Nintendo Switch User Reviews

Gunbarich really accomplishes what it wants to accomplish. It's a very interesting brickbreaker style game that has a good amount of character to it. The levels are fast paced game play is smooth and being capable of playing the game in a vertical arcade cabinet fashion is a great way to play. Controls feel pretty good on the Switch and this unknown title really fits well on the Switch. I'm very pleased with my purchase of the game. The game is quite difficult but that does not mean it deserves a lower rating because of it. Gunbarich is a very underrated arcade title and I hope more people buy the game.

Dancing bears, laser gorillas, and pinball battle?! Well get ready for arcade chaos! Gunbarich is a Japanese arcade game originally released in 2001 by Saikyō. A nice combination between brickbreaker and classic pinball, with some boss battles sprinkled on top. You control the paddle’s left to right movement working to get your timing just right to hit your pinball...giving it a little extra zing which deals more damage to bricks and enemies. The goal being to break all of the bricks within a certain amount of time. If your pinball gets past you, you die and if you run out of time you die. Dying from running out of time while only having one block left in a level is super frustrating, but made me smile everytime, enjoying that old school “we don’t care try again” mentality. The rounds move fast so if you die in world 4, it doesn’t take you long to get back to where you were, so the emotional investment in each round is minimal. Also ending each round with that old school arcade scoreboard rings that good ole nostalgia bell is a great way. The fun of Gunbarich comes with the increasing difficulty and variation in level design. Eventually the pre-world instructions are simply “becareful there will be increasing difficulty…” Which peaked my interest and did not fail to deliver, like when i ran into these enemies and swallow you pinball then spit it out in one of its three other locations randomly. This truly surprised me upon first encounter and became one of my favorite enemies. Making me scour the screen for my **** moment it burst out. Like many other Nintendo Switch ports you have the option to toggle between the retro graphic style and the more crisp remastered version, RETRO PLEASE! I love this recurring feature in modern day remakes. Speaking of graphics, they’re crazy. Dancing bears, sweet anime illustrations, I love the look of this game. Vintage japanese oh yes please. Gunbarich is a nostalgic pinball playground, that while challening, has the variation to break up the monotany and keep you coming back. This game will continue to freshen up my morning commute for many pinball battles to come. Check out my video review on YouTube channel TheFlannelFox