Review: Astral Gunners

Developer: Sati Bros

Genre: Action game

Platform: Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Sati Bros

Astral Gunners is the breakthrough title for the Sati Bros, two siblings who have been working on their passion project for almost four years.

I initially got a chance to play Astral Gunners at MAGFest a few years ago, and I even went home and downloaded the trial. The fact that I felt compelled to continue playing the demo after experiencing it at MAGFest says lot to me.

Bullet hells aren’t my thing, especially side-scrolling ones (I mostly play Touhou). So, as a self-described danmaku casual, how does Astral Gunners stack up?

Astral Gunners begins with a cartoony tone, with the titular Astral Gunners facing combat against the forces of evil: the Dark Gunner and his companions. The Astral Gunners are a colorful group of warriors created to clear space for their human creators. Each gunner is assigned to a separate environment that best suits their skills and abilities. For example, the Blue Gunner is affiliated with Azuria, a world that has a gigantic data center and research facility. My personal favorite is the Light Gunner, whose defensive abilities are simply too convenient.

After completing Light World, players can choose any of the remaining worlds at their leisure, resulting in a personalized route. While worlds are allocated a difficulty level, it can be beneficial to defeat a more difficult world first. The main reason I liked this was that if you keep dying on a specific world in your Arcade runs, you may tackle it sooner rather than later in case it ends your run.

The game also has a single stage mode where you can practice hard areas and compete for single stage high scores. Overall, the game’s score system appears to be developed with bullet hell enthusiasts in mind. Players are pushed to find the best time for their ultimate powers since employing them generates a bonus score modification that culminates in a “System Overload,” a period in which you gain +200% points before being reset to +0%. For score chasers, learning this will be critical.

There are also hidden SP Medallions throughout the stages, as well as UFO adversaries who provide bonus points. SP Medallions are usually buried in places that require skill, luck, or multiple plays to find. In fact, some of them are completely unfair. For example, in Light World, the second medallion blends in with the pillar beside which it is concealed, and it also appears during the game’s first sub-boss, so you’re focused on not dying. Meanwhile, another SP Medallion (I believe it was in Crimson Peaks) is dragged fast to the upper right by an adversary. To catch it, you must either anticipate its arrival or be fortunate in your posture. My favorite medallions were easy to detect, but collecting them needed skill and precise movement (or a unique ability to clear the bullets).

One of the charming little quality-of-life elements was a marker behind your character that indicated the boss’s vertical position. This allows players to zone out and focus on dodging bullets without having to look at the actual adversary sprite.

However, I have some graphic concerns, and it is not the basic stick-and-ball style of (most) of the bots; rather, the background and bullets are not distinct enough on the screen. other bullets blend in too well with the background, and other level hazards are hard to spot at first.

In one notable example, in the stage Dystopia, there are sections where you must maneuver past physical boundaries on the stage before being squeezed by the edge of the screen. I killed when I ran into a horizontal wall that divided the field of play and didn’t detect it (I figured my character was slowing down for a mid-boss cutscene).

But let’s talk about the music. The music is really fantastic and includes original songs performed by Sami Sati and some guest performers. My favourite song was “Sunny Sky, Stormy Heart”. I went back and purchased the soundtrack on Steam while writing this review, that’s how much I liked the music.

Finally, Astral Gunners is a terrific game that offers an easy-to-pick-up experience for casual bullet hell players while still allowing serious score chasers to truly dig into the game. There are a few questionable graphical selections that draw me out of it, but they are minor and easily disregarded once I’ve gotten used to it.

Review Overview

Gameplay: 84%

Controls: 86%

Aesthetics: 88%

Content: 81%

Accessibility: 80%

Value: 83%

Overall: 84%

GALACTICALLY FUN!

Summary:

“Astral Gunners” is an action-packed, retro-inspired shooting game that blends fast-paced gameplay with vivid visuals. The gameplay is thrilling, with responsive controls that make ducking and firing effortless. The style, which features vivid and intricate sci-fi settings, pays homage to vintage arcade shooters while maintaining a unique vibe. Although it can be difficult for newbies, “Astral Gunners” features a fair difficulty curve that rewards skill and perseverance. It’s an excellent choice for genre enthusiasts, with plenty of repeat value thanks to its rewarding mechanics and fascinating stages.