A wacky and colorful Japanese vertical shooter by Compile. Absurd weapons, zany enemies, pervasive humor. Technically excellent and visually inventive. One of NES's great forgotten shooters.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Zany vertical shoot-'em-up featuring funny animals and objects battling in space. Published by Compile, released in Japan in 1990. Top-down view with varied power-ups and unusual enemies and massive humorous bosses. A unique and colorful Compile vertical shooter on Famicom.
Gun Nac on Famicom is a Compile vertical shooter, from the genre's master house, pushing the hardware with a deluge of power-ups and a deliberately absurd tone. The Japanese release, more widespread than the American one, still draws Compile devotees for its smoothness and offbeat humour. Its value rests on the studio's signature more than on any extreme scarcity of the Famicom pressing.
An underrated gem
Crafted by Compile, masters of the shooter, this vertical scroller unleashes a goofy menagerie of giant rabbits and belligerent vegetables with a joyfully generous helping of power-ups. Kept in Japan, it stayed quiet against the genre's heavyweights. Fast and bursting with humor, it's a treat for fans of colorful, hyperactive shmups.
Is Gun Nac still worth playing in 2026?
A zany vertical shoot 'em up from Compile, Gun Nac blends snappy action and an offbeat world full of animals, vegetables and funny objects thrown into an absurd space war. The evolving weapon system, the careful scoring and Compile's shmup mastery make it a dense, readable and terribly enjoyable title. The humour and the generosity of the content still appeal. For a fan of retro shooters or of Compile's craft, the title keeps a remarkable intensity and freshness.
