Gunple: Gunman’s Proof Retroview
A Gunman in the Past
It is always refreshing when a game introduces a setting that is underutilized. Gunple: Gunman’s Proof is a western-themed game that was released at the tail end of the Super Famicom’s lifecycle. It released in 1997 and never left Japan, though luckily, fan translations have made this game playable to a broader audience. This game is an action RPG that feels heavily inspired by the Zelda franchise.
Gunman’s Proof’s story centers around a young boy getting possessed by an alien constable who is in pursuit of Demi, an intergalactic fugitive who is presumed to be hiding in these nearby lands. The aliens can’t handle the Earth’s climate without inhabiting a local host, so the young hero agrees, and the journey begins. The game is linear to a degree, though the story is pretty entertaining with the meshing of Western themes with space-invading body snatchers. There is a huge world map to explore, but most of it will be blocked by obstacles until certain events are completed or new items are discovered. While the characters populating the world look unique, the actual world map and locations all seem eerily similar to another SNES title that released in the early 90s.
The protagonist is a crafty gunslinger who can shoot, punch, strafe, and dodge attacks while engaged in combat. In fact, there are a lot of weapons and abilities to collect in this game, though most enemies just need to be riddled with bullets to vanquish. As the player progresses through the game, new special firearms will become available. These weapons will randomly show up as dropped loot from enemies, and if the player waits a second, an icon will cycle through all the available weapons. Whichever tool of destruction the player picks up will become their main weapon, and that firearm will have a limited amount of ammo to use. If the ammo runs out, the weapon reverts back to the default gun of the player, which has unlimited ammo. There is a decent amount of weapons to play around with, and for the most part, it is up to the player how they want to gear their character. There are also bombs that act as screen-clearing nukes. These are best used in dungeons when enemy numbers are starting to overwhelm the player.
Ah. My faith alien-inhabited Donkey mount, Robaton!
Beyond looking plucked straight out of a different game, dungeons are interesting as they provide a graded score in Gunman’s Proof. There is treasure to collect, and the game tracks how fast and effectively the player navigates through the dungeon. The scores do not affect anything in the game, so this feels like something for speed-runners or those who like to best their previous records.
At the end of most dungeons await bosses, and these encounters are fun and varied. The bosses all look great and offer unique patterns to learn before the player can move forward and advance the game. Players will also be rewarded with a Zeal Coin, which adds one extra life point to the young cowboy. These bosses range from easy to difficult, but luckily, the player can hoard extra lives if their hit points drop to zero. Extra lives can be collected after beating bosses and are found in treasure chests throughout the game.
After conquering dungeons, it is a good idea to go back to town and talk to the locals. They will guide the player to the next plot-relevant location, teach the hero how to use new weapons, and sometimes the local vendor will sell useful tools that help the player advance the story. Some tools are used to move NPCs that are blocking pathways, while others allow the player to jump into water and swim around deep aquatic pockets. There is even a point in the game where a fairy will offer the player one of two new outfits, one that boosts offense, and the other boosts defense. This alters the player’s color schemes and gives them a dramatic boost in one of those stats.
Shoryuken to climb waterfalls.
The real standout character in this game is Mono, an intergalactic police officer who was trapped inside a dungeon chest. Just like Zero, Mono, who actually wants to be called Robaton moving forward, inhabited the body of a donkey, and now free, can be summoned while navigating the overworld after an enemy drops a carrot. When summoned, the player mounts Robaton and becomes invincible for a short amount of time. This is a fun way to traverse the world map, as Robaton has different summoned animations, and smashes through any and all foes as the player scoops up any loot that the two gather in their wake. Sadly, Robaton cannot show up in dungeons, but it is always a nice reprieve from danger when a carrot drops. Robaton descends from the heavens in comedic fashion, and the two become an unstoppable force.
The music in Gunman’s Proof is pretty standard, but unfortunately, not a lot of the tracks stand out. There are a few snappy tunes, like the boss and Robaton’s themes, but there is also a distinct lack of songs that capture that Western feel. It seems they missed the mark by leaving that out of the game.
They do say, imitation is the best form of flattery, and in Gunman’s Proof’s case, the game feels like A Link to the Past with a wild west coat of paint slapped over it. Developing games in 1997 on the Super Famicom was certainly a bold idea, considering there was a game releasing on the PlayStation that was about to revolutionize the RPG genre. Gunple: Gunman’s Proof is a fun game that is easy to play, and does not overstay its welcome. If players enjoy Zelda-like gameplay, but also like to shoot things, they should definitely give this title a try.
Disclosure: This review is based off a fan translation and is purely comparing this game to other SNES RPGs
Robaton
Fast-paced combat
This game feels like copyright infringement
No western release
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