Play Gunhed Online

Summary

Gunhed, released in the West as Blazing Lazers, still feels like a hidden gem on the TurboGrafx‑16. The game thrusts you into a relentless vertical scroll where the Gunhed Advanced Star Fighter darts across nine distinct zones, each capped by a massive boss and a handful of towering Super Weapons that must be taken down.

What keeps the action fresh is the arsenal: a rapid‑fire main cannon that upgrades through numbered power‑ups, plus optional gel‑capsule upgrades like multibodies, homing missiles, shields, full‑fire mode and a scarce stock of cluster bombs. You can toggle the ship’s speed across five settings, and the title hands out 1‑ups at score milestones while offering four continues.

A rare “Gunhed Special Version” HuCard added 2‑ and 5‑minute Time Attack modes, and the title was even featured in Hudson Soft’s 1989 Caravan Festival. Its later Virtual Console and PlayStation Network releases earned praise for crisp graphics, zero slowdown and a soundtrack that still pumps, scoring high marks from ACE, CVG and IGN.

Storyline

In Gunhed for the TurboGrafx‑16, you take the helm of the Gunhed Advanced Star Fighter, humanity’s last hope against a galaxy‑wide invasion. A hostile armada known as the Dark Squadron has descended on the star system, threatening total annihilation. Your task is to hunt down and destroy the Dark Squadron’s Super Weapons, which power their relentless assault. By eliminating these super‑weapons, the Gunhed can cripple the enemy fleet and give the galaxy a fighting chance.