Guntech 2 Press Kit
GUNTECH 2 PRESS KIT
Developer: Jani Penttinen Contact: jani@utoposgames.com / +1.408.499.1321
Players: 1-4 players (co-op multiplayer on the same system)
Languages: English, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish
Available for: Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Review keys available on request.
Release schedule:
- January 2, 2023 for Nintendo Switch
- February 16, 2022 on Steam
- January 13, 2022 for Xbox
Price: $14.99
History
Guntech 2 is a remake of an Atari ST game called Utopos from 1993, so by the nature of it, Guntech 2 is a retro game. The original Utopos game was the first published game made by Utopos Games founder Mr. Jani Penttinen.
Why is the game called Guntech 2?
Jani worked at Remedy Entertainment in the late 90s and was developing a sequel to Utopos. The publisher didn't like the name Utopos and renamed the game to Guntech. However, the game was never released as Remedy shifted its focus to a new project called Dark Justice, which eventually became Max Payne. Guntech 2 is therefore a sequel to the never-released Guntech, not a remake.
The Birth of Guntech
Jani had already left the game industry behind years earlier when his young children found out that their dad had been a game developer long before they were born.
The kids were really excited that their dad had this cool past, instead of the boring businessman he had been through their lives. Like a veteran musician dusting his guitar, Jani installed Unity, which didn't even exist when he last worked on games and started learning how to make games again. After three years, and with a lot of cheering from his kids, Jani released Guntech, a remake of his very first game Utopos.
Atari VCS
Guntech was an Atari VCS launch title and became the best-selling game on the platform.
Covid-19
The development of Guntech 2 was impacted by Covid-19. The episode was chronicled by Wired Magazine: https://www.wired.com/story/guntech-2-covid-video-game/
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch version of Guntech 2 features refinements based on feedback from the Xbox and Steam releases, as well as cross-platform leaderboards.
Music
Title music by Frank Klepacki, a true game industry legend best known for his work at Westwood Studios on the Command & Conquer games.
WHAT IS GUNTECH 2?
Guntech 2 is a retro-style arcade shooter. You, as a player, will take the controls of a rocket ship. The game takes place on the Asteroid Belt, in a region between Mars and Jupiter, in the distant future.
Guntech 2 is a side-scrolling shoot'em up with detailed 3D environments. The game is a retro game to the heart, taking classic game play elements from the 80s and 90s and bringing them to modern hardware and game controllers.
Guntech 2's levels are split into "Worlds" that each have their own characteristics. These worlds are placed around various asteroids located in the Asteroid Belt. Worlds to explore include "The Dark Worlds", an old defunct mining colony where the player has to descend deep into dark caves to find lost treasures, and "The Space Jungle", a green world with lush vegetation and weird mutated animals, a result of an agricultural experiment that got out of hand.