Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Review

Release date: January 12, 2023

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Amazon Luna

Developer: JoyMasher

Genres: Platform game, Action game, Side-scrolling

Publishers: The Arcade Crew, DotEmu

"Review Copy Provided By DotEmu"

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a retro action game from JoyMasher and The Arcade Crew, set to be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on January 12, 2023. Players will take on the role of a cyborg ninja named Moonrider, who is on a quest for revenge. The game features 16-bit graphics and pays tribute to the classic action games of the past while also evolving the genre for the present. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider offers fast and challenging gameplay, as well as the ability to customize the character with modifier chips. Is this the indie game to kick off 2023 in all the right ways? Let’s find out as we get ready to join Moonrider on this epic journey of vengeance!

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a story about a super soldier named Moonrider who was created by authoritarian figures to be used as a weapon in war. However, Moonrider rejects this purpose and fights against their creators and other super soldiers in a quest for revenge. This story takes place in a world that is oppressed by those in power, and Moonrider becomes an unlikely hero in this world.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider plays like a unique mixture of Mega Man, Strider 2, Osman, Hagane, Ninja Gaiden (Sega Master System), and Shinobi 3, while adding its own unique elements. The Moonrider can perform a slash, as well as a triple slash similar to Zero's ability in the Mega Man Zero series. You can also walk, dash, jump, and perform a dashing attack. You also have access to special weapons that you gain by defeating the bosses of levels, similar to the Mega Man series. You start the game with the Moonspear, but eventually gain access to abilities such as a shadow dash, flaming boomerang, tornado shot, and even a ground slam similar to Zero's ultimate attack from the X series.

You can also wall jump like Ryu in Ninja Gaiden for the Sega Master System, allowing you to chain together several wall jumps and reach higher platforms and secret areas. While in the air, if you press down, down-right, or down-left, you can perform a dive kick that can one-shot many enemies and allow you to bounce off and perform another one, or reposition yourself in the air. This can be used to exploit several of the bosses you encounter, so use it as you see fit.

Moonrider has a health and special weapon system similar to the Mega Man series, which can be replenished with health pickups found throughout the levels in capsules. There is also a lives system, where you can gain more lives by picking up Moonrider icons. There is a chip system that allows you to gain various upgrades and power-ups that can enhance Moonrider's abilities. These power-ups and upgrades range from a double jump, to health and special weapon recovery every few seconds, to ones that give you recovery of health and special weapon energy with every enemy you defeat. The ability to mix and match these chips together allows you to play the game how you want and adds replayability, but keep in mind that you can only equip a maximum of 2 chips at one time.

You have a stage select feature similar to the Mega Man series, which becomes available after beating the opening level and allows you to select any of six additional stages to play. Upon beating the base six stages, you'll unlock three final stages that will test your skills. Each stage usually has one upgrade that you'll need to find by exploring, and some stages even have two upgrades. Levels are fairly linear and reminiscent of a Mega Man game, with a straightforward path and branching pathways you can explore. Some stages break up the gameplay formula by incorporating a gameplay style combining elements of Road Rash and Space Harrier, increasing the game's overall challenge.

Each stage includes one or two mini bosses that you'll face, ranging from being a similar size to Moonrider to full-screen bosses. Boss fights aren't too difficult, as each boss has a set pattern that, once you learn how to read it, allows you to get through the encounter without taking much, if any, damage. Once you beat the stage boss, you'll be given a stage completion screen that gives you a ranking from S to F, taking into account your overall score, time taken to finish the stage, and items found.

Overall, the gameplay is very good and a lot of white-knuckle fun, taking inspiration from other games while still having its own unique flavor.

Graphically, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider takes a lot of inspiration in its look from Hagane, from the overall aesthetic to the character model of Moonrider himself. As mentioned, Moonrider's look is heavily inspired by Hagane, and even the main artwork of the game is reminiscent of Hagane, from the positioning of Moonrider to the kanji behind the logo. Moonrider's walking animation and Hagane's walking animation are virtually identical, down to the way they perform saber sword swings and crouching attacks. The stages all have a downtrodden, post-apocalyptic feel that calls for mechs and mech ninjas running around fighting. If you say that the game shares a visual style with Blazing Chrome, you'd be correct, as the game was made by the same team and in many ways, it seems like they share the same world.

I played the game to completion on both the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck and PC. On the Nintendo Switch, the game ran smoothly with no hiccups or performance issues and looked great in both handheld and docked modes. It especially looks amazing on the OLED model of the Switch. On the Steam Deck, the game is not yet verified and is marked as unknown, yet it runs fine on the Deck with no issues, as far as I could see.

Audio-wise, the game has an outstanding OST that reminds me of the soundtracks of Shinobi, Hagane, Strider, and Ninja Gaiden. Each stage has music that perfectly reflects the stage you're in, from a forest to a bio lab to a futuristic neon city highway and more. It's also cool that each of the bosses gets a Japanese voice introduction with a classic Sega Genesis scratchy voice clip.

Are there any downsides to this game? Aside from the length of the game, which can be beaten in about two hours, I don't have any complaints. It could have been longer, like Cyber Shadow, but it's fine as it is and doesn't overstay its welcome. Is the story easy to follow? Well, yes and no. The game takes itself very seriously and comments on freedom of speech, suppression of truth, conformity, and more. These topics are insightful when they come up, but the way they appear without much buildup and the lack of explanation of what's going on in the game's world can make a lot of it fall flat.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is an exceptional game that pays a lot of homage to the classics of the 80s and 90s while also being a love letter to that era and bringing in its own style that works well. While the game may be short in length and not have much more to offer once you unlock all the upgrades, you can still challenge yourself by trying to clear stages faster or trying the GlassCannon upgrade if you're feeling daring. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is another excellent game from The Arcade Crew and simply delivers on being a modern 16-bit game that would fit right at home on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. If you're looking for a great game to start the year off right, this is the game for you!