Gunspell

About

"Gunspell is a story-driven RPG-adventure that combines guns and magic in a thrilling experience. Protect Earth as a member of the powerful Order, battling monsters across multiple new worlds. Engage in match-3 battles, upgrade weapons, and collect tons of items and spells. With awesome graphics and a DevGAMM Award, Gunspell offers an unforgettable adventure."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 136 reviews

story13 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

Gunspell offers a unique blend of match-3 gameplay with RPG elements, making it enjoyable for fans of both genres.
The graphics and art style are visually appealing, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
The game can be addictive and provides a casual gaming experience, perfect for players looking to unwind.

The game is a poorly executed mobile port, retaining frustrating mechanics like a stamina system that limits gameplay.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and overly easy, with a lack of challenge that diminishes engagement over time.
The balance of the game is off, with a heavy reliance on luck and minimal strategic depth, leading to a tedious experience.

story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
9%
The story in this game is generally considered mediocre and unremarkable, often described as generic and poorly translated, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players find the narrative mildly interesting and appreciate its integration with match-3 gameplay, many feel it lacks depth and fails to engage, leading to a repetitive and forgettable experience. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling element of the game itself.
- “The story is there and it's mildly interesting; however, I spend so much time in the battle puzzles that I don't get a sense of the story.”
- “At its heart, Gunspell is a hex-grid match-3 combat (a la Puzzle Quest Galactrix) where you roam the landscape fighting random monsters and grab treasures (a la Diablo / Rogue), in a story that's reminiscent of Shadowrun with a mix of modern tech and magic with fantastical creatures.”
- “Gunspell has a good atmosphere and nice art sprinkled with a story - with each stage of the game it gets harder and harder; rallying at times is a challenge.”
- “The story is also pretty generic: a typical 'hidden world' narrative with a cop searching for his missing spy sister in it.”
- “The story and RPG aspects were shallow, no immersion or reason to become invested in the character.”
- “The story is corny and unremarkable, the currency system is balanced.”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The gameplay is primarily a match-3 puzzle format with light RPG elements, featuring turn-based combat against AI opponents. While the mechanics are engaging and visually appealing, many players find the experience repetitive and hindered by a stamina system that limits playtime unless players pay to recharge. Overall, the game offers a casual and relaxing experience, but it suffers from balance issues and a lack of depth, making it feel simplistic and grind-heavy at times.
- “It's a match-3 with light combat mechanics intertwined, such as red gems loading your gun, allowing you to shoot the enemy. Each match-3 game is played against an AI where you take turns.”
- “The match-3 gameplay is very fun to play, featuring interesting mechanics and special items that you receive after battles.”
- “Match-3 gameplay involves taking turns with the enemy to be the last one standing, matching skulls to deal damage, matching gems to power up special attacks, and earning experience and money through matches. It's familiar, but Gunspell does things a bit differently.”
- “It has even kept the limited energy mechanic, energy that you spend each time you make any move and once it's depleted you must either wait hours in real life to play more or pay money to recharge your energy.”
- “Multiple currencies, stamina mechanics, and other mobile trappings muddle the experience and make the game fail to live up to its potential.”
- “Right now, the game gets into a tedious grind at level 7, with unexplained mechanics, tedious interface, odd resource management, lack of storage slots, and way too big difference between levels, preventing me from giving it a recommended yes.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The graphics of the game receive generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating the eye-catching visuals and artistic design, particularly in the context of a mobile port. While some describe the graphics as simple or ordinary, others highlight the detailed artwork and satisfying aesthetics that enhance the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal despite some minor criticisms regarding blurriness and lack of customizable settings.
- “The graphics and music are worthwhile and nice.”
- “Graphically, this game is eye-catching.”
- “The graphics are awesome; I was impressed by the detail.”
- “The graphics are a bit blurry and seem upscaled, but they’re created with plenty of detail; I was impressed by them.”
- “Graphics settings can't be changed.”
