Gun Nac
System: NES
Release Date: September 1991
Developer: Compile
Publisher: ASCII
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
The other side of the universe awaits you in Gun Nac! It is a peaceful existence… well, it was… An evil force moved into the neighborhood, corrupting the planets of the IOTA Synthetica star system. Inanimate objects came to life. Animals grew into rabid creatures all hellbent on killing everyone. Enter Commander Gun-Nac. In his spare time from being the greatest video game player on the planet, he’s taking the mission to save the day. Can you guide him?
We’ve got a vertical scrolling shoot ‘em up at hand, and it’s a good one at that! Enemies are inanimate objects and mutated animals. They’re unrelenting and are always trying to kill you. Luckily, you can hold the B Button and keep shooting indefinitely. There are five different weapons you can choose from. Each of these show up with a numbered orb. I preferred weapon 3, which is a homing boomerang, which got me through the first few levels. I also liked weapon 4, which was a flame thrower that kept me protected from outside attacks.
You can power the weapons up with little P chips, but only so much until you get the wing powerup, which also acts as an extra hit. There are also four types of bombs that you’ll come across. I ended up liking them all, but the Blizzard Bomb was great at clearing the screen from left to right. You can only hold 20 and they’re plentiful, so don’t feel like you have to hoard them.
You get a hold of bags of money from some of the little powerup guys. This can be spent between levels in the shop. You can choose any weapon and upgrade them for $10. You can increase the speed of your ship for $6. Or you can choose to set yourself up with a specific bomb type in any level.
There’s a midboss half way through each level. These aren’t terribly difficult, but will require you to avoid projectiles and line up shots. The level bosses are a bit more difficult, but with clever use of weapons and bombs, I was alright. There are eight areas for you to master, and it goes by quickly. I didn’t care for the predecessor Zanac, but I’m all for giving props when they’re due.
Graphics: 3.0
Levels look good. Enemies are interesting. Effects are cool.
Sound: 3.0
The music is pretty rocking, but it gets overpowered by the weapon sound effects.
Gameplay: 3.5
This is the kind of shoot ‘em up I enjoy the most. Weapons are overpowered and keep you safe as long as you’re smart.
Difficulty: 3.5
You earn a ton of lives as you play, you come back right where you die, and continues take you to the beginning of the level.
Fun Factor: 3.5
Definitely a great time, but maybe not at higher difficulty levels.
Overall Rating: 3.3
Gun Nac earns a B+. This is a really good game that I highly recommend.