Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is Announced with Faces New and Old

This past week at the online indie game event BitSummit Gaiden, Inti Creates was on hand to present two announcements. One, you might have already heard about: The upcoming release of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, which was revealed with a new trailer to be coming to “all platforms” on July 10th. Ah, but that’s not why we’re here.

Rather, it’s the other announcement that has our eyes: Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is now in development! And yes, it has its own trailer as well:

While it looks like there’s no sign of our old friend of sorts, Copen (he did just have his own game, after all), there is a new face joining GV in the player character pool: Kirin, “a shrine maiden with a Septimal power that allows her to seal the abilities of others. In addition to her Septimal powers, she has a unique combat style that combines the use of enchanted talismans and asword crafted from a pewter staff.”

As seen in the video above, Kirin brings back some of that close-range combat that fans of Zero might have been missing in previous Gunvolt entries. Not only can she slice and dice, but she can also repel enemy attacks as well. As for “sealing” the abilities of others, this means that she can effectively restrain them while moving in for the deciding blow.

As for the story behind the game, we don’t have much on that yet, though if you’ve been following the series to this point, you’ve probably got a good idea of what it entails. But for the announcement, Inti Creates had a different — and more surprising — focus:

This game is a true blue sequel to “Azure Striker GUNVOLT” (2014, 3DS) and “Azure Striker GUNVOLT 2” (2016, 3DS), and sees the return of action supervisor Keiji Inafune (LEVEL5 comcept CCO）, who worked together with director Yoshihisa Tsuda on the first two games, reprising his role for GUNVOLT 3. Together, they aim to bring the ultra-refined 2D action the series is known for to the next level.

While a veteran of the series, Inafune is now being hailed as a “guest creator” on its third entry.

From the BitSummit Gaiden stream (as transcribed by Protodude’s Rockman Corner), here’s what he had to say:

Message from Keiji Inafune (LEVEL5 comcept CCO), Action Supervisor
“Hello, this is Keiji Inafune. How did you like Gunvolt 3? It’s been about four years since the previous game’s release, and I am delighted to bring you this announcement for the third Gunvolt game today. Did you know that I was involved in the Gunvolt series? Since the beginning, I have worked on the series with Inti Creates as the series’ action supervisor. I will be continuing that role with this new title as well. As action supervisor, it is my job to help shape the gameplay together with director Tsuda. We want to craft an exciting game filled with ultra-refined action and deliver something we believe players will enjoy.

“For Gunvolt 3, a new character is making their debut. Her name is Kirin, and I believe she is an incredibly charming character. As you can see, her artwork is very cute and well done. When you see her in action and cutting down enemies, I think many people will really come to like her. The action as well, being based around sword-fighting, is very Inti Creates-like and because they’re at the helm, I have confidence they can make a sword-slashing game that I would love to play. Of course, Gunvolt himself will be appearing as well, and the appeal of Gunvolt is as strong as ever. How his combat techniques interact with Kirin’s will be a major highlight of the game. I’m sure of it. I am extremely happy to be able to announce both the game and my involvement after keeping fans waiting for so long. It will still be a while yet, but I sincerely hope that Gunvolt 3 will be able to meet everyone’s expectations. Please look forward to it!”

In addition, the following was transcribed from Inti Creates President Takuya Aizu:

“Keiji Inafune and Inti Creates present the latest game in the Gunvolt series. We are pleased to announce Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 here today. We have only just begun development on the game, but we will update fans with new information on the game as soon as possible. Please look forward to future announcements.”

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is still in early development, however, so there will be plenty more information to come as it progresses, with release date and price to be determined. For now, here are some screens and art from Inti Creates’ press release:

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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