Inti Creates Game Reviews
Good time Gals
Inti Creates is a fascinating development house that has spent the past few years crafting throwbacks to beloved genre archetypes. The team tends to take a specific model and iterate on it across several titles. Aside from Comcept's infamous Mighty No. 9, Inti has a strong history with the Mega Man series, and another beloved template...
Review Divine Dynamo Flamefrit (Switch) - Inti's Creation Burns Bright, But Only For A Night
Trust in your allies, Yuto!
The toughest April Fools' jokes to swallow are the ones that genuinely get our hopes up, only for it all to come crashing down when reality sets in. April Fools’ Day 2024 saw plenty of enticing fake announcements, but there was one smaller prank nestled among the big hitters that stung just a little bit extra. Developer...
Review Grim Guardians: Demon Purge (Switch) - A Creative, Character-Swapping Ode To Castlevania
Double Switch
From Inti Creates, developers of the critically acclaimed Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon duo and the Mega Man Zero/ZX series, comes a new Metroidvania rendered in a 16-bit graphical style, utilising modern hardware for various special effects, animation, and sprite creation. And it’s a fine-looking game, overall. While some areas...
Review Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 (Switch) - Another Cracking Mega Man Zero-Alike
Capturing lightning in a bottle again
Way back in 2014, Inti Creates—of Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX fame—made waves in the action platforming space when it released Azure Striker Gunvolt, a clear successor to its previous work on the Blue Bomber. Though that initial release was kinda similar to older Mega Man games, this franchise has evolved...
Review Gal*Gun: Double Peace (Switch) - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
Pervert party
Look, there’s nothing wrong with a little anatomical allure, generally speaking. Hell, many an impressionable teenager hit pause to glimpse Chun-Li’s undies back in the day, and Capcom knew it. Sex sells, and, like all commercial media, video game developers aren’t immune to slapping some greasy smut on-disc in the hope of...
Review Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 (Switch) - More Of The Same Short-But-Sweetness
That's pronounced "icks", not nine
A couple of years ago, Inti Creates put out Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX—an interesting spinoff featuring one of the most popular characters from the Azure Striker Gunvolt series. It may have been a bit on the short side, but Copen’s inaugural adventure in a starring role showed that his unique take...
Review Blaster Master Zero 3 (Switch) - A Masterful Conclusion To The Trilogy
What a blast
Few could’ve guessed that a Blaster Master reimagining would’ve been one of the standout releases of the Switch launch window line-up, yet Blaster Master Zero proved to be a potently enjoyable take on the retro classic. Then, a couple of years later, Inti Creates opted to follow it up with an all-new sequel that built upon the ideas...
Review Gal*Gun Returns (Switch) - A Mechanically Basic Yawn-Fest
Absolute pants
Inti Creates' 2011 on-rails ecchi shooter Gal*Gun, a bishōjo game that has only ever seen the light of day in Japan, finally makes its way onto western consoles in this remastered edition that comes complete with dolled-up visuals, full voice-acting and all previously released DLC. But does it improve on the decidedly-average Gal*Gun...
A classic Castlevania by any other name
During the 2015 Kickstarter campaign for Castlevania spiritual successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, one of the reward tiers promised a retro-styled prequel minigame. Nobody really knew what to expect at the time, but three years later it resulted in Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Developed by Inti...
Shining light
Inti Creates have become synonymous with action platformers over recent years, even beating Capcom at their own game with their excellent Mega Man Zero series. The Ichikawa-based outfit challenge their former masters once again with the first original Switch entry in their acclaimed Gunvolt series. Can they make their mark among the...
The ultimate sacrifice?
Since this review was originally published patches have reportedly addressed or improved one or more of the issues cited. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should still be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. The product of one of the...
Review Blaster Master Zero 2 (Switch) - Pure, Retro Platforming Goodness At Its Finest
A masterclass in retro game design
In the early days of the Switch eShop, one of the first indie darlings to resonate with audiences was Blaster Master Zero, an enhanced remake of the NES classic. What began as an already solid remake quickly grew into something much more substantial thanks to a series of paid content drops and free updates that...
