Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX Review

Before we begin, I would like to thank Inti Creates for sending us a review copy. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX (eXs) is the newest entry in the Gunvolt series by Inti Creates. Luminous Avenger iX is actually a spin-off title for the franchise, while still retaining a lot of the same gameplay elements from Gunvolt 2. If you saw my previous review of the Striker Pack here on Source Gaming, you will know that I thought pretty highly of it. When I first saw iX at BitSummit this year, I knew I would jump at the opportunity to dive back into the series and see how this spin-off fares. I’m happy to say that if you are a fan of Copen’s gameplay from Gunvolt 2, you will be stoked with Luminous Avenger iX. While it has some changes here and there, there is nothing that made me dislike the game. In fact, there are a lot of accessibility improvements over Gunvolt 2 that will make going back difficult in some regards. However, if this your first entry in the series you may want to invest in the Striker Pack before you jump into Luminous Avenger iX.

The reason I would highly suggest players play through Gunvolt 1 and 2 before playing Luminous Avenger iX is that iX assumes that players already know a lot about the world of Gunvolt. If this is your first Gunvolt experience, be prepared to be lost as the game doesn’t explain a lot.

Essentially, the story stars Copen, a Mino, who is fighting for his species survival as Adepts, basically mutants, are now the majority. Adepts, led by a group called the Sumeragi Group are hunting down humans and Minos forcing them underground. Copen finds a group of Minos hiding and joins forces as he looks into the mystery of something called ‘The Butterfly Effect’.

Luminous Avenger iX features 12 main story missions, 6 “special missions” and a boss rush. The missions felt quite short and generic as the story took me less than 3 hours to finish. Move Copen through two sets of levels, and fight against an Adept sent by the Sumeragi Group. Missions usually open in sets, allowing them to be tackled in any order. Due to that, the overarching story feels a bit weak mission to mission. I also didn’t grow any attachment to any of the new characters when playing through the story.

The gameplay is just as crisp as it was in Gunvolt 2. There are some well-welcomed additions such as being able to purchase upgrades at any time, and being allowed to change EX Weapon at any time. Once a boss is taken out, Copen’s arsenal of weapons will expand. Bosses are always weak to a certain EX Weapon as well, which allows Copen to take down the bosses quite easily. Another addition is Lola, Copen’s robot assistant now has a chance to revive him one time during the level. This means that players who are less “adapt” at handling Copen can still make it through the game. Copen can also gain levels as he fights enemies which grants him higher HP.

Players “mark” their enemies by dashing Copen into them. Once “marked” Copen can shoot them from anywhere on screen allowing him to overtake the enemies. If Copen can reach 1000 kudos, Lola will turn into an idol and sing a song. There are also bonus emblems that can be found in most levels which will give the player 500 kudos each. The Idol mode gives Copen a slight buff to his weapons and health during gameplay.

Luminous Avenger iX has language select options, but as far as I can tell only features Japanese language voice acting — which was my preference for the first two Gunvolt games. Luminous Avenger iX looks beautiful. The effects are a definite upgrade from the first two games. The ending screen transitions are really good. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the music.

The main appeal of Luminous Avenger iX is for those players who enjoyed Copen’s gameplay from Gunvolt 2 and want more. There is a ranking system that may entice players to aim for the highest score, but without online rankings, it’s hard to imagine casual players getting into it. While I haven’t been able to purchase everything from the store or find all of the hidden emblems, I feel ready to move on from Luminous Avenger iX after five hours.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed by Luminous Avenger iX. Since it was marketed as a spin-off title, I imagined the gameplay would be different enough to warrant the spin-off title. Instead, it felt like an expansion pack to Gunvolt 2 with it’s welcomed, but limited upgrades and short campaign. The price point for Luminous Avenger iX is fair, only 15 USD. If you are already a fan of Gunvolt then you are probably already planning on picking up this title. If you aren’t, then I’d advise you to pick up the superior Striker Pack, which while more expensive is a better investment.