Guardian Heroes (Sega Saturn)

Guardian Heroes (Sega Saturn)

Some say hidden gem… I’m just glad to get a strong entry in the 2D beat ’em up genre.

 

 
LOCR Producer: This game came across as a real surprise. Just looking at Guardian Heroes made me a little uneasy, the basic beat em up formula is there, but it looks overly complicated for such a simple concept. The medieval settings, strong anime influence and level up systems didn’t give me much hope, I instantly thought this game would be clunky, awkward and mismatched and I’m really glad I was wrong.

Somehow, Guardian Heroes game works and feels refreshing. This game doesn’t punish you for trying to play it like a beat em up, the different characters really help, first time through you might want to go with Hans, the strong one, but subsequently, you’ll want to explore the other characters and their strengths and weaknesses.

The game itself doesn’t bog you down in menu’s or upgrades, it’s all pretty simple and streamlined, the story however will get on your nerves; there’s no way to skip text, every time someone is talking, you need to wait and listen. That’s fine the first time playing through but you’ll resent it playing through again.

The music is love or hate, personally, I love it, it reminds me of Marvel vs Capcom 2 with their constant jazzy soundtrack that doesn’t suit the game, but I think Guardian Heroes have done it much better here, it doesn’t sound so much like stock music.

Guardian Heroes is a great title for the Saturn, there’s heaps to do in the game, arena mode, unlockables and most of all, it’s unique. Everything from the graphics, the music and the side-scrolling on rails feels really fresh.