Ganpuru - Gunman's Proof
Zelda meets Smash TVGenre: adventure - overhead
Publisher: ASCII Entertainment
Year: 1997
System: SFC
Gameplay Score: 4
Gameplay Notes:
It's funny, I've tried this game several times before but couldn't get into it. This time however, I found myself really enjoying it. It's a mix between Zelda (obviously) and a twin stick shooter like Smash TV. The key is to always hold down on R or L which allows you to strafe. Most enemies shoot at you, but they can only shoot in four directions so it's best to angle yourself in one of the combination directions so you can hit them but they can't hit you. Movement is fast, maybe a little faster than Zelda 3, and it's fun to traverse the world. However, strafing does get a little annoying and always having to go in a combinational direction like up and to the left makes it a little awkward. However, the only real downside of this game's gameplay is that enemies take way too many hits to kill. Even basic enemies sometimes take 10 shots before going down. It's just way too much, especially when you get swarmed by three to five enemies at once.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
There's an overworld map, thank you very much, and the levels very much follow the Zelda formula. There's a home base, the village you're from, where you return to get your new assignment on which dungeon to go to next and where you can save your game. The dungeons are interesting because they're a maze, like any Zelda dungeon, but there are treasures you can acquire which do absolutely nothing. There's no keys. There's no puzzles. You just wander until you find the boss room. The overworld is fun to explore, but the dungeons are definitely a step below your typical Zelda game.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
Cowboys and Aliens! You're a kid who has been possessed by an alien ghost who is a sheriff that's tracking some escaped alien monster or something. It's almost like the story of Lilo and Stitch, if it took place in 1880. It's all very silly and fun. There is a lot of dialogue and I wish it was skippable but again, it's fun stuff.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
This is a Zelda clone through and through. The artwork. Looks very reminiscent of A Link to the past, albeit with a little less polish. And some inconsistencies. Actually it probably looks more like Earthbound than Zelda although the perspective matches Zelda. The sprites tend to have different looks to them. For example, your Sprite looks like it's hand drawn without any shading or borders, but other human sprites are much larger and well defined. Even so, everything looks great and is very colorful.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
The music is a mixed bag. It's all very on theme and has a wild west sound to it, but with a cartoony edge. It almost reminds me of Back to the Future 2 which sounded like 1980s mixed with 1880s. It's good but there are a couple of songs that I don't care for. The only real complaint I have is the obnoxious sound of your gun, which you'll hear a lot because of the weakness of your attacks. It sounds like a snap firecracker and after the 3000th shot it starts to wear on you.
Overall Score: 80
Review ID: 1648
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