Some action games make you feel powerful by handing you an enormous weapon and pointing you towards an army of enemies. Others make you earn that feeling through precision, timing and the satisfaction of executing a sequence of moves so perfectly that the screen seems to struggle to keep up. The Azure Striker Gunvolt trilogy belongs firmly in the second category. Developed by Inti Creates, this collection brings together three fast-paced 2D action platformers that understand the enduring appeal of mastering a difficult game, then adds Nintendo Switch 2 enhancements and a fresh tag team mode to make this enhanced edition an especially attractive package.
Spanning Azure Striker Gunvolt from 2014, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 from 2016 and Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 from 2022, the collection follows the evolution of a series that combines traditional side-scrolling action with anime-inspired storytelling, spectacular supernatural abilities and a soundtrack packed with personality. Each instalment has its own identity, from Gunvolt’s lightning-powered combat to Copen’s aggressive aerial manoeuvres and the character-swapping mechanics introduced in the third game. Bringing them together makes it possible to appreciate both the series’ consistency and the ways its combat has developed over time.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition also aims to be more than a straightforward repackage. Higher frame rates and a 4K resolution mode offer technical improvements, while the inclusion of Azure Striker Gunvolt GX adds a new story mode starring Gunvolt and Copen as a playable tag team. With all DLC included, alongside revised voices, songs and additional material, this is a collection designed to give newcomers a substantial introduction while offering returning fans reasons to take another look.
Azure Striker Gunvolt: A Hero With a Charge to Settle
The original Azure Striker Gunvolt lays the foundations of the series with a straightforward yet satisfying premise. Gunvolt is an Adept, a superhuman with lightning powers, caught up in a struggle against the oppressive Sumeragi Group. The science-fiction setting provides a backdrop for questions about power, control and the treatment of people whose abilities make them different, giving the action a narrative purpose beyond simply moving from one boss fight to another.
What distinguishes Gunvolt from a conventional run-and-gun protagonist is his approach to combat. Rather than relying entirely on direct attacks, players tag enemies with his specialised dart gun before unleashing electrical attacks through his Flashfield ability. This creates a rhythm in which positioning and target selection matter just as much as quick reactions. Marking a target and watching electricity tear through it is immediately satisfying, but the real pleasure comes from learning to maintain pressure while avoiding incoming attacks.
The system gives the original game a distinctive identity. You are constantly weighing the benefits of attacking against the risks of remaining exposed, and encounters become increasingly rewarding as you learn to read enemy behaviour. Gunvolt’s abilities can make you feel almost untouchable when used correctly, but that confidence can disappear quickly if you become careless. The Trilogy Enhanced edition also adds new Skills to Gunvolt’s arsenal, giving players further options for approaching the action.
There is a learning curve, particularly for anyone accustomed to traditional platformers in which jumping and shooting are the primary concerns. Here, combat involves managing several things at once, including enemy tagging, movement, defensive abilities and scoring. That complexity is a strength, although players who prefer a simpler action experience may initially find the systems demanding. Give the mechanics time to settle, however, and the original game offers a rewarding blend of speed and strategy.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2: A Rival Steps Into the Spotlight
The second game expands the formula by bringing Copen into the spotlight as a playable character alongside Gunvolt. This is more than a cosmetic change, as Copen’s approach to combat gives the action a noticeably different feel. Where Gunvolt builds his attacks around tagging enemies and unleashing electricity, Copen uses his dash to lock onto targets before following up with a devastating homing laser barrage.
His Bullit Dash is central to the experience, allowing him to move through the air with momentum that makes traversing stages feel almost like a performance. Once you begin chaining aerial movements and lining up attacks, Copen becomes an excellent alternative to Gunvolt’s more measured combat rhythm. The ability to acquire new weapons from defeated bosses also adds a familiar action-game pleasure, encouraging players to experiment with their expanding arsenal.
This character contrast is one of the trilogy’s greatest strengths. Having two protagonists with different combat styles gives the sequel a reason to exist beyond simply offering more stages and enemies. Players who enjoy experimenting with mechanics can find fresh challenges in mastering each character, while those who prefer a particular style have a compelling reason to replay sections and improve their performance.
The enhanced edition also includes re-recorded voices for Copen and Lola, a welcome addition to a collection that places considerable emphasis on character and presentation. Voice work gives the cast a stronger presence during the story, particularly when conversations unfold around the action. For returning players, the revised performances offer a reason to pay attention to familiar scenes again, even if the underlying narrative remains recognisable.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3: A New Rhythm of Combat
By the time Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 arrives, the series has adopted a much broader approach to combat. Kirin joins the cast as a new heroine, bringing teleportation and fast melee attacks via her Arc Chain ability. Her style encourages players to close the distance and strike quickly, creating a different rhythm from Gunvolt’s ranged electrical assaults.
The ability to switch between Kirin and Gunvolt is central to the game’s identity. Rather than treating character selection as a decision made before a level begins, the game encourages players to consider which protagonist is best suited to the situation at hand. Kirin can handle threats with close-range attacks and rapid repositioning, while Gunvolt brings his upgraded electrical abilities and a more aggressive approach to enemy encounters. Learning when to switch characters adds another layer of decision-making to the action.
The Image Pulse system further expands the possibilities, allowing players to collect more than 150 characters from across the series and use them as buffs or attacks. This adds another layer of customisation, giving players opportunities to tailor their abilities to different challenges. For those who enjoy experimenting with builds, the system offers considerable scope beyond simply mastering the standard moveset.
