14 DAY TRIAL // The creator of Mega Man, Japanese game designer Keiji Inafune, has recently revealed an upcoming Nintendo 3DS side-scrolling shooter titled Azure Striker Gunvolt.
Inafune is also currently working on Mighty No. 9, a Kickstarter funded side-scrolling action game that his company Comcept is busy assembling, meant to serve as a spiritual successor to the beloved Mega Man, and thus being quite similar in many ways to the legendary series.
But only one spiritual successor seems to be one less than the Japanese game maker likes to work on, as the BitSummit indie game festival held in Kyoto, Japan this weekend saw the unveiling of his next game, Azure Striker Gunvolt, a title which bears a strong resemblance to the Mega Man Zero series.
Again a collaboration with Inti Creates, who worked on the original Mega Man Z and are also involved in the development of Mighty No. 9, Gunvolt adds some new characters and a few gameplay improvements which are highlighted in the launch trailer.
This comes as no big surprise, as Inafune has repeatedly confessed his love for 2D side-scrollers and has stated that his mission is to try and evolve the genre by introducing more modern features, as it has been ignored for years in favor of more complex 3D titles.
Azure Striker Gunvolt will be released as a digital download on the eShop, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console sometime this summer. The game will be launched in Japan, and no statements regarding a western release have been made public yet, although the official website notes that an ESRB rating is pending.
The game is a traditional two dimensional side-scrolling platform shooter that features a character with psychic powers that allow him to control lightning, which he can use for ranged attacks and various other purposes, and who is on the run after failing to assassinate another psychic, an event intricately tied to the game’s plot.
The game is set in the future, where people with super powers are being oppressed by an all-powerful organization, a premise which has been seen in various other productions such as the X-Men and InFamous, but never in a side-scrolling game.
A human rights organization quickly arises after learning about the Sumeragi Group’s concentration camps, and the protagonist is one of its members, making use of his Azure Striker power to fight the evil oppressors and protect other psychics.
It certainly looks like Inafune’s got a full plate, as his company Comcept is also working with Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited on the upcoming hack and slash title Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, a comic book inspired zombie slashing spin off video game due out later this month.