I am not great at games inspired by the early Mega Man installments. Maybe I am not coordinated enough or good at working out the timing, but it is beyond me. I was concerned about Mighty Gunvolt Burst going in, since it looks like one of the early installments. But this is a very accommodating and customizable run-and-gun game, with bullet customization that makes it possible for people to create their ideal weapons and character builds.
Things begin rather basically in Mighty Gunvolt Burst, regardless of whether you choose Beck or Gunvolt as your avatar. The storyline and bosses are different between the two, as are the abilities you can unlock for bullets. You have one default bullet already crafted, but have the option of making up to 24 more. These can be created and swapped at any time during the game. The only limit imposed is CP.
Beck and Gunvolt each start with around 1,000 total CP. This changes as grows as you defeat enemies and go through levels. Almost every bullet part and ability has a CP cost assigned to it. Bullet Type is an exception, as has no CP cost and changes the appearance of the bullet. Your creations’ features are limited by CP, which means the more you play and better you do, the better your bullets can be.
As you go through Mighty Gunvolt Burst levels, you will earn various bits and pieces for the customization editor. There might be entirely new features or additions to existing areas, based on what you collect. As an example, after clearing the City, Water Works Bureau, and Mine as Beck, I had the ability to adjust a bullet’s Bullet Type, On-Screen Bullets, Method of Fire, Trajectory, Speed, Piercing, Duration, Bullet Dissipation, Bullet Size, Element, Diagonal Fire, Damage Reduction, Dowsing, and Aerial Action. While this does mean you can’t shoot bullets above you or at an angle without adding that ability, it does mean you can adjust degree of fire and various angles to your liking.
This does mean there will be trade-offs. you may have to sacrifice the number of on-screen bullets available at once and how long they before they disappear after being fired in order to get the extra CP you need to add an effect that will allow your projectiles to pierce the enemy, pierce through environmental features, or do both. But, Mighty Gunvolt Burst also allows you to reduce your CP cost and get a few extra points (which can make all the difference) by tweaking the difficulty. If you increase Damage Reduction to 1.5x, which means you will take one and a half more times damage than usual, you will get an additional 50 CP to spend on another element.
Of course, for people worried about how difficult Mighty Gunvolt Burst may or may not be, there is another element to love. If you choose to give up on a level you are having trouble with, you still keep some of the things you earned in that stage. Your current maximum CP and the Treasure Items you have found stick with you. That means you will increase your limits and keep the customization options. This is a good way to prepare for areas that may be a little more challenging, perhaps as you wait for a bullet element, like Freeze, which you think might be handy against the firey Mighty No. 1 boss.
It also means you can make bullet types designed to make exploration earlier. Dowsing is a feature that uses the Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble to let you know if there is some kind of secret in the area, with the vibrations growing stronger as you near the suspect spot. Aerial Action gives you an air dash for traversing gaps. There are many levels you are supposed to visit more than once, and returning to complete them again will give you another reward to choose from as a prize after successfully traversing the stage. I have one bullet set where everything is basic and barely there, but the Dowsing and Aerial Action features are enabled and at their best.
Mighty Gunvolt Burst’s bullet system is a joy to work with. There are plenty of slots for people to place and save their custom creations. You can tweak, test, and switch to new equipment at any time. You can even “grind” through levels to raise your CP limits and collect new customization options, making you even stronger. And, whether you want to make it easier or more difficult, Damage Reduction is there to let you scale the experience.
Mighty Gunvolt Burst is now available for the Nintendo Switch.
