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Development of ''Gunstar Heroes'' lasted around nine to ten months.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":0" /> It was the team's first experience programming for the Genesis, having come off programming for the Super NES at Konami.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="works4" /> Programmers Mitsuru Yaida and Hideyuki Suganami previously programmed ''[[Contra III: The Alien Wars]]'' (1992) for the Super NES at Konami.<ref name="euroretrospec">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-12-contra-3-retrospective|title=Contra 3 retrospective|last=Robinson|first=Martin|date=2014-01-12|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305165256/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-12-contra-3-retrospective|archive-date=March 5, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=2019-08-25}}</ref> The team felt the Genesis's processor was more powerful, capable, and friendly to experimentation than other consoles. This led them to consider it more suited for action games and the sophisticated graphical effects they were looking to create.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name="works4" /> The team implemented heavy visual effects in an exercise in design experimentation (not an effort to push the hardware).<ref name="works4" /> Some of that experimenting was done with the system's [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] rotation and scaling capabilities, which evoked a sense of depth.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> The Genesis had its limitations however, as it could only display 64 colors on screen at once.<ref name=":0" /> The team placed extra effort on coloring to compensate.<ref name="works4" /> Early backgrounds were drawn with a 16 color palette, but they looked desolate, so ultimately two palettes with 32 colors were used.<ref name=":4" /> The team also used programming tricks to make the scenery appear like three to four layers were present, although the Genesis only supports two.<ref name=":0" />
The team approached ''Gunstar Heroes'' with an "anything goes" concept, that led to many ambitious ideas being implemented into the final game.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> One such concept was the weapon combination mechanic, which was conceived in the early planning stages.<ref name="works4" /> They experimented with weapon attributes until the end of development,<ref name="works4" /> and designed the game so players would continue discovering new weapons and devise new ways to complete stages.<ref name=":4" /> The processor also made articulated multi-limb enemies possible, like the boss "Seven Force," which was programmed by Nami along with all other bosses.<ref name=":1" /> Because moving around large sprites was difficult due to limited [[Video RAM (dual-ported DRAM)|video RAM]], Seven Force was built by combining circles and squares to make one large character.<ref name=":1" /> Maegawa claims the game could have never worked on the Super NES because the boss animations required expanded computing power.<ref name=":0" /> The standard enemy characters, designed by Han, were drawn on the screen by combining a top and bottom sprite, allowing for more animation patterns with lower memory usage.<ref name=":1" /> Han was inspired by the game ''[[Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter]]'' (1993) to program the enemies manually rather than with mathematical algorithms.<ref name="B!MD49">{{cite magazine|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:BeepMD_JP_1993-10.pdf&page=114|title=Treasure Factory Special - ガンスター＆マックふっかーい思い入れのあるシーン|magazine=[[Gemaga|Beep!
== Release ==
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| award2Pub = [[MegaTech]] (1993)
}}
''Gunstar Heroes'' achieved greater recognition than Treasure anticipated.<ref name=":1" /> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' called it their "Game of the Month,"<ref name="egmr" /> and the game placed first in ''[[Gemaga|Beep! Mega Drive]]''<nowiki/>'s reader rankings in Japan.<ref name=":1" /> ''GameFan'' deemed it their "Game of the Year"<ref name="gfanaward">{{Cite magazine|title=GameFan's 2nd Annual Megawards|url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_02/page/n57/mode/2up|magazine=GameFan|volume=2|issue=2|pages=58}}</ref> and called it a new benchmark for action games.<ref name="gfanr">{{Cite magazine|title=Gunstar Heroes|url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_1_Issue_10/page/n13/mode/2up|magazine=Game Fan|volume=1|issue=10|pages=14, 28–29}}</ref> ''[[Mean Machines Sega]]'' wrote that ''Gunstar Heroes'' was setting a new standard for action games on the Genesis, calling it "a stunning title both in appearance and the gameplay it offers."<ref name="mmsr" /> ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' agreed, with one critic calling it "one of the most intense games I've seen on the home video game scene."<ref name="egmr" /> Both ''[[Sega Magazine]]'' and ''[[Sega Force]]'' felt the game was a must-buy for Genesis owners.<ref name="smagr" /><ref name="sforcer" />
The game was praised for its fast and furious action.<ref name="egmr" /><ref name="CVG" /><ref name="sforcer" /> ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' called it "one of the most intense carts to date [...] nonstop intensity from beginning to end."<ref name="egmr" /> ''Mean Machines Sega'' agreed, commending the variety in level design and the "frantic, high-density blasting mayhem."<ref name="mmsr" /> ''Sega Force'' believed the game's variety prevented it from falling into monotony, and instead, reinvigorated the platform genre.<ref name="sforcer" /> ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' agreed, feeling gameplay customization options kept it feeling interesting and original.<ref name="CVG" /> Some critics praised the player characters' acrobatics and attack maneuvers for adding excitement.<ref name="mmsr" /><ref name="gpror" /><ref name="edger" /> ''[[GamePro]]'' called ''Gunstar Heroes'' "chaos in a cart" with "murderous action, excellent controls, and imaginative game design."<ref name="gpror" /> The game's two-player cooperative mode was praised,<ref name="egmr" /><ref name="edger" /> although some felt there was too much clutter on the screen to tell the player characters apart.<ref name="CVG" /><ref name="gpror" />
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