Gungrave G.O.R.E. BLOOD HEAT is the game I didn’t know I wanted to play

As someone who really got into gaming during the PS2 era, I’m surprised at myself for never having played a Gungrave game. Maybe it was just preference, or maybe the M rating kept my mom from letting me pick it up. At any rate, I don’t remember the name until the recent Gungrave G.O.R.E. release. Now, the team is working on a new version of the game, and it’s a fascinating package.

Let me preface my demo impressions with our previous review of the game. Editor Jack Zustiak had a great time with it, giving it an 80/100 score. His summary was this: “Gungrave lives by the simple principle of ‘kick their ass.’ If that premise fails to hook you, nothing G.O.R.E. does will change your mind. If anything, its minor missteps may dissuade you from sticking with it at all. For those who love Gungrave for the kind of game it is, however, G.O.R.E. offers plenty more of it while intelligently expanding the core mechanics. This is one for all the true Gungravers out there howling at the night for more things to shoot.â€

Gungrave G.O.R.E. review — Simple fun returns from Beyond The Grave

People often look down on simple games, but games don’t necessarily need a lot of depth to be fun. In fact, I find the absence of depth to be Gungrave’s greatest strength. The original Gungrave game unleashed a flurry of bullets and chaos that whipped up into a

With that out of the way, let’s dive into why the developers are working on a fresh build of an existing game, alongside a newbie’s perspective. It’s not that G.O.R.E. wasn’t great, but here was a chance for them to recreate the game in Unreal Engine 5. If you’ve played any UE5 games, you’ll understand why. The incredible visual fidelity is worth the effort. Beyond that, the controls have been upgraded, combat flow adjusted, and there’s a new encounter design. IGGYMOB wants you to enjoy the game as much as possible, and it’s cool to see a developer stick by their game in this manner.

I played BLOOD HEAT for about 20-30 minutes. During my time, I was able to get pretty familiar with its odd pace. I don’t say odd in a bad way. The main character, Beyond the Grave, slowly strides forward with a huge coffin on his back. When it’s time to fight, however, he suddenly amps up his speed. It’s nothing crazy, but the switch-up is intense.

The king of Gungrave is a ferocious action. At least in the section I played, all of the fights were in really close quarters, which often forces you to play aggressively. Your dual pistols auto-lock when you’re close enough to your enemies, which makes it easy to get right into the shooting. The coffin also comes into play up close, as you can swing it around before unleashing a thunderous blow at the end of the combo. This is as PS2 as it gets and in the best way possible. In the chase for better graphics and deeper gameplay systems, developers often forget fun, but IGGYMOB hasn’t.

Demolition shots up the ante even more. These super moves are wild, like chucking a full-blown artillery shell into your enemies. It’s over-the-top, and I love it. Parrying also takes things to the next level, letting you reflect rockets back at enemies with your coffin. If you take damage, charging your shield in a corner is easy to do, but takes a bit of time, so it’s best to do it outside of combat.

Even though the gameplay is reminiscent of a bygone era, the graphics have gotten quite an overhaul. Beyond The Grave and the coffin are dazzling, with some great detail and lighting effects on the coffin specifically. All of the particle and damage effects are also upgraded and look sublime. The original release wasn’t shabby by any means, but this update really brings out the best in the art design.

While I wouldn’t have said this was my kind of game before my Summer Game Fest appointment, I’d certainly be interested in giving the series a try now. I keep referring back to the PS2, but it’s because I remember the joy of that age of gaming. Many companies try to recapture that feeling, but IGGYMOB has nailed it. Now that it comes in an even shinier package, it’s a great time to take a trip back to yesteryear. Gungrave G.O.R.E. BLOOD HEAT will arrive in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles.

GUNGRAVE G.O.R.E: BLOOD HEAT on Steam

Full Rebuild with Unreal Engine 5, GUNGRAVE G.O.R.E BLOOD HEAT delivers stunning visuals and an evolved action system. Experience the explosive fusion of stylish Bullet Ballet and Gunkata in an immersive, adrenaline-pumping action spectacle!