EDIT: The content is now available but you have to pay extra for it. I might check it out on sale and alter my review.

They stopped updating this game, and it still needs some love and they know it.
That's why the switch version has more characters bug fixes, and more.

We don't see it coming to PC though.

Don't bother with this game, since they aren't bothering with this platform anymore.

I was a pretty big fan of Gungrave Overdose back in the day. I loved the Nightow-styled visuals, the ridiculous characters, the way everything would be torn apart and riddled with bullets after a firefight. The first four levels of Gungrave GORE are alright. Grave can now pull enemies to him with a hook to use as meat shields and can throw them. There are finishers now too. Otherwise, Grave plays just as he did in Overdose. But it's been 18 years and Overdose was kind of clunky for 2004. And while Overdose was 9 stages long with three different characters, GORE has 31 stages. There are two other characters, but you play as them for a single level each. Grave's basic gameplay never changes.

The game is extremely repetitive and is stretched insanely thin by the time the credits roll. As far as improvements, the camera isn't glued to Grave's back and you can aim with your mouse. But pretty much everything else is worse. The game's art style is hideous, with awful character designs in generic levels. The visuals are no longer manga-style and the game just looks like it could be anything. The story is a nonsensical mess that doesn't have entertaining dialogue exchanges like Overdose did. Instead, the two characters with the worst designs have long conversations about SEED. The levels are long corridors where you do nothing but shoot things most of the time.

However, there's some platforming too, which is some of the worst platforming I've ever seen. If you're like me, you'll have an okay time for most of the first five levels until you find yourself on top of the train in level 5. Here, you have to dodge and jump over signs that kill you in a couple of hits. Think back to PS2-era Gungrave and remember how rigid the movement was now imagine platforming with those controls. Platforming rears its ugly head multiple times and falling can lead to dying instantly. There are a handful of sections where you have to do something other than shoot things and they're always nothing short of atrocious.

But the worst thing is the enemy placement. Enemies feel thrown into the levels without any attention paid to balance. You walk through a door and get assaulted by a ton of rockets, sniper shots, flames, and a hail of bullets from enemies positioned behind foes with shields and ones with swords that deflect bullets. The enemy rockets are much like the ones in Ninja Gaiden 2. You'll be trying to fight only to have to deal with rocket after rocket slamming into you. And the stunlocking is nuts. So many enemy attacks stun you, so forget about standing in place and using Grave's awesome shoot-out mode. You'll just get stunlocked and have to either grab someone to use as a shield or spam demolition attacks to refill your health gauge. Grave feels as brittle as glass, but he also feels weak. The hit detection on his Grave Hauler is also poor and it barely feels like it even hits enemies. Oh, and you need currency to upgrade Grave, but it stays the same in every level. You'll need more and more to upgrade Grave's parameters but the amount you get for later levels doesn't increase.The gameplay is putrid.

The basic shooting is still kind of fun, but this game lasts over 10 hours and you'll practically only be using Grave's pistols. You also can't unlock the other 2 characters for play after beating the game. You play as them in their individual levels and that's it. This game was delayed for three entire years and it's amazing that this is the best Iggymob could do. I wish we had a good new Gungrave game, but this one is just an insult to the franchise. That anyone expects you to play $50 for it is madness.

I played this game at launch via game pass. I'm a huge Gungrave fan so I couldn't miss it, but despite me beating it at launch, I had a miserable time for most of my playthrough. However, Iggymob has been on point with listening to criticisms, because nearly every gameplay complaint I had at launch has been fixed in patches. I would now go so far as to say Gungrave GORE is a good game. It's still imperfect in many ways, and the game's budget was half a bag of Doritos and a dream (and it shows), but damn if they didn't turn an awful product into a good one, which is no small feat. And it's a miracle we even got a new Gungrave to begin with (the VR games don't count, trust me). If you're into aggressively 6-7/10 PS2-era action game schlock, Gungrave GORE is well worth it on a decent sale.

You guys really should remaster Gungrave 1 & Overdose.

Adrenaline-fueled,fast paced and great combat,what more can you ask for ? )

P.S. Please make a Hellsing Ultimate game next I trust in you devs <3

It's like an Unreal asset store student project that went too far. The story is perhaps the worst of all time. The new characters suck. Demolition shot animations take way too long. Boss balance is non-existent.

Also really fun and has a banger soundtrack, best worst game I've ever played.

"Kusoge", "So bad its good" and etc, are just lame excuses that represent the insecurities of many. If something is GOOD, then it is GOOD. You don't have to fit in with the rest of the hivemind that you feel inclined to justify your lack of self-thought by feeble means. What kind of statement is even "Best 7/10 game!", like why does everything have to be with scores? Why do we even measure our enjoyment? Everyone is quick to make assumptions and judgments, for this very reason we have games like Gungrave G.O.R.E totally overshadowed by such shallow remarks.

