story rather than polishing the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is tight; however, it hardly evolves throughout the 9-hour runtime.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's quite frontloaded - most of the fun parts happen at the start, and the later parts suffer from tedium.”
graphics
49 mentions
59 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing pixel art style and gritty, noir aesthetic, which effectively enhances the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals, particularly the design of bosses and environments, while some note that the film grain effect can be distracting. Overall, the art style is considered a strong point, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience, despite some opinions on its simplicity and lack of unique environments.
- “The clean pixel art graphics, moody music, and dark story all create a great aesthetic that kept me engaged.”
- “The graphic style is fantastic, the audio is great, the writing is really well done (especially the humor), and it is all bundled up in an intriguing and fleshed-out world.”
- “I love the aesthetics and the world-building here; it feels really unique and dynamic to me, and I'm a big fan.”
- “The visuals are gritty but quite basic in terms of pixel art.”
- “The art style is fine, nothing to write home about.”
- “I wish there were more unique environments with this game's art style.”
music
49 mentions
55 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals. While some found it to be merely good or fitting, others highlighted standout tracks and described the soundtrack as fantastic, even recommending it as a key reason to play the game. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's charm and engagement.
- “The music is nice though, all the tracks feel right at home in this game and some of the more soothing jazz tunes evoke a noir feeling.”
- “The clean pixel art graphics, moody music, and dark story all create a great aesthetic that kept me engaged.”
- “Not to mention the music which is absolutely amazing, and sets the tone of the game very well, and I'll probably be listening to it outside of the game.”
- “An 8/10 game in just about every way except for the soundtrack.”
- “Minor complaint is the music seems a little lackluster.”
- “As for the music, there were no real standout tracks that I can remember, but it did do a great job of enhancing the atmosphere which is what it’s supposed to do, so there’s really nothing to complain about there.”
atmosphere
19 mentions
68 % positive mentions
16 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting its unique "noir-punk" and eldritch steampunk vibes. The visuals, sound design, and world-building contribute significantly to the overall experience, creating a charming and stylish environment that enhances the storytelling. However, some players noted that while the atmosphere is strong, the impact of player choices on the narrative feels limited, particularly towards the end.
- “The atmosphere is fantastic and the gameplay mechanics and traversal are well done.”
- “Seriously, this game just oozes style and atmosphere in every frame - everything from the menus down to the minor environmental background details.”
- “The setting is an eldritch steampunk world that's strongly atmospheric.”
- “The visuals, the atmosphere, just everything.”
- “The music is also fantastic, but there were some portions of the endgame that I think lacked music not for atmosphere, but because the script wasn't working properly and the music just wasn't playing.”
- “Art is clearly done well, and the OST really does set the atmosphere well.”
humor
18 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it clever and engaging, enhancing the overall experience through funny dialogue and well-written characters. However, others feel that the humor sometimes undermines the darker elements of the plot, leading to a sense of ridicule. Overall, while the humor is appreciated by many, it may not resonate with everyone, particularly in relation to the game's more serious themes.
- “The game excels in pixel art, fitting music, humorous dialogue, and breezy 2D platforming action.”
- “The dialogue and story have real heart and lots of personality with some great characters and really clever humor.”
- “Funny NPCs and side quests.”
replayability
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the presence of different routes and choices that encourage multiple playthroughs, many others feel that the game lacks depth and exploration, leading to a diminished incentive to replay. The game's serious tone and forced replayability elements also detract from the experience for some, resulting in a consensus that, despite some potential, the replay value is limited.
- “Good replay value too.”
- “The game takes itself very seriously, and also wants to have replayability value.”
- “Probably a bit short for its price (I finished the game in 5 hours), but there seem to be different routes depending on the choices you make, so replayability is there.”
- “This severely limits the game's potential, as it also dooms replayability once you finish the game.”
- “No replay value, though I'm pretty sure I won't bother coming back to replay after I'm done.”
- “Replayability value just doesn't hit the same when it feels forced, and it does here.”
emotional
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching narrative and cinematic presentation, blending gritty themes with whimsy. Players express a deep connection to the story, particularly in moments that evoke empathy, such as the moral dilemmas faced during combat, which can leave them feeling conflicted and remorseful.
- “It was simple on the surface, but cinematic and quite touching.”
- “It's a cozy blend of gritty, whimsical, and touching tale about a man who is seeking revenge in a post-apocalyptic world.”
- “Touching story.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often interrupted by lengthy dialogues and repetitive tasks, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the graphics and gameplay are praised, the time spent grinding for upgrades can feel excessive, leading to a sense of frustration.
- “By the time you’ve finished grinding out cogs to fully upgrade the gunbrella, you could have just beaten the game.”
- “Game becomes tedious and has a lot of pedantic dialogues.”
- “Was pretty fun and pretty tedious.”
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players report that the game's performance is stable with no crashes, but many feel it lacks a necessary update to address minor bugs and improve optimization. Suggestions for enhancements have been made to further refine the game's performance.
- “Finally, performance was fine and I never had the game crash, but the game generally feels like it's missing an update that fixes just a handful of minor bugs or annoyances.”
- “Here are some suggestions I believe could be added to improve the game's overall performance.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Stability issues are a significant concern, with many users reporting that the game is not functioning properly.
- “This game is incredibly buggy.”
- “It's too buggy at the moment.”
- “The stability issues make it unplayable.”