While my interest and exposure of video games at a young age was with the old 8-bit consoles like the original Nintendo, it wasn’t really until a little later when the 16-bit era that things turned into a love affair. Metroidvania style games, as well as other side scrolling action platformers were very fun (and punishing) for me to play. I always love when a game developer pays homage to that time in gaming history and while not just doing an exact copy but making a game that looks like it was made in the 90’s but designed with modern techniques to enhance what would be a retro experience. Developers Joymasher have done just that yet again, with their previously released title “Blazing Chrome” back in 2019, and now this title “Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider” it’s safe to say they are sticking with what they’re good at, but I’m not complaining.
In this futuristic world, you play as Moonrider, a robotic super soldier ninja warrior that refuses to obey the evildoers who brought you online in the first place, but instead will be a glimmer of hope for humanity as you take down your creators in this revenge saga. Characters interact via text boxes and there’s even some retro style cutscenes very akin to the games that this title pays homage to. While that’s all well and good, the story is not what I’m here for. Gameplay is king here, with fast platforming and even faster attacks. I was quickly reminded of the older Ninja Gaiden, wall jumping around the levels and slashing your enemies. Like a more recent example like “Cuphead,” this game heavily relies on repetition to get better at it and to eventually complete levels. That means yes, the game is hard, it can be very hard at times.
As you progress you collect modifier chips that help you customize your fighting style and move set. The controls are fairly straight forward, you have your usual attack buttons, but you also have a heavy sword attack and my personal favorite, the dive-kick. The dive-kick mechanic is so simple but adds a very unique dynamic on how to go about finishing a level. It’s helpful against enemies, sure, but it can also be used to further your momentum to gain even larger jumps, which can be extremely helpful. This little attack is all it took for this game to go from good to great, I want more dive-kick attacks in games now. What I also enjoyed were the 3D motorcycle sequences that are placed throughout the game to mix things up a bit, they reminded me of some Contra levels from back in the day. Boss fights are also visually cool and really creative, figuring out attack patterns is key, but it will take some trial and error to figure them out (you’ll be dying a lot). I know I brought up soundtracks many times in previous reviews, but when there’s a great soundtrack in a game, I’m damn well going to mention it, and this one really slaps. With a sleek, drum and bass sound, it really helps you stay in the rhythm of the fights and keeps you in the flow of the game.
These retro style games are clearly not for everyone, I’m confident the difficulty of “Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider” will turn off a lot of players from even giving it a try, but with a cheap enough price tag of $16.99 and a runtime of approximately five hours to finish (really depends on your skill level), I’d consider this time and money well spent, the replayability factor alone is quite high.
8/10
For more information, visit: https://www.thearcadecrew.com/games/vengeful-guardian-moonrider/
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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