Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a very compelling title, to say the least. I expected little to nothing from a cyberpunk-inspired sci-fi retro side-scroller, but this product tapped directly into my nostalgia for games like Contra on the NES. Titles to be released in 2023.
From the action-packed gameplay to the ultra-energetic synthwave soundtrack, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider was fun to play from start to finish, though there were some issues that sometimes hindered the enjoyment of the title. Developer His JoyMasher is known for creating some very fun retro his arcade his games such as Blazing Chrome, which takes direct inspiration from the iconic action side his scroller of the 90’s. increase. Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is no exception, and is in fact far better and more enjoyable than the developer’s previous titles.
Had a great time going through the many different levels of the game. These levels were filled with some very tricky platforming segments, including a host of challenging yet satisfying boss fights. However, the game is far from perfect, with some glaring flaws in its level design and momentary gameplay.
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a great homage to the 16-bit retro arcade games of the 90’s
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is, like its name, very metal in gameplay and overall aesthetics, something I really liked. Neo-cyberpunk and retro-futuristic art his style made for an authentic classic arcade experience. This is something that most modern video games rarely emulate very well.
I grew up playing games on the NES. Games like Battle City and Contra are personal favorites. As the years went by, I branched out into more mainstream video games, but I always cherished the retro-arcade titles that were a big part of my childhood.
A perfect presentation coupled with a stunning retro arcade soundtrack
In terms of presentation, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider feels like it’s straight out of the early ’90s, introducing the player to the game’s plot and wasting no time at all in the shoes of the famed cybernetic super-soldier, Moonrider, to unleash the pretentiousness. It has a nice opening. The level design is very reminiscent of titles like Contra and classic Castlevania games.
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider’s art style is directly inspired by classic 2D side-scrollers, with highly detailed level geometry and characters. I was really impressed with the futuristic aesthetics and level design, very similar to SNES’s Contra III: The Alien Wars.
If players are looking for a more authentic 16-bit retro arcade experience, the title offers a dedicated “CRT Effects” toggle that emulates the screen effects of old CRT TVs. I loved this addition and kept it for the entire duration of my playthrough. Thank you very much.
As well as the visual aesthetic, JoyMasher uses a very catchy sythwave soundtrack as the background score to further enhance the overall enjoyment of the game. Ost isn’t anything special, but it perfectly complements Vengeful Guardian Moonrider’s energetic gameplay and retro visuals.
Action-packed gameplay that will keep you hooked
The game doesn’t have a lot of story aside from an unwelcome vague opening. Within his first minute after booting a new save file, the player will be able to control Moonrider. Moonrider, like the other super-soldier protagonists in the game, wakes from his sleep to serve his master. However, this character rebels against his creator and goes on a rampage against him and other fellow super-his soldiers.
The opening reminded me of one of my personal favorite series, id Software’s Doom.
As soon as the player gains control of the Moonrider, they can hack and tear through the levels. Despite its aesthetic similarities to Contra, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider plays like a Castlevania game with a heavy focus on platforming and melee combat.
Soon, players will equip an energy sword as their primary weapon, slicing through enemies with ease. In addition to that, Moonrider is also equipped with a blaster that can be enhanced with various projectile modules. The levels are fairly linear, but contain some hidden secrets and collectibles for keen-eyed players to find that grant special abilities to use during combat.
Players can find secret “chips” scattered throughout the level. This can be used to enhance secondary weapon attacks. Completing a level ending with a major boss fight rewards the player with a new special power-up or weapon.
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider’s levels are pretty diverse, much like the game it’s trying to emulate. From standard shooters to on-rail shooter sections, this title has always haunted me with its varied level design and high-octane gameplay.
While this game really impressed me with its retro aesthetic, action-packed gameplay, and impeccable level design, there were quite a few frustrating moments that detracted from the enjoyment of the experience.
some drawbacks
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider works really well if you’re using a controller. It’s a whole different story if the player wants to use the keyboard and mouse instead. I started playing the title using KB+M, but was forced to switch to a controller because I found playing the game with the keyboard so boring.
There were times during gameplay that I had to press certain button combinations to defeat bosses or clear platform sections. However, due to the default keyboard he mapping, the presses could not be chained in time resulting in a “game over” screen. Sure, the player can rebind the keys in the options he menu, but I find the game much more enjoyable when using a controller. Given that the titles we’re trying to emulate were primarily meant for consoles, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Another somewhat related issue with controls (which unfortunately didn’t fix using a controller) was the rigidity of certain actions, especially Moonrider’s platforming features. Execution of one of his most important actions, “Sprint and Jump,” felt very awkward and clumsy. In fact, many of the sprint-based elements, such as jumps and attacks, felt very stiff and awkward as they felt like animation delays between two actions.
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a very short game. My first playthrough was about 2 hours. This required dying to the boss multiple times and restarting the entire level. I’m here.
Finally, in terms of performance, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is pretty solid overall. I tested the game on his two systems, the first with a Core i5 8700K, 16GB RAM, and a GTX 1650 Super, and the second with a Core i5 7200U, 16GB RAM, and a GeForce 940MX. The game ran flawlessly on both systems, delivering a solid 60 FPS at 1920×1080 resolution.
Performance isn’t surprising given the game’s very low system requirements. But it’s still overwhelming to see the latest release so polished. However, I encountered some bugs while playing the game. The most annoying and recurring was the game constantly freezing whenever I pressed Alt+Tab. Every time I needed to check something else on my PC using these keys at the same time, I had to restart the game, which was very frustrating.
There have also been instances of the title crashing after completing a mission. However, this was extremely rare, and he only happened twice during the first playthrough. All in all, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a pretty decent PC port that works admirably on a variety of system configurations.
The conclusion is
Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a great homage to the old NES and SNES classics, with a charming retro art style and action-packed gameplay very similar to the early 90’s games. Varied level design and tight platforming mechanics, combined with some highly rewarding boss fights and a highly rewarding progression system, offer a fresh and highly entertaining game from start to finish .
The game does have a few issues with the overall clunkiness of its controls and movement abilities, but these are very minor blemishes, considering it does everything right. , is an excellent retro arcade side-scroller that fans of retro games and action games in general should not miss.
Review date: Windows PC (review copy provided by The Arcade Crew)
platform: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Amazon Luna (select regions)
Developer: joy masher
the publisher: arcade crew
release date: January 12, 2023
