Key Highlights:
- Gungrave GORE Blood Heat was announced at this year’s Xbox TGS.
- The game is a remake of 2022’s Gungrave GORE.
- It’s shaping up to be quite the promising remake.
Xbox held its Tokyo Games Show (TGS) showcase of 2025 earlier this day, and one of the many surprise new additions was Gungrave GORE Blood Heat. This also happened to be its world premiere.
Blood Heat is a remake of the original Gungrave GORE (Gunslinger of REsurrection), which was released back in 2022. Gungrave isn’t exactly a new series though, and the franchise has its roots seated deep in the PlayStation 2.
Gungrave GORE Blood Heat Is Shaping up to Be a Fantastic Remake
Blood Heat was one of the more surprising additions for this year’s Xbox TGS showcase, particularly since the targeted game isn’t particularly old. After all, the original Gungrave GORE was released back in 2022.
This was shortly followed by a special, Nintendo Switch version of the game that featured over a hundred tweaks over the original version. Dubbed the Ultimate Enhanced Edition, this remains by far the definitive way to play the game, albeit being locked down to one platform.
This might be why developer Studio IGGYMOB has chosen to remake the game, breaking the shackles off the definitive edition’s Nintendo Switch exclusivity.
The remake has been built from the ground up in the often controversial Unreal Engine 5, which does bring with it some concerns of performance. Although the game does appear to be quite crisp, offering a substantial upgrade in its visuals.
However, Gungrave has always been a stylish third person action shooter at its core, and this should carry over to the remake as well. Emphasis has been added to its combat, with improvements across the board for level design, enemy aggression and player interactivity.
While we really don’t know the full extent of these changes just yet, they do appear to be quite substantial, and made in a way as to not alter the source material by a wide margin. This is while removing a few prior missteps along the way,
Blood Heat Should Also Correct the Mistakes of the Original
The Gungrave series has a deep rooted history, being over two decades old. The original Gungrave was released back in 2022 for the legendary PlayStation 2 system. While the gameplay wasn’t anything too revolutionary, the game managed to garner critical acclaim for its character designs from Yauhiro Nightow and Kosuke Fujishima.
It has since grown a following, which has culminated in the release of multiple sequels, a VR game and even an anime series.
Gungrave GORE is the sequel to 2002’s Gungrave, and follows the protagonist of the original in a quest for revenge.
Also Read: God of War Fans Get a Disappointing Update With Playstation’s Newest State of Play
However, the original Gungrave GORE wasn’t exactly well received by players and critics alike at launch. The game holds a Mixed rating on Metacritic, with much criticism being drawn to its mediocre game design and repetitive content. However, a lot of praise was drawn for its combat system, which should be more or less unchanged in Blood Heat.
The developers have themselves acknowledged the same in the Xbox Wire post, mentioning that ‘player feedback was taken into account’. The full extent of these changes is still not known, but Studio IGGYMOB seems ready to deliver an upgraded, ultimate experience for all gamers.
Gungrave GORE Blood Heat is a complete overhaul and an improvement over the original, and also features improvements to make it more accessible for newcomers to the franchise. The game also follows its own standalone story that draws enough hints to the original that will keep veterans hooked, making for a fantastic day one Game Pass addition.
