I've played Gal Gun, the Xbox 360 on-rails shooter that pits you, the lonely high school student Tenzou, against a horde of school girl admirers on a quest to find true love. Cute? Kind of. Creepy? Yep. Shallow? You bet!
Alchemist's new romantic on-rails shooter, from Mega Man Zero and Mega Man 9 developer Inti Creates, is about as simple as on-rails shooters get. Press X to shoot your pheromone shot, which makes high school girls squeal with either delight or pain, become dazed and confused until they collapse and then dissipate into flowers. They'll come at you from all sides, offering words of devotion—kanji flies at the screen—and love letters that will drain your... spirit? Health? Let's just say it's a meter.
Gal Gun is not difficult. Simply paint the reticule with the Xbox 360's analog stick at a girl, then fire away. Ammo is really of no concern.
After firing your pheromone's at a few girls and another meter has been filled, players can enter Doki Doki Mode. Just press Y at the right time when an on-screen indicator pops up above a girl's head.
This lets you enter a paused attack mode, in which you can target specified body parts. Make sure the spot you want to hit isn't being guarded by the girl's hands and fire away. This is exactly what you think it is, a creepy opportunity to shoot at bare thighs, schoolgirl skirts that flit upward for requisite pantsu peeks and whatever body part does it for you.
The level we played at TGS was easy. We simply moved through a high school, all on rails, until we encountered a boss battle. A green tentacled thing had captured a school girl and your job is to free her. Target specific spots where the tentacles are latched on—elbows and knees, thank God—and wait for the green monster to open its mouth.
Then shoot your pheromone shot into its open fanged maw. Why this works on lovelorn girls and monsters' exposed mouths, I cannot explain. But that's Gal Gun.
That's Gal Gun...