Why you absolutely need to play the pixel game “Gunbrella”.

When a simple woodcutter returns home after a day out, he is suddenly confronted with the ruins of his existence. The anger is great, hatred boils in the stomach and the silent hermit swears bloody revenge. We don’t want to reveal more about the background here, because the game develops the best possible appeal without the slightest prior knowledge. Unpredictable twists and story details ensure that you regularly sit wide-eyed in front of the screen. Promise!

Who or what is our character actually so angry at? And why was he the target of a heinous act? And what about the mysterious weapon that was left behind? Questions about questions. The only thing that is certain is that the troubled man grabs the Gunbrella and marches towards the city to find answers. So, is it all just a simple revenge story? Oh no!

A new best friend

Already in the first few minutes it becomes clear that this is not a fun pixel fun that will guide us through brightly colored 2D levels. Dark colors, deep shades and bad weather tell us that this story will not be a pleasant walk. The titular Gunbrella will join us in this side-scrolling adventure and help us find answers through raw, bloody violence.

The weapon, a cross between a shotgun and a protective shield, becomes our best friend. It allows us to jump, slide, float, swing and dive to higher levels. And if we want, we can upgrade the dealer’s weapon, make it more powerful and get other bullet variations from it. Truly a perfect companion that will often save our lives in the dark hours to come.

From lumberjack to detective

But ‘Gunbrella’ is much more than this unconventional weapon and smooth, buttery platform art. The thirst for revenge leads us to a city divided into several sectors, each with additional sections that are impassable for the time being. So you can’t just run and blast through it.

Like a detective, the woodcutter must talk to the residents, get to know them, extract certain information from them to find out how to get from A to B. Sometimes it is enough to get a specific ticket, sometimes he has to specifically take care of disappeared people or find certain objects so that the path to progress opens up.

A degraded world

As we search for clues, we find ourselves deeper and deeper into a rough world that we begin to understand more precisely, step by step, section by section. We witness a fractured society suffering the consequences of exploitative industrialization and how politics became the lapdog of an occult group.

The law enforcement officers became arrogant people in fancy uniforms who bullied fellow citizens. Gangsters and monsters sneak through the dirty city hand in hand. And in the midst of it all, our lumberjack rushes through the alleys in search of answers, redemption, and the Gunbrella maker.

Oppressive mood

“Gunbrella” is a delight. Already in the first minutes there is a dark atmosphere around us that, despite the cute pixel graphics, drags us deeper and deeper into a world full of negativity. No matter how funny the dialogues and cute characters come our way, the message is clear: you don’t want to live in this dirty world full of fake people.

The deeper you go into the game, the more information surfaces and fuels our motivation to get the most out of the characters, uncover the entire backstory of a twisted class society and misguided science, and ultimately give the snarling woodcutter his redemption.

As if it comes from a single source

Despite the dark atmosphere and socially critical punches in the stomach that regularly make us think during the approximately ten hours of playing time, the game develops a wonderful appeal due to the smooth gameplay. Our lumberjack can be guided through the levels with utmost precision and movements with great grace across the playground and jumps, slides and shoots across our screen in such a way that we can hardly get enough of it.

Furthermore, our ears are blessed with a fantastic soundtrack, allowing us to give the character some time at some points to simply listen to the music. Dull industrial sounds are combined with retro synthwave pieces and surrounded by jazzy sounds. An audio feast for the senses.

I love it!

Conclusion: “Gunbrella” is a game mechanics and audiovisual pixel fest that is also served up with content highlights. The story, in which a twisted social order haunts us even in our dreams, draws us deeper and deeper with many questions and mysteries and presents an eerily beautiful world presented to us in a plausible and lovingly detailed way with incredibly good art design. The controls are precise, velvety smooth, never letting us down during the most hectic times and welcoming the fun of the game with open arms at all times. “Gunbrella” is at times sweaty, tough and at other times benevolent and lively. I love it!

“Gunbrella” is available for Nintendo Switch and PC. Not for people under 16 years old.