Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Gungriffon drops you into the cockpit of a towering, heavily armed mech and tasks you with completing a series of increasingly challenging missions around the globe. From arid deserts to snowbound mountain passes, each environment demands a unique approach. You’ll balance aggressive push-forwards—using your main cannon and grenade clusters to pulverize enemy armor—with more cautious tactics, like conserving your limited homing missiles for high-priority targets or protecting vulnerable supply helicopters.

The control scheme strikes a solid middle ground between accessibility and depth. The main cannon offers a satisfying punch punch, while the machine gun’s overheating mechanic forces you to plan short, controlled bursts rather than holding down the trigger. Grenades are excellent for clearing tight chokepoints or striking ground targets, and when you finally lock onto an enemy helicopter or agile mech, the homing missiles feel like a true reward for careful positioning.

Strategy is at the heart of Gungriffon. Although you have powerful weapons at your disposal, ambitious missions often pit you against foes with superior speed or numbers. You’ll need to juggle offense and defense—protecting allied mechs and convoys, intercepting fast-moving enemy units, or staging hit-and-run attacks against heavily armed tanks. Learning to call in repairs and ammo drops at just the right moment can turn the tide, but misjudge the timing and you’ll watch your supply chopper fall from the sky.

Graphics

For its era, Gungriffon delivers a robust visual spectacle. The mechs themselves are rendered with sturdy polygons and bold color schemes, giving each model a distinct silhouette on the battlefield. When your main cannon fires, the bright muzzle flash and lingering smoke trail add dramatic flair, making you feel like a true war machine pilot.

Environmental variety is another strong point. Day-night cycles bathe the same terrain in different hues, while dynamic weather—rain, fog, gusty winds—affects visibility and ambiance. A mountain pass under a blazing sun feels entirely different from that same route during a snowstorm, creating a sense of progression and freshness as you move from one mission zone to the next.

While textures can look blocky by modern standards, the overall presentation remains cohesive. Background elements—destroyed trucks, smoking craters, distant heliports—populate the world and reward exploration. Even static scenes convey scale effectively, reinforcing the idea that you’re commanding a massive war machine in a cold, mechanized future.

Story

Gungriffon’s narrative unfolds through briefings and in-mission radio chatter rather than lengthy cutscenes. You assume the role of a mech pilot in a private military corporation, operating in politically volatile regions that teeter on the brink of open conflict. The immediacy of battlefield objectives keeps the pace brisk, while occasional plot twists hint at deeper machinations behind each deployment.

Although dialogue is sparse, it’s functional: mission briefings set clear goals (search and destroy, protect the convoy, neutralize the enemy commander), and your squadmates occasionally chime in with situational updates. These exchanges lend personality to allied units without slowing down the action. You’ll grow accustomed to calls for “cover fire” or “extraction now,” fostering a sense of camaraderie in the cockpit.

Gungriffon doesn’t aim to deliver a sprawling, character-driven epic. Instead, it places you squarely in the center of skirmishes that feel both urgent and tactical. The framework of geopolitical tension provides enough context to keep missions meaningful while leaving the finer details to your imagination—perfect for players who prefer gameplay over exposition.

Overall Experience

From the moment you launch into your first mission, Gungriffon establishes a compelling rhythm of preparation, engagement, and resupply. Each successful operation brings a rush of satisfaction: you’ll learn enemy patterns, exploit weaknesses, and adapt on the fly when supply lines are threatened. This loop remains rewarding throughout the campaign’s varied environments.

The balance between firepower and resource management makes every decision count. Should you risk calling in a supply helicopter when enemy AA units loom nearby? Is it worth expending precious homing missiles on a high-value target, or do you save them for later? These tactical quandaries keep you invested, making each mission feel like a puzzle to solve as much as a firefight to win.

Ultimately, Gungriffon shines for anyone seeking a solid mech-combat experience with enough strategic depth to challenge veteran pilots, yet accessible enough for newcomers. Its combination of varied mission design, dynamic visuals, and lean storytelling delivers a focused, adrenaline-fuelled package. If you’ve ever dreamed of piloting a massive walking tank through hostile territory, Gungriffon remains a title worth your time.

Retro Replay Score

7.7/10