Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab Making any video game is exceptionally hard work. But creating a retro-style experience that feels 100% authentic to the source inspiration adds a whole extra layer of difficulty. Implementing pixel art visuals and calling it a day just doesn’t cut it, but what developer JoyMasher has done with Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is truly remarkable. Much like its previous effort with Blazing Chrome, the team has successfully created a 2D action title that looks, sounds, and plays like it came straight from the early ‘90s, down to the exceptional environmental detail and enemy design. ROMSLAB.COM Best Switch Games

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Inspired by the likes of Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master and Strider, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a sci-fi action platformer in which you take on the role of the titular Moonrider, a cybernetic ninja who rejects its intended purpose as a tool to preserve a totalitarian state and instead wages war against its creators. After making your way through the opening level (we recommend playing through the excellent tutorial section, too), you’ll have a choice of six additional stages to tackle in whichever order you see fit, followed by two final stages to round out the experience.

GEAR UP AND PREPARE TO BATTLE YOUR CREATORS

Each stage houses its own boss character and beating each of these will grant you a new ability. Very similar to Mega Man in many ways, then. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is meticulously and thoughtfully designed. Any resemblance to SEGA’s ninja action series is only spiritual, as it takes foundational gameplay design concepts and executes them with complete originality. Had SEGA picked up the studio and then a swap of graphics, it could easily have passed as a next-generation Shinobi game, but instead, we have something far better thanks to its unbridled creative freedom. The Lost Labyrinth Switch NSP

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

The game stars a cyborg ninja warrior, a weapon turned against its creator and chose to fight for the greater good instead. This anti-hero is the Moonrider himself, and he’s out for vengeance. Not the most narrative-focused game, but within moments the game does an excellent job of building its unique sci-fi setting and uses detailed pixel art to deliver cut-scenes at opportune moments. Controlling the Moonrider is fairly simple, and consists mainly of moving, slashing and jumping. For speed lovers a double tap of a direction will send you running that way, and can lead to a powerful running slash.

Created by Joymasher, the studio behind the amazing retro games Oniken, Odallus, and Blazing Chrome

There’s also a diving kick you can do from the air and some wall jumping to indulge in. Although it may sound like a bit of a limited moveset, you’ll have to master it to make it through the six stages and reach the robot villains on your hitlist. Much like those classic blue bomber games, you can pick any of the stages to take on first. There’s a real variety in what you’ll find in these challenging levels. One sees you running through a forest being blasted by a mech in the background, another is a labyrinth of water filled pipes. There’s even a level where you ride a radical motorbike. The one constant is that there’s a boss you’ll find at the end. The Next Penelope Switch NSP

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

These boss fights are always a blast, with plenty of attacks you’ll need to memorise if you want to keep your health bar. I always enjoyed dodging screen filling attacks and finding a moment to get my blade in, although admittedly spamming the attack button for long enough was often a route to victory too. Navigating through the stages feels fluid and intuitive; Moonrider will walk by default, but holding down ‘ZR’ causes it to run, which enables the performance of a pretty powerful swooping attack that can cut down enemies in an instant if executed at the right time, resulting in a fountain of pixelated blood that never gets old.

Discover special modifier chips throughout your adventure and use them to customize the Moonrider’s fighting style with killer abilities

Otherwise, you can stand still and unleash a series of basic sword attacks, which is generally enough to dispatch most standard enemies. Additionally, you have special attacks which are slightly more powerful but come with limited availability; each use of your special attack will deplete a blue gauge in the top corner, which you’ll need to replenish with pick-ups as you make your way through the environment. Along with your basic moveset, you’ll also gain new abilities as you progress. These can be obtained by beating the boss characters and by collecting modifier chips hidden throughout the levels.

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

These grant skills like the double jump, but also provide more passive upgrades such as enhanced armour and the ability to detect hidden areas in the environment.  You can only equip two modifier chips at any one time, so choosing which to use depending on your situation is key to getting through the levels in the quickest and most efficient manner. It’s a good job Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider gives you these options, too, because the game not only feels retro in its audio-visual design, but it’s also pretty challenging at frequent intervals. We wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s quite as difficult as some of the SNES’s most notorious titles (looking at you, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts). The Outbound Ghost Switch NSP

Add-ons (DLC):  Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Switch NSP