20 years ago, the third-person action game Gungrave launched for PlayStation 2. Today, the gun-slinging anti-hero Beyond the Grave returns successful Gungrave G.O.R.E, the archetypal orthodox sequel successful the bid since the 2004 follow-up Gungrave: Overdose. This time, it is spearheaded by Studio IGGYMOB, a South Korean developer whose archetypal task into the franchise was the 2017-released Gungrave VR for virtual reality headsets.

“When looking into it, arsenic a studio, we liked that some the gameplay and the characters gave america this nostalgic feeling,” Studio IGGYMOB main operating serviceman Kay Kim told Gematsu. “With the original, radical fell successful emotion with the game’s chiseled look and plan successful this over-the-top world. That distinctive gameplay and charm of the quality played an important relation successful our determination to revive the Gungrave intelligence property. As fans of the series, it was a caller and breathtaking challenge.”

The archetypal Gungrave was developed by RED Entertainment, which inactive owns the rights to the intelligence property. While its gameplay received mixed reception astatine the time, its quality designs by Yasuhiro Nightow were highly acclaimed. And portion RED Entertainment is not straight progressive successful Gungrave G.O.R.E, Nightow is inactive connected committee successful a large way.

“Nightow took an progressive and important relation arsenic representation manager for the Gungrave G.O.R.E,” Kim explained. “In peculiar we worked with Nightow connected character’s design, posing, and more. Later on, Nightow besides helped america with coming up with names and designs for the skills, broadening his relation to adjacent much arsenic an representation director.”

But the hold for a caller Gungrave has been a agelong clip coming. Gungrave G.O.R.E was announced mode backmost successful December 2017, and erstwhile had a acceptable merchandise model of winter 2019, but faced aggregate delays arsenic Studio IGGYMOB struggled to find an investor.

“At the time, mobile games were the biggest marketplace successful Korea, truthful it was hard to person an concern arsenic a console game,” Kim said. “The merchandise of the crippled was delayed owed to the mixing of fiscal problems and changing of crippled designs. At first, we designed the crippled arsenic fractional open-world, but we soon realized that it doesn’t acceptable to the quality of Gungrave franchise. Looking back, it feels comic present to deliberation we astir made the rubric fractional open-world, but we were truly superior astir it astatine the time.”

While the thought of an open-world was tossed aside, Gungrave G.O.R.E does travel packed with some caller features alongside Gungrave bid pillars.

Kim explains, “First of all, we felt it was important to see iconic elements of the franchise, peculiarly unlimited ammunition is staying successful the game. Also, the demolitions shots and high-tempo shooting are improved with a stylish caller look. We’ve included caller and exhilarating gameplay which has made the feeling of the crippled stronger. We person added assorted systems to plan the gameplay cooler and much enjoyable.

“Our favourite caller constituent is ‘The Storm Barrage,’ which lets players determination retired bullets similar a storm. We besides person things similar ‘R.I.P,’ which allows you to termination stun enemies successful 1 hit, and ‘Chase,’ which lets players dive successful to the force line. Lastly, ‘Grab’ is simply a batch of fun—it allows you to propulsion enemies successful beforehand of players during combat. There are truthful galore enjoyable and badass melee onslaught systems that person arsenic been added to the game, we’re excited for gamers to get successful and bask them.”

To that end, Grave is besides sporting immoderate caller weapons successful summation to his trademark Cerberus and Death Hauler. And adjacent those person been upgraded.

“The ‘Cerberus’ and ‘Death Hauler’ are inactive there, but they person much skills, and we person added caller features to the Death Hauler. In erstwhile iterations, determination was nary growth, but successful Gungrave G.O.R.E, the subordinate tin grow and fortify his skills and abilities by upgrading. This volition go important origin successful immersion and aggregate rounds of play.”

Gungave G.O.R.E takes spot connected the fictional land of “Scumland” successful Southeast Asia pursuing the events of Gungrave: Overdose, but it is not integral to person played erstwhile games successful the bid to travel the story, Kim explained.

“In the main paper you volition find a past conception that volition amended each players astir the erstwhile titles and story. So adjacent if players person ne'er played a Gungrave crippled earlier it volition beryllium casual for them to leap in. Even those who person acquisition with the erstwhile iterations of the Gungrave franchise tin punctual themselves of the communicative with past section.”

With Gungrave G.O.R.E retired astatine retailers and integer storefronts today, Studio IGGYMOB looks guardant to the aboriginal of the Gungrave franchise.

“We’ve made definite that this caller iteration maintains the legitimacy of the Gungrave franchise but besides elevates it,” Kim said. “In particular, with things similar the maturation system, but besides much rewards wrong antithetic difficulties for aggregate rounds of play. If you wide the hardest mode of the game, you tin get Brandon Heat arsenic the archetypal introduction into the game. I deliberation it is challengeable worth arsenic a fan. Also, it volition beryllium amusive to situation gamers for the highest termination number too.

“We person immoderate ideas for [downloadable content], nevertheless we person thing to stock close now… We are readying the adjacent sequel. If Gungrave G.O.R.E becomes successful, determination is higher accidental we’ll beryllium capable to make a sequel. We’ll person to hold and see.”

Gungrave G.O.R.E is disposable present for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, arsenic good arsenic via Xbox Game Pass.