Gunslinger Stratos
Arcade hero shooter with dual-gun controllers and parallel worlds.
Gunslinger Stratos is a third-person hero shooter series developed by Byking and Taito and published by Square Enix. The first arcade game launched on July 12, 2012, with a story by Norimitsu Kaihō of Nitroplus, based on an idea from Gen Urobuchi. It runs on the Taito Type X³ arcade board using Silicon Studio's Orochi engine. Players use two gun controllers to aim and shoot, moving with analog sticks and buttons across large battlefields. The goal is to reduce the opposing team's meter to zero within a time limit. Weapons can be switched by clipping the controllers together: Side Style (clipping sides together) for secondary weapons, and Tandem Style (clipping the right gun's tip onto the left gun's top) for powerful attacks. In multiplayer, NESiCAxLive card users earn Team Points from wins to buy Weapon Packs, which include upgraded versions of default weapons.
The sequel, Gunslinger Stratos 2, arrived on February 20, 2014, adding new characters, mechanics, and stages. Tetsuya Nomura and Akira Yasuda each designed two exclusive characters for it. A Windows PC version, Gunslinger Stratos: Reloaded, was announced for 2016 but its servers closed on March 29, 2016. Gunslinger Stratos 3 launched on May 12, 2016, followed by an upgraded version, Gunslinger Stratos Σ, on April 24, 2017, which introduced four character types, six new weapon packs per character, and changes to respawn and awake systems. The arcade servers for the original game shut down on April 1, 2021. An anime adaptation, Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation, premiered on April 4, 2015.
The setting is 2115, where Japan has split into two parallel worlds: Frontier S, a lawless realm of freedom, and the 17th Far East Imperial City Management District, a totalitarian surveillance state. As the universes begin merging, each government launches Operation Stratos, sending chosen gunslingers, mercenaries, and special individuals back to 2015 to eliminate the other side and erase one universe. The story follows four childhood friends—Tohru Kazasumi, Kyōka Katagiri, Kyōma Katagiri, and Shizune Rindo—who must confront their flaws and differences while battling their alternate selves to survive.
- First release
- July 12, 2012
- Developer
- Byking, Taito
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Genre
- Third-person hero shooter
- Platform
- Arcade (Taito Type X³), Windows PC
- Last arcade server shutdown
- April 1, 2021
Lore & Background
The series is set in 2115, where Japan has split into two parallel worlds: Frontier S, an outlaw universe of rampant freedom, and the 17th Far East Imperial City Management District, a totalitarian surveillance state. As the universes begin to fuse, each government launches Operation Stratos, sending gunslingers to 2015 to eliminate the opposing side and erase one universe. The story follows four childhood friends—Tohru Kazasumi, Kyōka Katagiri, Kyōma Katagiri, and Shizune Rindo—who battle their alternate selves.
Reader's Guide
Gunslinger Stratos pioneered a unique arcade control scheme using two gun controllers that could be clipped together in different positions to switch weapons: Side Style for secondary arsenal and Tandem Style for powerful arsenal. The series ran on the Taito Type X³ arcade board using Silicon Studio's Orochi engine. Its sequel, Gunslinger Stratos 2, added characters by Tetsuya Nomura and Akira Yasuda. A Windows PC version, Gunslinger Stratos: Reloaded, was announced for 2016 but its servers closed on March 29, 2016. The arcade servers for the original game shut down on April 1, 2021. An anime adaptation, Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation, premiered on April 4, 2015. The series' significance lies in its innovative hardware and its narrative of parallel-world conflict, though its arcade-exclusive nature limited its reach.
Did You Know?
- The game uses Silicon Studio's Orochi game engine and runs on the Taito Type X³ arcade system board.
- Players can switch weapons by clipping the two gun controllers together in Side Style or Tandem Style positions.
- Tetsuya Nomura and Akira Yasuda each created two characters exclusively for Gunslinger Stratos 2.
- The arcade servers for the original Gunslinger Stratos were shut down on April 1, 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gunslinger Stratos?
Gunslinger Stratos is a third-person hero shooter arcade series developed by Byking and Taito, with Square Enix serving as publisher. It launched in arcades on July 12, 2012, and was later ported to Windows PC.
How does Gunslinger Stratos gameplay work?
Players hold two physical gun controllers to aim and fire while navigating large battlefields with analog sticks and buttons. The core objective is to drain the opposing team's shared meter to zero before the round timer runs out, and you can swap between weapon styles like Side Style by clipping the two controllers together.
Who wrote the Gunslinger Stratos story?
The narrative was crafted by Norimitsu Kaihō of Nitroplus, built around a foundational concept originally pitched by Gen Urobuchi. The plot revolves around conflicts that unfold across parallel worlds.
What technology powers the Gunslinger Stratos arcade cabinet?
The arcade version runs on the Taito Type X³ hardware platform and uses Silicon Studio's Orochi engine to render its large-scale shooter environments.
When did Gunslinger Stratos shut down its online service?
The arcade servers were permanently taken offline on April 1, 2021, bringing an end to the game's competitive online play.
More in Ubisoft franchises 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record