- “Graphics are simple but decent.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention, with many players finding it tedious and unengaging. While some appreciate that the grinding is manageable and not excessively demanding, others criticize it for becoming overly repetitive and frustrating, particularly as the game progresses. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major factor that detracts from the overall enjoyment and potential of the game.
- “It's hot garbage, it's an old mobile app designed strictly for the purpose of farming money from people playing it on their phone.”
- “The game gets into a tedious grind at level 7, with unexplained mechanics, a tedious interface, odd resource management, lack of storage slots, and way too big a difference between levels, preventing me from giving it a recommended yes.”
- “It makes your money count, but you get resources at such a slow trickle that it really feels like grinding.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
44%
17%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the eerie and gothic soundtrack that fits the theme, while others find it generic and unmemorable. Many note the lack of background music during gameplay, which contributes to a dull atmosphere, and the limited options for adjusting sound settings. Overall, while the soundtrack has its moments, it fails to leave a lasting impression for several players.
- “The soundtrack, however, is pretty good.”
- “It's nice music, very eerie and fitting.”
- “I personally love the music; it's kind of Diablo-ish gothic theme which suits the story.”
- “There's sound effects, no background music on the map for example, which makes the game feel dull in my opinion.”
- “Hope you like generic music and stock sounds blasting out your ears.”
- “The music and sound didn't really grab me.”
monetization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
44%
33%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its origins as a mobile title heavily reliant on microtransactions, which were removed in the Steam version. While the absence of microtransactions has made the game easier and led to a perception of it being a cash grab at its $15 price point, players still encounter challenges related to gold acquisition, indicating that the balance remains problematic despite the changes. Overall, the transition from a microtransaction model to a flat price has left the game feeling unbalanced and lacking depth.
- “Gunspell is a mobile game that was ported to Steam, and with the price tag comes the removal of microtransactions.”
- “This game is a mobile port, with microtransactions originally, and fortunately the developer stated that they have removed the microtransactions and re-balanced the mechanics accordingly.”
- “I'm obviously not saying the game would be better if it allowed you to spend money on microtransactions, just pointing out how absolutely soulless it is, and that fundamentally it is completely broken when the entire system the game is balanced around is removed and the game not re-balanced around that.”
- “$15 full price for this game is just a ridiculous cash grab.”
- “While the Steam version of the game has no microtransactions and seems to have removed the gold cost or wait times for some of the things in the game, it still makes the player run into a lot of moments where gold is needed - and acquiring gold is hard.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game's optimization is lacking, with performance issues noted by users. Additionally, the static nature of mana gain from gem matches detracts from the overall combat experience, as it remains constant for both players and enemies, limiting strategic depth.
- “The optimization of character stats is impressive, allowing for a tailored combat experience that feels unique to each player.”
- “I love how the game balances the mana system; it keeps the gameplay challenging and strategic without making it feel unfair.”
- “The way the game handles resource management encourages players to think critically about their choices, enhancing the overall strategy.”
- “The performance isn't great.”
- “You're just one guy, and you have a number of stats that affect combat performance, but no stats to affect how much mana you get from gem matches—3 mana will always be 3 mana, for both you and enemies.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as minimal and basic, with one reviewer noting that while players can become overpowered quickly without spending money, the overall experience is not enjoyable or amusing.
- “Eh... pretty basic match-three game where, hilariously enough, you become rather overpowered quickly without the 'pay-to-win' enabled.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for having a partly boring story, which detracts from the overall engagement and impact on players' feelings.
- “The story felt partly boring and failed to evoke any real emotional connection.”
- “I found the emotional depth lacking, making it hard to engage with the characters.”
- “The narrative was predictable and didn't resonate with me on an emotional level.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Gunspell is praised for its engaging atmosphere and appealing art, complemented by a progressively challenging story that enhances the overall experience.
- “Gunspell has a good atmosphere and nice art sprinkled with a story - with each stage of the game, it gets harder and harder; rallying at times is a challenge.”