I enjoy my fair share of hard games, and nothing is more satisfying than finally beating a difficult section or level you were stuck on. Difficulty is a key part of a boss rush, and whether it’s just a mode or an entire game’s gameplay loop, I do enjoy a good boss rush. When done right, a boss rush mode can be very satisfying and highly replayable. This is the main selling point of Gurei, the latest game from Lobo Sagaz Studio.
Gurei is a 2D action boss rush game inspired by Japanese mythology. In it, you play as Rei, a human spirit who must defeat the Kami. The Kami can be fought in any order you want, and each will reward you with a new move as well. After each fight, you’ll also learn more about this world and the spirits that are slowly appearing around you. These spirits may even give you some clues and new objectives. Gurei has quite the premise, one that feels perfect for the boss rush genre. Sadly, it doesn’t fully stick the landing, but it’s also something I can’t stop playing.
Editor’s note: the game’s crashing issues are fixed with the day one update.
Fulfill Your Duty in Gurei
Gurei takes place in a world inspired by Japanese mythology and folklore. You play as Rei, a human spirit in a castle that seems to be suspended between the human and spirit worlds. She is told to fulfill her duty and that death is not the end. Not much else is known about her as she traverses the castle to do one thing. Rei is tasked with defeating the mystical forces of nature known as the Kami. There are ten in total, each taking the form of a different animal. After she beats the first one, a cloaked figure appears. Not much is known about him, but he will revive you when you fall and serves as a reminder to finish your task.
I like this premise, but it feels like it takes a backseat for most of the game. You get told more about the story, world, and characters after you beat a Kami. When you beat a Kami, you absorb its soul and get closer to finding out what happened here. Each Kami you beat stays with you as well, helping expand the story based on the order you obtain them. I do like this method of storytelling, but I started to lose interest after a couple of runs. Each Kami gives only one or two lines of dialogue in these story segments, and they start to blend after a while. I did my best to mix up the order I got the Kami, but these segments still felt the same.
While I wanted to be more invested in the story, I did like the world and characters. All the Kami have distinct personality traits that fit the animals they are based on, and I liked them all. They will also comment on the Kami you are fighting or the world itself as you discover more of it. It’s quite charming and fleshes out this world a bit more. Now, while I enjoy the Kami, I will say they aren’t the most fleshed out. We do learn more about them as we play, but they stick to their assigned personality trait for the most part.
With each Kami you beat, you also have a chance of unlocking a new NPC for the world. Sometimes you’ll see a black hole, and if you interact with it, a new character will appear. They are also based on Japanese mythology and folklore, further expanding this world. Most of them have a task they want you to do, and they serve as a nice break from the nonstop fights. I also like all their designs, even if the characters themselves don’t have a lot to say. It doesn’t take long to find all of them, but I wish there were a bit more because after they stop spawning, the world feels empty.
Raise Your Sword
While there is some exploration and other objectives, Gurei is a boss rush game more than anything. Combat is fairly simple; you start with an attack, a jump, and a dodge. With each Kami you defeat, your moveset grows. When you beat a Kami and absorb it, you get its primary attack or skill. These skills vary from strong attacks and dodges to even health buffs. By the end, you’ll have a pretty impressive kit, full of attacks that work well together. You’ll also need them because with each fight you win, the harder the game gets.
One of my favorite parts of the game is that it lets you tackle the Kami in any order. The game naturally scales difficulty after each boss, giving it a lot of replayability. It also gives you another thing to think about, as you decide what bosses you want to prioritize first. Do you want to get a specific move early, or do you want to get one of the harder fights out of the way first? After a couple of runs, I even started writing out a list for each boss to help me decide who to fight. It’s also great to see how different the fights are depending on when you do them. Since there are a total of ten Kami, there is no shortage of paths you can take.
I also like most of the fights with the Kami. Earlier I said I liked them as characters, and that expands to their fights as well. Their fighting styles are all unique and fit their respective animal and personality types. Depending on when you fight them, they also offer quite the challenge. Even after so many runs, I’m only comfortable fighting three of them for the last boss. You will be dying a lot, but runs are fairly short. A full run can be done in 20 to 30 minutes, so even when I die right at the end, I’m never mad. You can also time runs, so even though the first seven fights are pretty easy now, the timer in the corner helps a bit.
When you aren’t fighting, you can explore the castle. While it’s not big, it does offer a few other activities. After NPCs start showing up, you’ll unlock some fun minigames that are a nice break from fighting. I didn’t expect to find a fishing minigame here, but I ended up putting more time into it than I thought I would. While these tasks are a fine distraction, that’s really all they are. There also aren’t a lot of these tasks to do, so you’ll quickly be done with them.
The Highs and Lows
Gurei has a hand-drawn style I can only praise. All of the art looks great, from the backgrounds to the character designs. The world itself is monochrome, with color being used to differentiate the Kami spirit and attacks. This use of color works really well and helps give character to the Kami and this world. All the animations are fluid and a delight on the eyes as well. I love the style here, and it helps make up for some of the game’s weaker parts. The game also runs well most of the time, though there are some issues.
I played this on the Switch 2 and ran into my share of bugs. A few times, my character would completely disappear at the start of a fight, making it nearly impossible to land a hit on the boss. One time, the boss themself disappeared, and I had to surrender the fight so it would restart. These are already annoying, but with lives being limited, it hurts even more. The most consistent bug I ran into, though, was the game crashing at the start of a specific boss fight. This happened on every run and got really annoying. Thankfully, it never cost a life, but it was the part of each run I dreaded and really hurt the game.
Death Is Not The End
Gurei is a fun game. While I wish the characters and world were a bit more fleshed out, they are still enjoyable. The core combat is good, and later boss fights are still a great time. While runs can get pretty short, I still had a lot of fun with them. The game also looks great, and while I wish everything were a bit more fleshed out, I do keep coming back to it. Sadly, it has a few game-breaking bugs right now. While nothing made me quit the game, the constant crashes were the most dreaded parts of each run. I hope this can be fixed because Gurei is a fun game I can recommend to most who like a challenge, one I keep coming back to.
Disclaimer: Astrolabe Games provided a Nintendo Switch copy of Gurei for review purposes.
