Gunstar Heroes is a 1993 run and gun video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was Treasure's first developed video game. The premise is centered around a pair of characters, the Gunstars, in their efforts to stop an evil empire from recovering four powerful gems. The characters can fire guns and perform a series of acrobatic maneuvers to fight enemies across each stage. There are four weapons which can be combined with one another to create different shot types.

Development on Gunstar Heroes began among a team of staff working at Konami in 1991. Following an unwillingness of Konami to embrace their original game ideas, the team quit in 1992 and formed Treasure to see their project through. The team wanted to develop their game for the Genesis because of the system's powerful Motorola 68000 microprocessor. Sega initially rejected their proposal, but later granted approval after they worked for Sega for several months on McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (1993). Treasure worked on both games in parallel, and released Gunstar Heroes as their first game in 1993.

Gunstar Heroes was a critical success, being praised for its frantic action and advanced graphics. It helped establish Treasure's place in the industry, and introduced numerous design conventions which would become characteristic of their later work such as large bosses and a unique sense of humor. It was re-released several times, including dedicated ports to the Game Gear and Nintendo 3DS, and received a sequel on the Game Boy Advance. In retrospect, it is considered one of the best action games of the 16-bit era, and one of the best video games of all time by several publications.

Gameplay

thumb|left|The player runs to the right as they fire the machine gun.

Gunstar Heroes is a run and gun game which is played from a side-scrolling perspective similar to Contra. They were establishing early concepts for an action shooting game, a genre they were familiar with. Maegawa and his team were growing frustrated with the industry's reliance on sequels to established franchises and console conversions of arcade games to generate revenue.

thumb|left|Treasure believed the [[Motorola 68000 microprocessor in the Sega Genesis was best suited for the action games they wanted to make.]]

Treasure wanted to develop their game for the Sega Genesis. The team felt the Genesis's processor was more powerful, capable, and friendly to experimentation than other consoles. This led them to consider it more suited for action games and the sophisticated graphical effects they were looking to create. The game was 16 megabits, but compressed to fit under 8.

Gunstar Heroes was released in Japan on September 10, 1993, and released in the West the same month. GameFan particularly enjoyed the game and published the first English interview with Maegawa. An arcade version was also released for the Sega Mega-Play arcade board. The port had some changes, such as the Dice Palace being removed, and it ran at lower frame rate.

Sega released Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box in 2006 in Japan, a compilation of Treasure games for the PlayStation 2 as part of their Sega Ages 2500 series. Included on the compilation were Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy (1994), and Alien Soldier (1995). A gallery is included with scans of the original instruction manuals, concept illustrations, and design documents. The compilation was released digitally on the PlayStation Store in 2012. Gunstar Heroes was originally not considered for the series because converting the game's backgrounds into a layered 3D effect was thought to be impossible, but these perceived problems were later overcome. In addition to supporting stereoscopic 3D, the game features two new modes. "Gunslinger" mode starts the player with a full arsenal of every weapon type and grants the ability to change shot stance at any time. "Mega Life" mode starts the player with double the normal amount of health. The game also supports local cooperative play and includes both the Japanese and international versions. PlayStation 3, Wii via Virtual Console, A Sega Forever version for mobile devices was released in 2017.

Reception

Gunstar Heroes achieved greater recognition than Treasure anticipated. and called it a new benchmark for action games. Mean Machines Sega wrote that Gunstar Heroes was setting a new standard for action games on the Genesis, calling it "a stunning title both in appearance and the gameplay it offers." GameFan felt it was graphically advanced for a Game Gear game. The mobile version was criticized for being difficult to play with touch controls.

Legacy

Gunstar Heroes was listed as one of the best games ever made by several publications. Critics have called it a "classic" of the 16-bit era, Others called it one of the best Genesis games. Electronic Gaming Monthly called it "one of the best two-player games ever made." Retro Gamer said the game "blew open the state of 2D platform-shooters." Treasure also started building a following of loyal hardcore fans, which USgamer felt was earned by "a sense of integrity to Treasure's work you don't often see in games of that era."