Is there a more consistent badge of quality than seeing the name Devolver Digital attached to a game? I’d argue no. The publishing studio knocks it out of the park consistently with titles that (as much as I hate to admit it) I might overlook had their name not been involved. For this review, it was actually the action-packed trailers for Gunbrella that led me to believe this might be a special platformer worth checking out. Oh boy, was I right.

With mechanics like glide, double jump, shield, and power attacks, I’ll be honest: Gunbrella feels so darn good to play. The game’s pristine controls are creatively juxtaposed with a gritty noir-themed setting in a world on the brink of collapse. As a woodsman, you’re out investigating some nearby mysteries with your trusty umbrella that is actually a gun. How cool is that premise? As you encounter the likes of gangsters, cops, and even some otherworldly creatures, the team at Doinksoft ensures you’re having a blast every minute of the game.

If you played Gato Robato, then you’re aware that Doinksoft is really proud to pay homage to classic titles in their releases. This game is almost like if Metroid starred a vigilante who explores dark corners of a town instead of space. The energy and tone of Gunbrella is as satisfying as its gameplay, and for the $14.99 price, I can’t recall a better value in fun factor from Devolver this year. That’s not to say their 2023 hasn’t been strong, but Gunbrella is just that good.

If you can stay creative with deflections and use the environment against your enemies, you’ll feel properly powered in this gritty world. At no point do you feel as if you’re running through in God Mode, not even in easy difficulty. There are a lot of moments in Gunbrella that feel so well programmed that you’re just as captivated watching the events of the game play out as you are actually playing it. In its 5-ish hour runtime during my time prepping for this review, I loved every single minute of it.

As with a lot of platformers, I played through the game on normal difficulty. There are options for easy and hard, but I found plenty of fair challenges in the middle. I can confidently say I tried out hard mode for about 90 minutes. I knew immediately that someone much stronger than me would likely enjoy it, but it was no joke. If you want to experience all the game has to offer without major stress, then I’d highly recommend taking the easy route.

Gunbrella captures the heart of what any action platformer should offer with tight controls and action that keep you invested every step of the way. My one criticism is that about halfway through the game it felt like I had experienced all there was to experience. That left over 2 hours of the same gameplay beats to experience. I enjoyed them but certainly wished more momentum was saved for the back end of the experience. Nevertheless, I think Gunbrella is a wonderful addition to your Switch library.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Gunbrella was provided by Devolver Digital for this review.

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Gunbrella

$14.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Great Gameplay
• Multiple Difficulty Options
• Tight Controls
• Intense Action

Cons

• The back end of the game feels too samey