Thursday 5 July 2012

This month on Together Retro - Guardian Heroes


Haven't heard of Together Retro? It's a great initiative on the part of Racketboy, whose great website has already been featured here on the 'yard. To put it simple, think of it as a sort of book club, only with games instead. Every month there's a new retro game, and we discuss it on the forums as we play it, telling our experiences, sharing tricks and tips, basically just motivating each other to experience some of the best games that, otherwise, may be forgotten.

This month is actually an exception to the rule, as we get not one but two games, although they're somewhat related, having been made by the same company (the inimitable Treasure) and...you know, featuring titles with "G-something Heroes". What do you mean, that's not a good enough reason???


Anyway, yeah, Guardian Heroes! What Saturn fan has never heard of this game? It's pretty damn famous, both because of its quality and rarity, warranting a pretty hefty price on the second-hand market. Which is a shame, really, because such a classic should be more accessible, and maybe that's why they released and HD port on Xbox Live (no PSN, though) so there's really no excuse for not playing this gem. Unless, of course, you don't own an Xbox. But I digress...


(quick look at the gameplay, if you just wan to see what it looks like)

I'm speaking like I've actually played it a lot, but to be honest this was the first time I tried it out. And I'm glad I did, because it really is an amazing game. The graphics have really stood the test of time in my opinion, the backgrounds are just gorgeous and the characters' sprites look great too. The gameplay is accessible, enjoyable and overall just feels great, I really had a blast playing this one. It's basically a brawler, like Streets of Rage, but it has a lot more depth. Our characters have a whole array of different moves, more akin to a 1 on 1 fighter, and there's a level up system, just like in an RPG. There's also lost of different paths to take in story mode, again just like in a modern RPG, and while a single playthrough is not that long, the game almost demands that you play through it multiple times, with different characters and choosing different paths.


(full-featured review by the HappyConsole Gamer - I just like this guy)

And then there's also multiplayer. Haven't tried that out, but it looks like a lot of fun if you have the friends and hardware.

So, yeah, go play it! You won't regret it.

UPDATE: In a weird twist of fate, both the first and last posts on the mainpage right now are about GH :D

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