It almost pains me to say this, but Gal Gun 2 is a pretty decent On-Rails Shooter. Granted, it’s draped in pre-weebescent fantasy and coated in unabashed tantalizing fan service, but its core gameplay is solid.

You know what, let’s just review the “back-cover” description of the game first: “.. A new army of girls has been overpowered by lust in THE FULL-FRONTAL SEQUEL to Japan’s infamous shooter. Fend them off with your Pheromone Shot and use new gadgets to expel demons from their bodies..” I mean, you have to give Inti Creates credit in creating a shooter that can mostly stand on its own yet still not shy away from the absurdity the series is known for.

Now Gal Gun 2 is actually the third title in the series, with Gal Gun releasing in 2011 and Gal Gun: Double Peace releasing in 2015. The theme is identical to the first two games. You play an “unlucky” kid who unintentionally becomes supernaturally irresistible to virtually every female student and teacher in your school. First world problems, right? The issue is that none of them are either of your two love interests; Chiru or Nanako.

The story kicks off with you being recruited by Risu, angel delegate from Angel Ring Company, or AR-Corp. Donning your AR (get it?) goggles and armed with your Pheromone Shooter, you have a limited number of days to exorcise the demons that are possessing the girls of your school. Kurona makes her return from Double Peace as the main demon causing all of the havoc and mischief.

The core game itself is just a rail shooter with three different modes. Attack is the game’s core and basic play mode. You clear out an area of woman dying to give you their affection. Go to a new part of the area and clear them out again. Repeat the process until all parts of the area are clear. Some girls will run straight towards you and push you down. Others will stand back and use a ranged attack or what I can only assume is a string of expletives. And a few will actually have demons attached, where you need to first shoot the demons off and then shoot them or suck them up in a Luigi’s Haunted Mansion style. You can zoom-in for more accurate and delicate shots. Also, zooming in and holding the gaze of a would be admirer will put all woman in full lust and clear the screen.

The other two modes are Defense and some kind of Easter Egg hunt. In Defense, you need to protect one or multiple groups of girls as they get attacked by hordes of demons. In the other mode, you need to track down specific objects while being timed and trying to avoid groups of school girls. If they notice you, you’ll need to clear them out before you can move on to looking for the objects again. Although surprisingly challenging and fun the first couple times you go through the scenarios, they do get repetitive after a while. I found myself avoiding certain modes unless it was for a character I knew.

Your phone acts as your menu system and base of operations. From here, you choose to continue with your main story or to do the side quests. You’re able to do both a morning and an afternoon quest before your day is done and you head back to your room. You can also go through your calendar, go through your items, or meet up with girls you assisted with side quests.

Although I was able to see the game for what it is and actually enjoy it, the Gal Gun 2 formula does begin to get too formulaic. Each day was spent the same as the day before: Talk to love interest A and offer food, morning mission, maybe a rendezvous, afternoon mission, room, talk to love interest B and offer food, finally go to sleep. But the quirky fun, the surprisingly comical characters and the on-rails gun play being decent, if not sophomoric, made me actually enjoy my time spent at the academy. I expect that if you are already a fan of the series, Gal Gun 2 gives you exactly what you are wanting. If you aren’t, then you may find a game that is fun and entertaining, but limited and repetitive as it all becomes too familiar.

Graphics: 7.0 Besides the fan service focus on the girls, the settings are alright but seem to be used more than once.	Gameplay: 6.5 Adding the other two play modes definitely helps but in the end, it still gets a little repetitive.
Sound: 7.0 Sounds like I am in any high school anime I have ever seen.	Fun Factor: 7.0 The core gameplay and the cast of characters makes the game more fun than it may have a right to be.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Reviewed on Switch.
Gal Gun 2 is available now on Switch and PS4
A copy of Gal Gun 2 was provided by the publisher.