Gotcha Force

Nintendo exclusive

Gotcha Force is a fighting / third-person shooter video game developed on HAL Laboratory Sysdolphin engine and published by Capcom for the GameCube in 2003. The game consists primarily of collecting gacha toys and battling with them.

Released: 27 November 2003
Platforms: GameCube
Genres: Fighting Ninja Shooter Simulation Third-person shooter
Developers: Capcom
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

Gotcha Force (ガチャフォース, Gacha Fōsu) is a fighting / third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube in 2003. It consists primarily of collecting gacha toys and battling with them.

Upon its initial release, the game received mediocre reviews from critics and little advertising. Due to these circumstances, it was not commercially successful, although it has gained a cult following with numerous high fan reviews. The official Capcom Japan website showcases many pieces of concept art and videos. There is also a toy line in Japan though it is extremely rare.

Keywords

ninja
mech
samurai
collectibles
new game plus
cockroach
saturday morning cartoon

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game focuses primarily on its combat system, which goes as follows: Before each match, GF Commanders must pick Gotcha Borgs to put on a force. Each Gotcha Borg, depending upon its powers and abilities, costs a specific amount of "GF Energy" in order to place on a force—in Story Mode, GF Energy increases with each match. In multiplayer, GF Energy is determined by players beforehand.

Once Forces are determined, the battle begins. Borgs are placed in an arena, and both Borgs are constantly locked onto each other. If there is more than one enemy, Borgs can switch their lock between enemies, or have the option to lock onto allies (for healing or support). The player must quickly dodge, move, use borg abilities, and use the arena to their advantage in order to evade or block incoming attacks. Borgs often have five attack capabilities that normally consist of close range contextual attacks and three long range attacks, though some Borgs differ.

Story

The Earth is being attacked by "Gotcha Borgs" called the Death Force. Luckily, a child named Kou finds a borg called G-Red and forms the Gotcha Force. Allied by his friends, Kou counterattacks and aims to get rid of the menace, known as the Death Force's leader, the Galactic Emperor.

Reception

Gotcha Force received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Reviewers generally praised the game's concept and gameplay, but found the game to lack depth in the long run. Mary Jane Irwin of IGN stated: "What really hurts it is that the game never progresses beyond the simple battles. I never felt challenged -- and after playing through the story mode for an hour, I felt like I had seen all there was to see."

Irwin, along with other reviewers, also noted the game to be more appealing to children. Alex Navarro of GameSpot believed the game "crutches itself far too heavily on brainless, clunky, spastic action that doesn't so much entertain as it bewilders." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven, one eight, and two sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.