G.O.R.E is not your typical action game, many commercialize it as such, but its highly different than the likes of Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. What you have here is pure, unfiltered Arcade Shoot Em' Up that has a heavy emphasis on scoring and utilizing your tools for effective Clears. If this doesn't seem like your cup of tea, that's no biggie. Gungrave series is definitely an acquired taste and if you want to see what you're getting yourself into, at least try playing the first game on the PS2 to have a clear idea. If you liked it, then congratulations on being part of the outcasts who think this series has just as much depth as the beloved "10/10" classics.

Gungrave G.O.R.E is such a breath of fresh air in the Gaming industry whilst also being archaic in its values. Everything has to be modernized to appeal to the Status Quo for the Big Men in suits, even Nostalgia-baiting people with the "Olde" by remaking classics, and totally butchering them with microtransactions. Of course, the very same hivemind does not really mind this and is ready to have you impaled on a cross if you claim the "Resident Evil 4 Remake is a massive downgrade" but that's an entire issue of its own.

P.S. I've played this game from start to finish on Hard on my first run, just git gud if you're crying about the Train stage. It really is not even an issue.

If you are looking for the next triple A Devil May Cry style character action game, this isn't it.

If you are looking for a simpler 3rd person shooter about a dead guy carrying around a coffin shooting crackheads, you'll get some enjoyment out of this.

I once heard that the original Gungrave for the PS2 was designed around the idea that a drunk salary man, after getting home from a hard day of work, could play a game without having to focus and just have a good time. In this regard I feel like Gungrave G.O.R.E stays true to that formula. It's a simple and stylish game. That's the essence of the franchise and it doesn't have to be much else to be worthwhile.

This is the strangest recommendation I've ever made.

Gungrave G.O.R.E, which I will not be properly writing out again, feels exactly like playing a weirdo small-name game in the PS2 era. There were dozens of underrated gems back then, things that by and large slipped under the radar, and many of them never got to see the light of day again. Shinobi is dead forever, I might be the only person alive who loved Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.

Gungrave was a game I never managed to track down, and then one day I woke up to see that there was a sequel. Coming to Steam, of all things! I knew I had to give it a go once I had the chance.

Well.

Do I recommend this game to everyone? Yes, but only because it's been ages since I saw a game with this much heart and soul poured into it. I don't think the majority of players will enjoy this game - there are clunky controls (which I find tolerable because it's just like on the PS2), some lingering jank (which gives it charm), and the sound design in particular is constantly failing the visuals. The voice acting is PS2-era bad (which I love!), the gameplay is relatively simple (I enjoy it for it, it feels extremely arcadey) but the game just oozes heart.

I've never heard of this studio before, but what I can tell you with absolute certainty is that they put their hearts and souls into making this game, and it's a really solid niche title for what it is. It's jank, it's fun, it's loud, it's flashy, it's completely ridiculous. This game would also legitimately gain 2 points on a 10 point scale if it had proper sound design, like, there has to be a sound library that's within budget they could use that contains sounds for 'chainsaw' and 'big laser powering up', right?

unironically the only reason I don't record a bunch of foley myself and send it to the devs with full free license to use it is that I don't have access to the equipment I used to work with anymore :(

And the fact I'd be willing to put in that work otherwise should tell you everything you need to know about this game and how I feel about it. This game is great fun. I recommend it. Statistically speaking you'll probably hate it. Buy it anyway. It's delightful 2000s edge.

**UPDATE AUGUST 8 2023:**

Whoa, I got a response from the developers! I never expected THAT!

I kind of wrote this because I wanted to recommend this to my friends so I wrote it up as an easy way to share that, I never expected the devs would see it.

I want to clarify a few things in light of that.

1: I really genuinely do love this game, and I do recommend at least trying it to everyone who sees this. If you think you MIGHT like this game, you almost certainly will.

2: I understand game development is super hard and I don't want you to think I was ragging overly much on the sound designer - it's difficult work, I've done stuff in that field before and people underestimate how challenging it can be. I just really think it's worth the effort, because the visuals are SO GOOD by and large that the underwhelming sound accompanying it undercuts them. This game could easily thrive off being loud and stylish with some more oomph to things like the railgun sniper shot at the end, the enemy attacks, etc.

Grave's guns and Bunji's guns both sound fantastic, by the way. Very well done! And I find the voice acting fun and charming, this really does bring back nostalgia for the PS2 era in the best way.

I genuinely look forward to any future work you guys put out!

This is not DMC or Bayoneta, This is a fun third person, arcade style shoot 'em up game. No RPG stuff, no story, just raw shooting. It’s far from perfect, but really fun. Go for the best score and enjoy. Grab it on a sale if you like acade games. It plays great on the Steam Deck.