There are no extraordinary stunts to demonstrate the added value of the gear. Their function is left ambiguous - they can enhance speed and power, but ultimately depend on how well they sync with the wearer, and they can be foiled with a KO punch that they regularly fail to block. But if that’s the case, then there’s an illogic in having them in the plot in the first place. Regarding the gear, sheathes of metal worn on the arms and shoulders to enhance performance during duels, the show has a paradoxical message: it’s not about the gear, it’s about the man. If Megalo Box’s milieu is convincing, it’s merely because we’ve seen most of it before (Gungrave, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun), and therefore can rely on familiarity to help us ignore inconsistency. There’s so much left unsaid that the hodgepodge of high tech and low-life becomes arbitrary. How did we get here to such a mean, post-apocalyptic setting where there’s clearly societal hierarchy, ID cards, and some impressive sports tech called “gear”, but seemingly no welfare state to take care of orphans, no decent neighbourhoods, and a criminal underground that operates without any obvious constraints by the judiciary system. We see shots of a desert wasteland surrounding the city, which is the main location, but beyond such teases there is no attempt to elaborate on this world. Despite some solid direction and adequate animation, however, the world-building sometimes misses a trick. And because they are convinced, so are we. It is easy to enjoy the show because it relies on a familiar structure and conventional tools to keep the viewer engaged: an upbeat and likeable hero, cliff-hangers, an underdog fighting against the odds, and a whole bunch of passionate people convinced that winning a contest is the most important thing in the world. It deviates not an iota from the usual tropes, but it does add an interesting desolate background and one or two catchy hip-hop tunes for that urban cool. That’s essentially how every sports anime works, and at its core Megalo Box is just that. The love of something is enough to make it legitimate, and transform the one in love into a noble soul. Adjustable difficulty settings provide additional replay incentive, as do hidden extras, such as a 3D model gallery mode that allows players to view various character models.Megalo Box is one of those shows convinced that nobility of spirit can be found anywhere, even in a violent sport played by petty criminals and brutes. Cel-shaded cut-scenes highlight Grave's predicament and his interactions with the other characters. More routine maneuvers include the ability to run, dive sideways, perform 180-degree quick-turns, and to lock onto and strafe around enemy characters. Instead, attacks are absorbed by a shield that constantly replenishes itself when not under fire, with the catch being that players have to interrupt a combo in order to seek out safe cover first. When engaged in combat, Grave doesn't immediately lose health. At the conclusion of each level, players are ranked according to their performances in categories such as Beat Count, Enemies Killed, Life Remaining, and so forth. A maximum stockpile of nine Shots is allowed per stage. The aforementioned Beat combos, in addition to increasing the stage score, gradually fill an onscreen meter that rewards players with additional Demolition Shots. Acting as a smart bomb of sorts, a Demolition Shot can be used to eradicate entire enemy hordes, with rockets or copious rounds of gunfire. The coffin can also fire a 'Demolition Shot.' Initially, only one shot is unlocked, with others earned by collecting skulls throughout the game (the higher the ranking, the more skulls earned). In close combat Grave swings the coffin in a 360-degree arc around himself, inflicting significant damage to anything caught in its path. Higher scores and extra abilities are awarded for exemplary play.Ĭomplementing Grave's Cerberus guns is a giant coffin that he can wield as both a melee and projectile weapon. Uninterrupted carnage steadily increases the 'Beat' meter, allowing players to achieve extended combos through carefully planned attacks. At its most basic level, the gameplay in this third-person action title encourages players to destroy the various enemies along with the environments themselves. Bent on the destruction of an evil criminal organization, Grave must traverse six unique environments, utilizing the dual handguns and coffin he possesses to literally destroy anything and everything in his path while doing so. Instantly recognizable, due in part to the unique visual style of TRIGUN's Yasuhiro Naito, Gungrave casts players as Grave, an enigmatic, double-gun wielding anti-hero forged in much the same spirit as Todd McFarlane's Spawn character.

Gungrave dub stream