A chaotic, bizarre rail shooter where you fend off lovestruck girls using a “pheromone gun” — and yes, it’s exactly as wild as it sounds.
Tom
Plays weird stuff so you don’t have to
Gal*Gun 2 – Pole Position Pin-up
Rail Shooter Meets Rom-Com Anime Fever Dream
Alright, I feel like I need to start this one with a disclaimer: I knew what I was getting into. If you’ve even heard of GalGun*, you probably already know that it’s a series that lives firmly in “what did I just play” territory. And GalGun 2 – Pole Position Pin-up* takes that idea and runs with it. Fast. Possibly without pants.
If you're expecting subtlety, look elsewhere. But if you’re in the mood for pure chaos, cartoon-level absurdity, and a gameplay loop that weirdly works... this is definitely a ride.
So… What Is Gal*Gun 2?
Imagine a light gun shooter. Now make it anime. Now give it a plot where your character accidentally becomes the most attractive guy on campus due to a misplaced angelic spell — which, naturally, results in hordes of possessed schoolgirls flinging themselves at you in a frenzy of love and bad decisions.
Your job? Use a “pheromone gun” to calm them down. Yes. That’s the mechanic. It’s both ridiculous and (I hate to admit it) kind of addictive.
Pole Position Pin-up adds a new “position-based” challenge system where you have to take down girls from increasingly awkward camera angles. It sounds worse than it is. Actually, no — it is exactly as awkward as it sounds. But that's the point.
The Gameplay: Dumb, Fast, and Kind of Fun
Gameplay-wise, this is a first-person rail shooter with fixed positions and limited movement. You’re dropped into a room or school hallway or rooftop or wherever, and you have to shoot waves of incoming girls before they reach you with hearts in their eyes (or paper fans, or accidental roundhouse kicks).
Your tools:
A charge shot that lets you “one-shot” the more stubborn admirers
Zoom mode to identify weak spots (again, yes, I know how that sounds)
A vacuum cleaner-like device to suck up demons that possess students
It’s nonsense. Completely bonkers. But it works. The timing and pattern-reading is genuinely satisfying, and the difficulty actually scales in a fair way once you stop giggling at the mechanics.
The Pin-up Factor
Here’s the thing — the “Pin-up” subtitle isn’t just for show. There’s a whole minigame system where you position your camera (in very exaggerated ways) to “clear out” a girl’s affliction in a kind of pseudo-boss fight. It’s got big fan-service energy, and the animations are… yeah. They’re something.
I went in rolling my eyes, but came out impressed that it somehow avoids feeling straight-up gross. It’s absurd, but kind of self-aware about it. The game knows how dumb it is, and it leans into it hard. If this were trying to be serious, it would crash. But it’s not. And that saves it.
The Story: Yes, There’s a Plot
You play as a silent protagonist dropped into a familiar school setting. An angel named Risu shows up, panicking because she’s messed up her assignment and made you too attractive. Now you’re stuck helping her hunt down demons, calm possessed classmates, and restore balance to… high school romance?
It’s all delivered with very anime dialogue, including lines like “Love overload levels at 300%! Deploy the emergency aura vents!” and “My purity is not for you, demon!” I couldn’t stop laughing. Not because it’s bad, but because it’s so in on the joke.
Upgrades, Missions & Side Content
Between missions, you chill in your room — which becomes your hub. You can customize gadgets, change outfits (yours and others’), take side requests, and upgrade your gear.
The missions range from basic “clear the floor” waves to oddly involved assignments like tracking a ghost girl who keeps jumping between students. Some of these side missions are genuinely clever, using limited environments in surprising ways.
You can also build reputation with different characters, unlocking new cutscenes and endings. It's almost like a dating sim... wrapped in a shooter... wrapped in a fever dream.
Visuals & Sound: Style Over Substance (and That’s Okay)
The game doesn’t push any technical boundaries, but it looks exactly like it should: bright, colorful, saturated to the point of sugar rush. Character designs are pure anime trope — from shy librarian types to sporty overachievers — and the environments are serviceable but don’t get in the way.
Music? Pure Saturday-morning anime. Upbeat, slightly too catchy, and prone to shifting into hyperdrive when things get intense. Voice acting is fully Japanese with subtitles, which fits the vibe and helps keep the over-the-top delivery just this side of parody.
What Didn’t Work For Me
Okay, let’s be real. As fun as GalGun 2 – Pole Position Pin-up* can be, it’s not without some jank:
The aiming can feel a bit sluggish if you’re using a mouse. I had better luck with a controller.
Repetition kicks in during longer sessions — you’re essentially doing the same thing over and over, just with different outfits and dialogue.
The humor might not land for everyone. If you don’t enjoy anime absurdity, this will probably just feel like sensory overload.
Some mission types are forgettable filler (“find 5 notes in 60 seconds” — really?).
Still, none of that broke the game for me. It’s like watching a dumb comedy — you don’t expect it to be deep. You’re just here for the ride.
Final Thoughts
GalGun 2 – Pole Position Pin-up* isn’t trying to be profound. It’s trying to be loud, chaotic, a little pervy, and unexpectedly fun. And honestly? It succeeds.
If you’ve got a soft spot for weird Japanese games, or you just want something completely different from your usual Steam library rotation, this one’s worth checking out. Just, uh... maybe don’t play it on a shared screen.
— Tom