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A rare horizontal shoot-em-up based on the popular Di Gi Charat (デジキャラット) franchise. Originally released in early 2002 as Version 1.830, the final version was released during Comiket 62 as version 1.920. Developed by iNFiNi-X which is mainly a lone developer by the name of SUIKEN, the "team" was first established in 1999 and inspired by Botchy's "Easy Link Library", a game development suite which helped amateurs get an easy start in making video games. Their domain came and went for about twenty years before finally shutting down for good in 2019, though GunCharat Burst is their only known work which hasn't been updated since its last release in late 2002. It's kind of a shame really; with a little more work and variety, GunCharat Burst could've been a fantastic Doujin shmup but still sports a dose of options and charm even as-is (with one caveat).

GCB features two level types and 6+ stages of action. As Dejiko and Gema, you'll fly around defeating abstract enemies and other characters from DC and "Gamers". While there are no power-ups, Dejiko has a variety of abilities at her disposal with the help of Gema and her "Mukatsuki Abilities Gauge" (Anger Abilities). Much like her source, Dejiko has a "Type-A Personality" and manifests different powers when irritated enough. By grazing bullets, you can increase this gauge which will increase the strength and size of your firepower, but defeating enemies or spending too much time will cause this gauge to decrease. Conversely, you can also execute combos which has a longer or shorter duration depending on how much gauge you have, and certain enemies will burst into candy which can be shot to change its color and how many points you'll get (they also increase your combo count).

However, this gauge has other features as well. When the gauge is over halfway full, Dejiko can unleash her ultimate "Mukatsuki Burst" technique by pressing both attack buttons, a mega eye beam that deals damage and eradicates all incoming projectiles. The duration is left up to the player and the main concept is to balance its application so the gauge is never too close to empty; when the gauge is nearly depleted, Dejiko's eye beams are very small in size and lose their full-screen capability. The gauge has one more use: if you are playing the default difficulty (Beginner, or level type A), the player has access to an automatic "Mukatsuki Barrier" which projects them from death if it is 75% full when you're hit. As such, this will not protect you on "Shooter" difficulty (which also features level type B).

Gema does not rely on this gauge but has various mechanics that rely on manual targeting and positioning. Gema can do a kamikaze attack that destroys most bullets and will damage enemies in his path if you tap the secondary attack button (he will fly in the direction you're moving or right by default). He can also utilize a more advanced technique by holding the secondary attack button where you can manually create a path and position him to initiate bazooka fire. The path will obstruct projectiles and he will return to you automatically after a brief period of time. Lastly, Gema can come in front of you by holding the primary attack button where he will shield you from most bullets (the exception is most blue bullets, which must be avoided or destroyed with a Mukatsuki Burst). It is reliable during tough patches and boss battles in a pinch, though bosses have more unique bullet patterns that can't be defended against. Bosses also have multiple waves and a time limit and will flee the scene if they aren't defeated within a few minutes.

The game has a number of configurable options (such as alpha blending, slow motion which is on by default to curb difficulty, etc.) as well .dat file manipulation to help it work in different operating environments. You can also play the in-game music, a music cd that you've prepared or mp3 files if you name them properly, and reveal more secrets if you clear the game on Shooter difficulty. The game is fairly variable and suitable for shmup fans of most skill levels and sports good graphics with an impressive mode-7-style scrolling landscape and a nice soundtrack... the one caveat here is the sound Dejiko makes when she shoots rapid beams, which can get annoying really fast.

This is a video of the game in action showing some gameplay and a running attract demo. You can get it at:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/rx3pejs6tql7sr2/GunCharat.7z/file

Enjoy.

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