It’s always a good day to fly into space and blast some space, bad guys. Game developer Jani Penttinen is taking players back to good ‘old classic days of “cave-flyer” style games with the release of Guntech 2 on Steam, a top-down spaceship action shooter in the vein of Gravity Crash and Geometry Wars. Guntech 2 promises players a thrilling good time, from the vibrant visuals to fighting the evil space dragons of outer space.
Guntech 2 is the passion project of game developer Jani Penttinen, a one-man dev living in the lights and sounds of Las Vegas Nevada. Guntech 2 features all sorts of cosmic calamity, from lasers to dragons to large vessels, but the meaning of the game goes far deeper. Guntech 2 was made during the consent of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the developer underwent lockdowns and restrictions in his town. The objective of the game is to locate pieces of a counter virus to counter the intergalactic COVID-19, and ultimately defeat the sinister Dr. Virx. Players explore dark labyrinths and caverns within the jagged asteroid belt and blast away at any ad all targets looking to end the mission. Guntech 2 can support 1-4 players in 60 frames second and has an adjustable difficulty mode, making this an excellent game for new video game players, as well as for kids to bond with their parents.
Guntech 2 may have quite the premise, but in a cosmic take of fate, COVID-19 went from being a video game antagonist to a virus that put the developer in mortal danger. In a recently posted interview on Wired Magazine, Jani reveals that he contracted the Delta variant of COVID-19 shortly after Guntech 2 was submitted for approval on Xbox. The Delta Variant ravaged his body, reducing his oxygen levels and instilling fever dreams. After eight days, he was sent home to recover. Xbox had rejected the approval of Guntech 2 right before he was admitted to the hospital, due to a bug. Following his discharge, he worked on the game to fix the bug in the isolation of his room, and eventually, the game was approved and released on the Xbox Store.
The release of Guntech 2 on Steam is another opportunity for Jani to see his game in the hands of so many other players, and he is proud of what he has made.
“Guntech 2 is an homage to the great cave-flyer shoot’em ups of the 90’s. It’s optimized for gaming PCs and the latest generation consoles so you can expect a dance of lights and shadows and tons of big explosions while staying true to the origins of the genre. The couch co-op multiplayer means the whole family can play together, which is what I have been doing with my young kids while developing the game.”
Guntech 2 finds itself in an interesting perspective, unlike any other game. It’s a game about COVID, made by a developer who was unexpectedly infected with COVID. It gives a certain viewpoint that has not been encountered before, where a real-life boss becomes a video games boss, and then becomes involved in one’s life. Jani may just be the very first developer to have this kind of experience, and many more may come forward with similar stories in the coming years. It’ll be interesting to see how players take to Guntech 2 and what they take away from it. You can check out the game ahead of time below and Wishlist the game on Steam or pick up today.
