Early work in progress, just wanted to get something on here. Will edit as it progresses.
Metro was one of the many small-time Japanese developers of the nineties who came and went, often recruited by companies like Banpresto and Namco to work on their minor projects. Their self-published 2D action title Gun Master holds the questionable distinction of having birthed the category of "Treasure wannabe" games, preceding 1995's Gunners Heaven, 1997's Panzer Bandit, 2004's Chaos Field, and 2012's Code of Princess.
While they may contain some original ideas, all of these games unapologetically borrowed their mechanics (and often graphics) from some of the most popular titles of cult action game developer Treasure, whether it was Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, or Ikaruga. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--solid concepts are solid concepts, even in the hands of lesser developers. Spend some time with these games, though, and it's clear that none of them were made with the meticulous care of a Treasure game. In both respects, Gun Master fits this description.
In 1994, Treasure was a young studio, having not yet released their groundbreaking masterpiece Alien Soldier. The only Treasure games available to Metro at the time would have been Gunstar and McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure, so you can probably guess which one they chose to steal from. The influence is immediately obvious. Your character has all the same moves as the Gunstar crew: eight-way gun shooting, throws, a slide attack, two varieties of air kicks, hanging on platforms, and platform climbing attacks, although he (or she, on the 2P side) also has a standing melee combo. Metro was ahead of Treasure themselves in one sense. Gunstar placed heavy emphasis on its many boss fights, but Gun Master consists entirely of them. There are no normal stages to speak of, though zako enemies will appear at times.
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3/5 stars