Gal Gun Double Peace Sticks to Its Guns on the Switch

Gal Gun is one of those niche Japanese series with a small, particular, fanservice-loving audience. An average high school male suddenly finds himself the object of all the girls’ attention when an angel of the Cupid variety stumbles into his life. Now, seven years after its debut, Gal Gun Double Peace joins its predecessor on the Nintendo Switch.

Gal Gun Double Peace introduces a new lovelorn character, his guardian angel, and a plethora of googly eyed classmates and teachers all vying for his love. Houdai Kudoki’s day starts off on the wrong foot when his estranged friend Shinobu approaches him to let him know her sister Maya is back in town. He’s shocked to see Maya, and confused as to why Shinobu hasn’t spoken to him in years. Throw in angel Ekoro overcharging her Pheromone Shot and a demon in training wreaking havoc on campus. With all this chaos, it’s up to us to steer Houdai into true love’s path before he loses his chance forever.

Even though the original release of Gal Gun Double Peace was ages ago, this Switch port holds up pretty well. Rails shooters aren’t generally my thing. A lot of the time, they move a little too quickly and motion blur hurts my eyes. I was surprised at how fluid the camera movement was. Whether Houdai is crawling or climbing to avoid admirers or moving through the halls of Sakurachi Academy, a blurry screen was never encountered. Even when I was surrounded and had to manually change camera direction!

Getting Houdai’s aim down pat could be a bit of a challenge. If you want a little more of a challenge, the camera speed can be adjusted in the options menu. I’ve found the the mid-range levels to work best for my style of play. Since I’m not focused on wooing any of Houdai’s newly acquired stalkers, I haven’t been too particular about exploiting their weak spots. If I hit them, great. My aim was to blast my way through each level, earn angel feathers, and pick answers I think may convince Shinobu (my pick) to be my girlfriend.

There’s another plus for utilizing a slower reticle. Most scenarios contain hidden items. Some of these are easy to spot, such as student files. Turning down the reticle speed means fewer fleeting glances as I swing around the screen, blocking my attackers. This includes the mini-demons infecting the girls with dark aura. And they are sneaky. You really need to investigate the young women with these auras sometimes to spot the demons. Getting them away from the girls not only cleanses them, but makes it so you can leave them weak in the knees.

It’s not reinventing the wheel, features a mediocre story, and I’m not keen on the touchscreen elements. But if you are itching for an on-rails shooter experience, Gal Gun Double Peace on the Switch could be a good fit for your library.

Gal Gun Double Peace is available now on the Nintendo Switch, as well as PC, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita.