It has been over 4 months since the release of the Switch version of Gunvolt. A lot of users are saying for the first game it was the definitive version. I only half agree as I have played this game on 3DS, PC Steam and Switch. This is not a traditional review post, I wanted to share my opinions on how to make this release even better.
1) GV1 Bring back content from the PC version.
One of my main criticisms about the Switch version is the near lack of extra content. The only content that is new from a pure Nintendo player perspective are the 2 extra difficulty modes, Easy and Hard. Gone are the full game speedrun modes and survival modes. Is it possible to use Gunvolt 2's speedrun mode as a baseline for this game, having an in-game timer that only runs during actual gameplay? In other words, there is significantly less replay value for this game over GV2.
2) GV1 Add the classic right stick flick command for skills.
In the PC release of GV1, the skills were only set on a Keyboard from F1 to F4, a few quick updates later and it was implemented to the right stick. The execution was simple, hit Up for skill 1, Right for skill 2, Down for skill 3 and Left for skill 4. When playing the Switch version, you select a skill with the right stick and then PUSH the stick 'RS' to activate the skill. This feels very awkward to execute in tight situations and pushing the stick may sometimes hit one of the four directions leading to a chance that you can activate the wrong skill by accident.
3) GV1 Add the quick skill shortcut button (X)
The Switch version of Gunvolt 1 added Dash Speed Wall jumps, a mechanic that was first introduced in the sequel. I was surprised that this little neat feature wasn't added to the game. The X button in GV1 is used to disable real-time text. I would have preferred if that button was set to Minus like in GV2.
4) GV1 Add other translations to the Japanese dialogue text.
This one doesn't bother me personally because I'm English and so I get to understand the lore of Gunvolt 1. But as of the Switch release, the Japanese dialogue text has only been translated into English and nothing else, unlike its sequel where even the 3DS release had translations from Japanese dialogue text into other languages.
5) GV1 Make Copen playable. (Azure Striker Gunvolt & Copen)
Ok, this one is a bit far-fetched and nearly impossible when you got to factor material, upgrades, memory expansions and EX weapons but you only need to amend Nova 2 by removing its barrier and use Shred Storm/Strike Saw to remove _FINALBOSS_ Voltaic Chain.
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| Lower half of the screen is the EXP bar. |
6) GV1 & 2 Show experience point bar without having to pause the game.
Usually, the exp bar gets shown in dual screen gameplay (3DS and PC when using certain layouts) but the Switch version is a pure single screen experience and the exp bar can only be seen when pausing the game. I wouldn't mind having it nearby the top left part where the HP bar is.
Bonus) GV2 Remove the kudos keeper style mechanic in GV2's speedrun mode.
The 2nd game's speedrun mode did get the in-game timer spot-on but what puts me off from running this game a lot is that it has Kudos Keeper on by default, this forces a more cautious play as it essentially becomes a no damage speedrun when done right. The extra high kudos does kill the difficulty when fighting against Zonda copy and true Zonda as they can be defeated in roughly under 10 seconds thanks to the 1000 Kudos bonus(es) from the previous bosses. Some of the best speedruns tend to take damage on purpose to abuse damage invincibility and it leads to some creative route planning. That little mechanic should have been a separate speedrun mode similar to how it was treated in GV1's PC speedrun mode.
In conclusion, despite my 7 points on how to improve the game, they are the best version when it comes to performance thanks to the silky smooth 60fps and compared to the PC release, way less crashes.
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