Gurei

Fans of 2D action games through the ages are in for a treat with Gurei. It brings back memories of those late-90s nights of Mega Man action and mixes it with modern design to create an intense and highly replayable experience. With ten final bosses and over 3.6 million routes to take, there is always something new to explore for those who are looking for a change of pace. However, after a while, the beautiful overworld that first served as a wonderful playground to learn the controls turns into a hassle.

Gurei is tough to recommend to a wide audience but the specific folks who can appreciate its brutal challenge and unique structure will definitely love it a lot. Throw in striking visuals and some secrets scattered about and you have one memorable action-packed game. 🗡️

Gurei is a challenging adventure that forces you to carefully consider your route through increasingly difficult and imposing boss battles. Working out your path and creating a build that supports your run is refreshing, but the lack of support and steep skill curve may deter players who struggle with tough encounters.

Gurei, from developer Lobo Sagaz Studio, is an incredibly challenging and unforgiving boss-rush game that takes pride in its gameplay simplicity while also offering complex strategy and a hefty amount of difficulty. It will properly rage-bait players, but in the nicest of ways.

One annoying issue with the game is the high number of crashes, which forced me back to the Switch home menu on nearly every run; the game's autosave meant I never lost any progress, but I was constantly worrying that I would experience a crash during one of the boss fights, rather than before or after–which added unnecessary tension beyond what the game was already offering. I'm a major fan of how the bosses scale up as you take down their compatriots, leading to tough but meaningful choices as you plan out the route of each run. Those who enjoy the difficulty of titles like Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, and Nine Sols will relish how much Gurei pushes you, but it will need a patch to address the crashes before I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Lobo Sagaz Studios made a game that knows exactly what it wants to be: a boss-rush game with immense replay value, featuring a dynamic difficulty system where your decisions determine how strong the bosses are. A game that feels good to control, a concise world that’s fun to explore and NPCs with lore waiting for you to discover. I often dislike boss-rush games, I’m not going to lie; however, Gurei gave me a satisfying challenge that I was dying to overcome.