Speed Power Gunbike is an anime-inspired action-racing game developed by Inti Creates and published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan that was released only in Japan for the PlayStation on April 23, 1998. It was the very first game the company developed since their founding in 1996 and long before they went on to earn a name for themselves among 2D action games for their contributions to the Mega Man series, crowd-funded indie projects such as Mighty No. 9 and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and their very own self-published series Azure Striker Gunvolt, among others.
Its plot takes place in the future in year 2097 where Japan is being overrun by an army of machines that have gone rogue and began terrorizing humans, and opposing the mechanized threat is the few remaining members of a resistance force fighting against them. Among the resistance and their titular Gunbikes are the hot-blooded Ippei and Gunbike, the emotionless Power Doll Ami and Proto, and the cool-but-strict Major Nouno and X. The gameplay is a hybrid of a racing game with a third-person mecha game as players take control of each character's Gunbike, a special motorcycle that can transform between a high-speed Bike Mode, an all-terrain Armored Rally Mode, and a Robot Mode for combat. Each mission throughout the game is timed as their Gunbike's Anergy steadily depletes over time or by taking damage from enemies and obstacles, encouraging players to quickly race their way through the stages and tackling obstacles, but also learn the abilities and quirks of each form their Gunbikes possesses as well as the courses of the missions. Although largely forgotten over the years, as well as being an obscure import-only title, Inti Creates has made a few references to this game through their later titles.
This game features examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The game's setting, which takes place in 2097.
- Auto-Save: The game features features an auto-save option that saves your progress in between stages.
- Artificial Intelligence: Each of the Gunbikes have their own unique AI. The titular Gunbike's AI is an upbeat Genki Girl, while Proto and X have a reserved male and female AI respectively.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: The game's final stage/ending sees your character going through a spiritual voyage as their soul travels through the cosmos past the Solar System, and presumably, reach to Heaven.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Your super attacks, while powerful, suffer a long start-up animation while your foes can move about, potentially causing the attack to miss its target.
- Awesomeness Meter: Depending on how many hits your were able to land, you'll see various phrasing using "GUN" from your attacks, such as "GUN!" or "GUN! GUN! GUN!".
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Your character is naked during their spiritual journey in the ending, but lacking private parts that are being obscured by the dazzling lights covering their bodies.
- Beehive Barrier: While pressing the Brake button in Robot Mode, your Gunbike while create a bee hive-like barrier in front of it to ward off some attacks.
- Cool Bike: The Gunbikes, transforming motorcyles with an an AI that speaks during gameplay.
- Curtains Match the Window: Ippei and Major Nouno eyes matches colors with their hair.
- Dash Attack: A simple ramming attack can be performed by accelerating while in Robot Mode. When you are able to reach 160 Km/h or higher while in Bike or Rally Mode however, upon switching to Robot mode while speeding will perform a strong ramming Gun Attack to demolish obstacles or enemies in their way. The latter move can also be extended by pressing Down, Up while performing a Gun Attack.
- Eternal Engine: The final boss battle takes place where a super computer behind the robot attacks is being held.
- Eye Patch Of Power: Major Nouno has an eye patch over his right eye.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: Ami's bodysuit has two different colors that are split down the middle, and a mask that partially covers her face.
- Gameplay Grading: At the end of each stage and boss battle, you'll be graded on your performance in these two criteria: Speed, based on how quickly you cleared the stage/boss battle, and Power, based on how many damage you were able to inflict.
- Gainax Ending: The game's ending, which started from fighting off rogue mechanized robots, then confronting those responsible for the outcome of the events, and then ends with your character going through a spiritual voyage to Heaven. Yeah...
- Japanese Ranguage: The bits of English that was self-translated are often misspelled with a different letter, such as "Anergy" instead of "Energy".
- Laser Blade: Major Nouno's X uses one for its melee and dash attacks.
- Limit Break: As players take down enemies and obstacles, they can build up G.Power for up to three levels, then by pressing Down, Up + Triangle or Up, Up, Up + Triangle in Robot Mode to unleash a powerful super attack, unfortunately this doesn't stop anything around you as your character's start-up animation happens before the attack launches.
- Playable Epilogue: The game's final stage and ending is playable as you guide your character from the cosmos to eventually reach Heaven.
- Powered Armor: The Gunbikes' Robot Mode becomes a powerful mech suit your protagonist can pilot, with your chosen character's head/helment making up the "head" of the Robot Mode.
- Race Against the Clock: The gameplay is centered around quickly racing through the game's stages and ending bosses quickly before their Anergy Meter reaches 0 which prompts a Game Over.
- Red Is Heroic: Ippei has red hair/eyes, sports a bike suit with red colors, and pilots a red-colored Gunbike.
- Shout-Out:
- The characters' Gunbikes feature three transformable modes, particularly being able to transform between a motorcycle and a mecha like the Garlands of Megazone 23.
- In Inti Creates' later works: Phantom from the Mega Man Zero series wears a mask that is reminiscent to Major Nouno's Gunbike helmet. The design of Eve's mutation in Blaster Master Zero II resembles Ami's character design. The naming scheme of Azure Striker Gunvolt in Western territories has a similar ring to this game's title.
- Some Dexterity Required: Despite being released during the advent of the DualShock controller, Speed Power Gunbike however does not utilize the addition of analog sticks and the game features very complex controls when it comes handling your Gunbike's vehicle and mech modes.
- Theme Naming: The default high score rankings features names of Inti Creates' staff members.
- Timed Mission: Each of the game's stages are timed as your Gunbike's Anergy Meter depletes at varying rates depending on the difficulty, and to replenish it you must find Anergy containers hidden in some areas of the stage. Taking damage also depletes your Anergy Meter.
- Transforming Vehicle: The Gunbikes can transform between a motorcycle, an armored all-terrain vehicle, and an power suit.