A bit of a drag
Inti Creates has made quite a name for itself on the Switch with quality titles like Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Blaster Master Zero, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, and Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack all offering up some excellent retro run ‘n’ gun action. Going back further, however, the company put itself on the m
Review Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch eShop)
Out with the new, in with the old
Without context, Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon sounds horrendous. A title that offers nothing other than a few words thrown together seemingly on a whim, it may as well just be another under the radar game that comes and goes without anyone realising. With context, however, it’s a sleeper hit that celebrates the...
Bare-bones
If you’re already a fan of the Gal*Gun series then you’ll likely have a pretty firm idea of what this game is all about; if you’re not, you’ll still probably have a pretty good idea based on the screenshots and artwork currently covering this page. Gal*Gun 2 is actually the fourth entry in this fantasy, over-the-top world, with a...
Review Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack (Switch)
A shock to your system
In the void left behind by the absence of Capcom’s classic Mega Man series, Azure Striker Gunvolt stepped up to the plate and did a fantastic job of iterating on the original format while also adding in some wholly unique elements that made the game stand out. Then Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 came out, offering up a tighter,...
Review Mighty Gunvolt Burst (Switch eShop)
A mighty burst of pixel platforming perfection
In the vacuum left behind by the absence of Capcom’s popular Mega Man series, two major alternatives have sprouted up in an effort to take the top spot as the definitive run ‘n’ gun action platformer. These projects — created in parallel — have been headed by various staff that had a hand in...
Review Blaster Master Zero (Switch eShop)
This zero is a hero
Blaster Master Zero is among the first post-launch games releasing for Nintendo's new hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch; it follows a fairly strong launch lineup with several fantastic titles, such as FAST RMX and Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, and of course the historic The Legend o
Review Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (3DS eShop)
Electrifying, for the right player
Azure Striker Gunvolt, released in 2014, played like a true successor to Mega Man, though with its own ideas at the forefront. Two years later we've received its sequel, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2. With the disappointing mediocrity of Mighty No. 9 just a few months ago fresh in everyone's minds, a project in which...
Review Mega Man Zero 3 (Wii U eShop / GBA)
(Mostly) Zero changes
After releasing the previous two Mega Man Zero titles and having them almost universally liked, it would've been crazy to end the series there; so, naturally, Capcom produced Mega Man Zero 3 for the Game Boy Advance. Just as before, the game follows the events of the previous instalments pretty directly. Picking up two months...
Review Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (Wii U eShop)
More like a blessing
While WayForward has been working away on the crowd-funded Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, which will be released on every platform under the sun, it hasn't forgotten its Nintendo roots. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, the final game of the "original" series, wraps up the storyline started in the original Game Boy Color title and...
Review Mighty Gunvolt (3DS eShop)
Mighty good mini
First appearing as a free download to those who purchased the exceptional Azure Striker Gunvolt on the 3DS eShop, Mighty Gunvolt is a run-and-gun platformer from the mind of Keiji Inafune and produced by Inti Creates. Aiming for an old-school vibe, it’s no surprise that this new title from one of gaming’s pioneers feels a lot...
Review Azure Striker Gunvolt (3DS eShop)
Hz so good
The pedigree behind Azure Striker Gunvolt is the stuff of dreams for a Mega Man-inspired game. Inti Creates, after all, was the team behind the excellent Mega Man Zero series, the Mega Man ZX series, and the classic Mega Man "rebirth" titles Mega Man 9 and
Review Naruto: Powerful Shippuden (3DS)
He's a laugher, not a fighter
The first thing that's going to strike you about Naruto: Powerful Shippuden is the super deformed art style. After all, Namco Bandai has plastered it everywhere, so it must be quite proud of how it turned out. That's probably a smart move, because the visuals rank among this game's main strong points. It's only when you...
The Blue Bomber is back - but has this trip down memory lane been worth the wait?
There's no denying that the NES Mega Man series was a huge hit for Capcom during the 8-bit era. The games enjoyed mammoth success for Capcom and probably single-handedly sold many an NES console in the process. Although the series and its spinoffs have continued to...
