![]() While practice will eventually get you through the game’s succession of stages, you’ll probably encounter a fragment of frustration. A Mode 7-style motorcycle chase adds visual novelty, but it doesn’t quite measure up to the action across two-dimensional sequences. Oddly, Vengeful Guardian succumbs to the same kind of faults as the games that inspired it. ![]() Delightfully, that’s not the only Eastern influence, with a bit of koto instrumentation meshed into the head-bobbing darkwave soundtrack. Vengeful Guardian isn’t particularly gory but does reward you with some decapitations and executions right out of samurai manga. Just like the old days, when you finally slaughter a hard-hitting end-of-stage foe after a series of thrashings, a sense of gratification inevitably emerges. And just like the 16-bit era, each assault is accompanied by some kind of foreshadowing, turning what initially seems impossible into an achievable feat.įortunately, Moonrider provides mid-level checkpointing, removing some of the sting from a humiliating defeat by one of the title’s bosses. Huge, intimidating Giger-esque monstrosities attempt to overwhelm with different attacks. ![]() It’s what a rogue bioweapon would do.Įxpectedly, the boss battles that conclude each stage are Vengeful Guardian’s best moments. But hey, I relish annihilating every last threat. But since competition time and scoring are used to calculate stage scoring, it’s probably not the best method to approach Moonrider. I fell into the age-old pattern of rapidly shifting between attacking and evading just like once did with Contra. Undoubtedly, you’ll need to approach Vengeful Guardian the same way, methodically memorizing the position of every danger and dispensing with a proper countermeasure. Stages evoke many of the masterworks of yesteryear, whether it’s the irksome robo-snipers in watchtowers that recall Contra and Metal Slug or the enemies with elongated mouths that elicit memories of days spent playing Decap Attack. Vengeful Guardian lets you equip any two and choosing between truly beneficial capabilities like double-jumping, a damage reduction, or the regeneration of health by defeating enemies is a tough decision. You’ll want to reconnoiter each stage, inspecting suspicious alcoves to earn some of the other assists. But unlike Capcom’s Blue Bomber, these perks aren’t only acquired by beating bosses. Similarly, you’ll pick up different supportive abilities along the way. Like Mega Man, you can approach stages in an order of your choosing after overcoming the preliminary level. Pleasingly, the game’s tutorial explains all of Moonrider’s essential abilities while the game’s first level serves as an assessment of basic mastery. Attacking while sprinting also intensifies your sword attack, laying the foundations for a speed run. Beyond being able to run to jump across wide gaps, he can wall-kick his way up vertical impasses. Vengeful Guardian’s biomechanical protagonist is also quite agile. The last part of Moonrider’s basic arsenal is a drop kick that can rain down hurt on unfortunate foes. He begins the game with a trio of offensive tools: a sword that allows for a three-hit combo as well as a special attack with a longer reach that’s constrained by an energy meter. Much like the Shinobi series’ Joe Musashi, Moonrider is well-equipped to confront nine stages of non-stop hostility. The result is an experience that references everything from The Revenge of Shinobi, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, E-Swat, to Contra: Hard Corps while adding a handful of modern amenities. Engineered by a tyrannical state, Moonrider rejects safeguarding authoritarian rule and turns against the forces who made him. JoyMasher’s latest effort has players assuming the role of a potent bioweapon that looks like a cross between a robot and a heavily armored samurai. Unsurprisingly, that’s also the case with Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. Their body of work, which includes titles like Oniken, Odallus, and Blazing Chrome, are all reminiscent of classic Mega Drive titles. This kind of enduring dedication to retro hardware undoubtedly influenced Curitiba-based developer JoyMasher. But thanks to import taxes designed to favor domestic distributors, a licensed version of Sega’s 16-bit console enjoyed over thirty years of dominance in Brazil (alongside the equally popular Master System). The Genesis/Mega Drive had an eight-year lifespan across the United States, Japan, and Europe. Platform: PC, also available for PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox
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