Guntech 2 is a new retro style space shooter with four player couch co-op

goodech 2 is a return of the good old “cave flyer” shoot ’em ups genre. It’s a twin stick shooter influenced by classics like thrust, oid, geometry wars, and asteroids. For me it’s a return to my roots as a game developer. I’ve been making games for almost 30 years, mostly for big studios in roles like lead programmer or project manager, but it all started with a prequel to this very game when I was a kid in high school and still living with my parents.

After a few decades as a professional game developer, there came a time when I decided to settle down, raise a family, and do something far more boring than developing games. Then one day my kids found out that their father made games before they were born. For them, it was like finding out their dad was a rock star!

I didn’t want to be an alumni, so that was enough of a spark to get me back into game development. I decided to start with something I know and make a sequel to my very first game: a game that has been in the works for 30 years! It took me a total of four years to get to this point, but finally Guntech 2 is ready.

Guntech 2 is the continuation of utopia, a game I made in the early 90’s. It was released for Atari in 1993. guntech was the name of a sequel I had in the works that was never finished – until now. Computers were rudimentary back then and now that I have this game on Xbox Series X at 4k resolution at 60fps you can picture it as it was always meant to be.

When developing a game, I pay a lot of attention to graphics and gameplay. I play with light, shadow and color to create the atmosphere. There is an amazing number of projectiles flying through space, each of which is a light source and almost every light casts a shadow. I carefully balanced every detail of how each enemy explodes until it feels just right.

Guntech 2 takes you on an adventure through the asteroid belt. You control a rocket ship in enemy space where enemies lurk behind every rock. You have five different worlds to explore and a long list of missions to complete. My favorite world is a world where the solar system is faced with a terrible virus that poses a threat to all of humanity. To save the world, you must hunt down the viruses (which in the game are rocket ship-sized monsters), destroy the labs from which the monster viruses originate, and finally fight the giant virus boss.

Along the way you will encounter dozens of different aliens. Each world ends with a truly epic boss. How does a space dragon sound? One of the joys of being an indie developer is that when you have an idea and want to launch a dragon into space, there’s no one stopping you. The enemies and bosses you encounter are truly special!

One of my goals when creating Guntech 2 was to create a game that is fun for everyone, young and old alike. This game should appeal to those who remember the early gaming years and like retro games, but it should also be fun for younger viewers who might not have been born when games like this were a big deal.

I have to thank my four children, ages 6 to 14, for supporting me in this goal. Handling a twin stick shooter proved quite challenging for the 6 year old, so I ended up adding a 4 player co-op multiplayer mode. In co-op mode, you can choose the difficulty level for each player separately, so now the younger kids can join in with the easy difficulty and enjoy unlimited lives and stronger shields, while the more experienced players face the challenges of the normal or hard mode. It works perfectly and is a lot of fun.

We had so many great moments when the kids explored space together! In addition, this inspired my kids to become game developers too, so now they are all learning how to code, making art and designing their first game. One day we will make a game together!

If you love shoot ’em ups, I made this game for you. Join and play today!