25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part VIII: Gunstar Heroes

Gunstar Heroes (Genesis, 1993)

Why You Should Play It

Founded by former Konami programmers in the early 90s, Treasure is a very peculiar company that has spawned some of the most brilliant and inventive games ever to grace the industry.
From the million-missile barrages of Bangai-O, to the artistic rail-shooting in Sin & Punishment, from the light-and-shadow bullet-hell of Ikaruga to the silly, color-swapping antics of Silhouette Mirage, you'll never find a more varied and unique lineup under one publisher's banner, and their reign as one of gaming's most reliable developers begins with their very first original title, Gunstar Heroes.

At first, Gunstar looks like little more than a colorful and quirky version of Contra, but it doesn't take long at all for that comparison to be voided. Gunstar plays out like an action blockbuster, with every bullet-hell-riddled step to the right taking you further into explosive absurdity. The screen fills with violence as you (and hopefully, a friend) are bombarded by a never ending stream of enemies coming from every imaginable direction. To thwart this onslaught, you are given a variable gun that simultaneously uses two bullet types for a plethora of possible combinations, a wide array of melee attacks and even the ability to toss your enemies across the screen dare they venture too close. All of this proceeds at a pace almost impossible to perceive at first, but with with practice, Gunstar Heroes becomes a test of skill and reflexes that will become engrained into your memory over subsequent playthroughs, and you will replay it, many, many times.

As one would soon come to expect from Treasure, Gunstar also boasts a cast of colorful characters that without any real narrative development, are well fleshed-out thanks to their animated expressions and the humorous situations they're placed in, from silly, comic interludes between stages, to over-the-top, anime-style plot revelations and double-crosses. While this may sound like industry standard stuff, there's nothing quite like the way Treasure characterizes their games with animation and attention to detail.

More than any of its individual merits as a game, however, Gunstar Heroes deserves praise most of all for being a launchpad for Treasure to produce one of the greatest bodies of work in this business. Without Treasure, the world would be a much less fun and wonderful place, and without Gunstar Heroes, we probably wouldn't have Treasure. This piece isn't so much an advertisement for Gunstar Heroes as it is an advertisement for you to experience all the wonders Treasure has to offer. Gunstar is just a great place to start.

Potential Barriers

None. Gunstar Heroes hasn't aged at all. It was one of the best-looking games of its day and it's held up in a way that makes it fit right in with the pixel-work renaissance that's occurring in indie game circuits right now. From a playing standpoint, Gunstar is pretty timeless, and it's easy for anyone to jump right in and have fun with it like it came out yesterday.

Current Availability

Gunstar is readily available on both XBox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, making it easily accessible for gamers of today.

If You Really Dig It

Run-and-gun shooters are a dime a dozen and have been consistently throughout gaming history. However, only a select few deserve to have comparisons drawn toward Treasure's masterpiece.

Select Contra games

Contra III: The Alien War (SNES, 1992)

Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis, 1994)

Contra 4 (Nintendo DS, 2007)

Contra ReBirth (WiiWare, 2009)

Hard Corps: Uprising (Playstation Network/XBox Live Arcade, 2011)

Contra is one of the most long-running and timeless game franchises in the business, but only a few titles in the series deliver the same sort of frenetic action as Gunstar Heroes. Contra III is sufficiently over-the-top. Better yet is Hard Corps, the Genesis Contra game which feels almost like a noted response to Gunstar Heroes. Contra 4 and Contra ReBirth also hit most of the right beats. Best of all, however, is Hard Corps: Uprising, a downloadable prequel to Hard Corps developed by Arc System Works, a company that has an appreciation of the mixture of over-the-top with oldschool sensibilities comparable to Treasure's.

Gunner's Heaven/Rapid Reload (PSOne, 1995)

Gunner's Heaven is an excellent run-and-gun shooter that is very obvious in its admiration for Gunstar Heroes. Developed by Media.Vision (the developer that would later go on to produce the legendary RPG series, Wild Arms), Gunner's Heaven has more than a passing similarity to Treasure's work and boasts some of the most beautiful 2D graphics on the PSOne. Unfortunately, the avenues to obtain Gunner's Heaven are very limited. Your only option is importing, unless you're fortunate enough to live in Japan or Australia, where Gunner's Heaven is easily available on the Playstation Store.

Guardian Heroes (Saturn, 1996)

While Guardian Heroes doesn't share a whole lot with Gunstar Heroes besides its developer and the ridiculous amount of chaos per screen, I can recommend no game in the Treasure canon more than Guardian Heroes. Guardian Heroes is a beat'em up--no, THE beat'em up, and there aren't many euphemisms in my vocabulary that I can accurately use to describe how much fun the game is. Grab it on XBox Live Arcade and see for yourself.

Metal Slug series

As legendary as Contra is, Metal Slug is the undisputed king of run-and-gun shooters. SNK's long-running series might be the same game every time, but it's built on an engine that doesn't have much room for improvement. There are various collections and anthologies that mash several games in the franchise together on one piece of media, so track them down and experience all the chaotic fun Metal Slug has to offer.

Mischief Makers (Nintendo 64, 1997)

Of all Treasure's work, Mischief Makers is the most similar in play style and spirit to Gunstar Heroes. Take Gunstar, and move the emphasis away from shooting and place it entirely on the game's throwing mechanics (throwing is actually a big part of Gunstar Heroes), amp up the silliness and add a bit of cuteness, and you've got Mischief Makers.