Platform: Sega Genesis

Developer: Treasure

Publisher: Sega

Release Date (NA): September 1993

Genre: Run & Gun

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry

Mayhem. Bravado. Chaos. These are a few of the many words used to describe the experience of Gunstar Heroes, Treasure’s debut game. It’s not often a development team pops up out of nowhere and delivers an almost flawless game, but Gunstar Heroes bucks the trend. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have a literal supergroup in the inner workings of your team. Most of Treasure is comprised of ex-Konami employees, so it’s easy to see where the talent comes from. But a spinoff crew doesn’t always deliver with such gusto, so I tip my cap to the Treasure peeps (like they friggin’ need it). When you’re craving that OG Sega experience, and you want it delivered with an action-packed fist, then look no further than Gunstar Heroes, a true gem of the 16-bit era.

In all honesty, the story is lost on me. You have to do some things to save some people and rescue the day, the city, the world, I don’t really know. Also, I don’t really care. I’m here for the action. As an 80s/90s action-movie buff, I tend to run towards things like this. Explosions. Non-stop peril and action. Fast-paced gameplay. Etc. But that’s not to say I’m so easily won-over. While I do find the Streets of Rage games to be of the highest caliber for their genre (the beat ’em up genre), I tend to get a little bored as I lay the smackdown on the 1,000th enemy by level 3. It’s a bit tiresome, and tedium takes ahold as my eyes glance towards the pile of other carts laying ever so seductively next to the Sega. Hm… I wonder what else is in there.

Gunstar Heroes skirts the line of monotony, yet never quite falls prey to the same pitfalls of others in its action subgenre. Sure, this isn’t a beat ’em up like TMNT or Streets of Rage, but c’mon folks. Is a Run & Gun game really all that different from a Beat ‘Em Up? I prefer the weapons variety that generally accompanies the Run & Gun genre vs the punch/kick/special-move skillset in the Beat ‘Em Up genre. And in that respect, Gunstar Heroes is neck-and-neck with the finest run and guns of the era (see Contra, Vectorman, Metal Slug, etc). The sheer variety and polish alone are reasons enough to come back tomorrow and play it again.

The more I dive into Gunstar Heroes, the more excited it makes me. I find myself in awe at the level variety, the graphics, the sound, the music, etc. Simply put, this game has it all! The entire game oozes creativity, gracing players with options and thoughtprovoking decisions. Matching character choice with weapon choice with what level to play may be a worthwhile endeavor, although I never felt the need to care so much. I think the game tends to have just enough of an arcade-style button-mashing characteristic to it that I don’t think you really need to try and strategize which weapon-types work best in which level. But that’s not to say there are no beneficial strategies (that’s for you to figure out because I’m just going to keep mashing buttons).

I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say that Gunstar Heroes is “innovative,” but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Sometimes its better to to present the best possible options (even if they’re not original) vs delivering an undercooked and sloppy “innovation” mechanic. And maybe I’m wrong. This game is 30 years old, so perhaps my memory isn’t serving me so well and there’s more innovation than I recall. But overall, whatever they used here, original or not, it works spectacularly.

Perhaps the game’s pinnacle is the use of a mining cart in the underground stage: this cart, and this level, allowed the developers to showcase the Genesis’ capabilities for speed (BLAST PROCESSING! BWAAH!). The cart sticks on the walls on a vertical drop, then it moves to the ground when you go horizontal. But somehow you can jump from the bottom of the screen and stick to the top and back to the bottom, all while moving forward. Maybe the modified mining cart, as they call it in the game, is magentically powered? Man I wish I had the manual!

Overall, Gunstar Heroes is a really brilliant game and a top-tier title in the Genesis catalog. Despite its minor imperfections (the game is fairly easy at times), it shines bright when held against the cream of the crop of the era. Treasure really outdid themselves with this run-and-gun gem. The weapons options are fantastic, the visuals are superb, the graphics are as sharp as ever, the soundtrack is killer (albeit not very memorable), and it’s just a very fun game! I highly recommend this title for any fan of 16-bit action games, despite your playground preference (Sega vs Nintendo).

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry