Gal*Gun Double Peace is the third Gal*Gun game on the Nintendo Switch. Coming to the Switch a little bit late, the game is still a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library. It’s not completely different from the previous Gal*Gun games, and there aren’t many surprises here, making it a familiar game for longtime fans of the game. But is this game something that newcomers and rail shooter enthusiasts would want to add to their collection? Find out here in our Gal*Gun: Double Peace Review.
Gal*Gun: Double Peace Review: What is Gal*Gun Double Peace?
Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a rail shooter bishōjo game developed by Inti Creates that came out on August 2, 2016, on PS4 and PS Vita, September 27, 2016, on the PC, and most recently, on March 17, 2022, on the Nintendo Switch. It is the second game in the series, but only the third game to come out for the Nintendo Switch, following the release of Gal*Gun 2 and of Gal*Gun Returns prior to it.
Gameplay
As a rail shooter game, Gal*Gun: Double Peace brings players through guided levels, with players having control over a target reticle to shoot targets with. Due to reasons we’ll explain later in the Story section, players will have to use the reticle to shoot “Pheromone Shots” at high school girls who are rushing towards the main character. Players will have a health bar that decreases when they get “attacked” by girls (which are actually professions of love by the “enemies”). Each enemy gets affected by the Pheromone Shots at different intensities depending on the part of the body they get shot at. Players can discover these “weak spots” of the girls by zooming in on the camera, which, in effect, allows players to see through the girls’ clothing. Some of the girls are possessed by demons, which makes them impenetrable by your Pheromone Shots until you shoot at the demons to exorcise them. There are also boss battles in some of the levels, which help mix the gameplay up a bit, but apart from some gimmicks the gameplay doesn’t change up so much.
The players will also fill up a “Doki Doki Meter” that gets filled up after successfully shooting at the girls. Filling in these meters allows players to enter Doki Doki Mode after hitting one of the girls, which triggers a mini-game that, well, let’s just say lets players get a hands-on attack on the girls and increase that girl’s affection towards the protagonist. Unless you’re a completionist, tracking each girl’s affection towards you won’t matter much, but some replay value can be earned towards your next run on the game if you plan out these Doki Doki sequences.
Sometimes, each level will allow players to choose between different paths, which affects the outcome of the story. The game also has a lot of collectibles to find that can help you learn more about the various girls trying to chase you, as well as collection bonuses that increases your total score for each level. With 6 episodes composed of a few levels, the game can be easily cleared within just 4-6 hours (depending on how fast you read through the visual novel parts, which this game has a lot of). But with multiple endings to choose from, even including some special endings you can get for yourself if you increase the affection of some of the random girls you meet enough with Doki Doki Mode, which adds a little bit more replayability if you’d really like to explore all of these other options.
In terms of controls, players move the reticle around using the thumbstick. We’re surprised that, being a Switch port of a game, Gal*Gun: Double Peace doesn’t feature alternative control schemes like touch controls, motion controls, and even using the joy-cons as shooters. The core gameplay gets repetitive quite fast, so the game is actually best played in short bursts. Finish a level, then move on to the next game.
Outside of the shooting levels, the game also features a menu that lets players purchase costumes, consumables, collectibles, and the like. The game also features a “quest system” where players look at conversations by different girls in the game, cluing them in on where to find some collectibles, which grant players unlockables and bonus points when found.
Story
The game follows Houdai, an unfortunate, voiceless, and faceless, male high schooler insert character who gets accidentally shot by an overdose of Cupid’s Arrow. What was supposed to help Houdai find true love, the shot instead makes everyone around him madly attracted to him. However, this harem plotline is more of a curse than a blessing, because Houdai wouldn’t be able to reciprocate the love of these girls. Instead, he has to find his true love within a 24-hour window, avoiding the advances of other girls in the process. Fail, and he will never find true love ever again.
This leads to the player choosing which girl to pursue in the game. At the start, Gal*Gun: Double Peace gives players the option to choose between two of Houdai’s childhood friends, who turn out to be demon hunters. New routes can be chosen later on, allowing them to pursue both or none at all, instead of choosing any of the other girls who pursue Houdai throughout the game, which serve as the game’s “secret endings.”
The story is told through visual novel-style conversations. Players sometimes can choose how to respond in some of these interactions, leading to different story paths. Finally, the game features a stat system that dictates what kind of dialogue options you can choose. Throughout the game, all dialogue options are visible to you, but unavailable ones are greyed out, giving you an idea of what kind of stat you’ll need to go to that route of the story.
In case you’re really hopping into this game for the story, then don’t worry. While this game sometimes makes references to events in previous games, it’s not necessary to play those games to make out what’s happening in this one. So, feel free to right hop unto this entry and explore the others a little later on.
Graphics
Gal*Gun: Double Peace features anime-style graphics. There’s a lot of lewdity and suggestive scenes in the game, but there aren’t any in the form of nudity. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, which can be seen in how the characters are presented – with very bright colors and lights and very cutesy elements. Be wary, however, as the game features a lot of underaged girls in very suggestive poses, so if that’s something that would offend you or anyone around you, then you’ve been warned. Thankfully, the game’s lewdness isn’t as bad as games like Senran Kagura, not bordering hentai, but still very suggestive nonetheless, especially given the age of the characters in the game.
In terms of art style, the game’s character design is good, with character models that look nice. In terms of environmental design, however, the quality is way lower. Given that the developers know that you won’t be paying attention to the environment more than the characters, then that’s probably the reason why. For a Switch game, this looks good enough, both in handheld and docked mode, but there’s really nothing special to write home about.
This version on the Nintendo Switch has a noticeably brighter treatment to it as if the sharpness has been turned down and the brightness turned way up. This is very different compared to Gal*Gun 2 and Gal*Gun Returns, the other two games on the Switch in the series, which makes it feel odd why this particular game has this filter on.
Music and Sound Design
There are a lot of girls moaning and screaming, so if I were you and you live with judgmental roommates or a conservative household, play this game with a headset.
The game’s music is upbeat and energetic, which really helps sell the game’s over-the-top themes. Still, the electropop music is largely forgettable and is usually overshadowed by the game’s sound effects, anyway. This game is really, really loud, which I guess just works fine for the subject matter, but I find myself playing the game muted or with very low audio.
Accessibility
Compared to other rail gun shooter games, Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a cakewalk even when played in its “Expert” difficulty. The game offers one, much easier difficulty: Beginner. However, the difference between the two is barely noticeable.
In terms of accessibility in controls, you can choose five different levels of movement speed for the reticle, and toggle inverted Y-axis on and off. Apart from that, you can also map the game controls to your liking.
However, aside from these accessibility options, this game is bereft of any that would make the experience much easier to experience for others.
Gal*Gun: Double Peace Review Conclusion: Is Gal*Gun: Double Peace worth your time and money?
Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a decent on-rails shooter that clearly has a very specific target audience in mind. While I don’t belong to that group, I get the appeal of these kinds of games, and, while I cannot speak for them entirely, I think this game will give those looking for more risque content on the Nintendo Switch something satisfying to play.
However, those who are looking for an excellent on-rails shooter will have to look for it elsewhere. While these games aren’t perfect, the House of the Dead remakes have better controls and more satisfying shooting mechanics compared to this one.
As you’ve already probably picked up from reading this Gal*Gun: Double Peace review, this game is a very niche pick-up. If you enjoy ecchi content and would like to have your fill in light gun shooter servings, then you’ll have a great time with this game and the two other Gal*Gun games on the Switch. But I find a majority of people would probably not even give this game a second glance.
Score: 6/10
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