There is a risk that all these systems can make the action feel more complicated than necessary, particularly for newcomers encountering the series for the first time. Nevertheless, the third game demonstrates how Inti Creates has continued to explore the possibilities of its central combat ideas rather than abandoning them for something unrecognisable. It retains the fast, precise action that defines the trilogy while giving experienced players new ways to approach familiar challenges.
Gunvolt GX: An Extra Reason to Return
The addition of Azure Striker Gunvolt GX is one of the most notable attractions of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. This additional story mode brings Gunvolt and Copen together as a playable tag team, combining two characters whose distinct abilities have helped define the series. For a collection already containing three substantial games, an additional mode of this kind makes the package feel more thoughtfully assembled than a simple compilation of older releases.
The appeal of a tag team arrangement lies in the possibilities it creates for combat. Gunvolt and Copen approach enemies differently, so bringing them together offers an opportunity to combine their strengths and switch between styles according to the situation. It also gives fans a chance to see two central figures share the spotlight in a format that builds on their established identities.
The mode is particularly welcome for players who have followed the series across multiple instalments. Copen has grown from a rival into a major part of the wider Gunvolt universe, and the opportunity to play as both characters in a dedicated additional story gives their relationship greater gameplay significance. Newcomers, meanwhile, have another reason to explore the collection beyond the three original campaigns.
Its ultimate value depends on the depth of its encounters and how meaningfully it uses the two characters together, but the idea is a strong fit for a series built around distinct abilities and fast, character-driven action. Crucially, it gives returning players something beyond improved technical performance to look forward to.
Nintendo Switch 2: Sharper, Smoother and More Responsive
The technical enhancements are an important part of this edition’s appeal. Higher frame rates make fast-moving action feel smoother, while the 4K resolution mode delivers a sharper image on compatible displays. In a game where enemies can fill the screen with projectiles and players are expected to react quickly, clear animation and responsive controls are more than superficial luxuries. They help keep the action readable under pressure.
The trilogy’s colourful pixel art and anime-inspired character designs are particularly well suited to this kind of presentation. Inti Creates has a strong visual identity, built around expressive sprites, energetic attacks and dramatic special effects. Electrical discharges, laser barrages and explosive abilities give encounters plenty of visual impact, while the sharper image helps preserve the details that make the series distinctive.
It is worth keeping the advertised enhancements in perspective, though. Higher frame rates and 4K output are valuable improvements, but they do not fundamentally transform games whose underlying design stems from earlier hardware generations. Players who already own the original releases will need to decide how much they value the improved presentation and new content. The extra tag team mode makes that decision easier, but the collection’s biggest strength remains the quality of the action itself.
Most importantly, the Switch 2 edition brings three games together with their DLC and additional enhancements in one convenient package. That makes it an appealing entry point for newcomers who would otherwise need to navigate multiple releases and extras. It also gives returning fans an opportunity to revisit the entire saga without having to piece together its content separately.
A Soundtrack With Plenty of Spark
Music has always been central to the Gunvolt identity, and the trilogy’s extensive catalogue is among its most memorable features. With more than 37 songs performed by the games’ characters, the soundtrack adds an energetic vocal dimension to the action. These are not merely background tracks designed to fade beneath the effects; they help establish the series’ personality and give important encounters an extra burst of excitement.
The combination of high-energy music and rapid combat works particularly well as a stage’s momentum builds. Strong melodies can make an already satisfying encounter feel more dramatic, while character performances reinforce the connection between the story and the action. For players who enjoy game soundtracks with a distinct identity, the music is an important part of what separates Gunvolt from more anonymous action platformers.
The revised voices and songs also help the Enhanced edition feel like a considered package rather than an untouched reissue. The inclusion of previously Japan-exclusive CD dramas adds further material for fans interested in the characters and the wider story. Combined with the real-time dialogue that unfolds during missions, these additions help give the trilogy a richer personality than its straightforward stage structure might initially suggest.
The narrative can occasionally compete with the action for attention, particularly when conversations unfold during demanding sections. That is a familiar trade-off for games that want to tell a story without stopping the gameplay, and players who prefer uninterrupted platforming may occasionally find the dialogue distracting. For those invested in the characters, however, it is part of the series’ charm.
The Verdict
Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced Edition is a strong celebration of a series that understands the enduring pleasure of fast, precise and deeply satisfying action. Each instalment brings something different to the table, from the original game’s lightning-based combat to Copen’s aerial aggression and the character-swapping mechanics of the third entry. Together, they show how a familiar formula can evolve across multiple games without losing the qualities that made it special in the first place.
The Nintendo Switch 2 enhancements improve the presentation, while the inclusion of all DLC, revised voices and songs, additional story material and the new Azure Striker Gunvolt GX mode give this release a substantial amount to offer. The 4K resolution mode and higher frame rates are welcome, but the real attraction is having three distinct campaigns and an extra mode built around characters whose abilities are genuinely enjoyable to master.
There are caveats. The action can be demanding, particularly during tougher boss encounters, and the abundance of mechanics may take time to understand. Players who already own the earlier releases may also find that the technical improvements alone are not enough to justify another purchase. Yet for newcomers, this is a particularly convenient way to discover one of modern 2D action gaming’s more distinctive series.
What makes the trilogy memorable is the way it rewards commitment. At first, the speed and spectacle can seem overwhelming, but gradually the systems begin to click, and encounters that once felt chaotic become opportunities to show off your growing mastery. That feeling of improvement is the heart of a great action platformer, and Inti Creates has built three games around it.
For Nintendo Switch 2 owners who love side-scrolling action, expressive pixel art and soundtracks that refuse to sit quietly in the background, Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced Edition is an electrifying collection. It may not be an entirely new adventure for veteran fans, but it is a compelling way to experience the trilogy, with enough additional content and technical polish to make this edition stand out.
