Developer JoyMasher blew us away with its Contra-inspired run-and-gunner, Blazing Chrome, back in 2019. So we're delighted that it's following it up with something that looks just as good, and it's coming to Switch too!

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider sees JoyMasher looking back to Sega Genesis / Mega Drive stalwarts such as Shinobi and other action platformers on the NES, SNES, and Sega systems. It's a bloody, futuristic, robotic side-scrolling platformer which boasts "snappy, responsive and challenging" combat. In motion, the game looks and sounds just like those Mega Drive favourites we grew up playing. Think Robocop but with a ninja robot, and you're not far off what to expect here by the looks of things.

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The game is being published once again by The Arcade Crew, who also brought us the retro-inspired Infernax earlier this year. It's got an eye for incredible old-school pixel art games, and given JoyMasher's previous efforts, we're itching to get our hands on this one.

Here's a summary of the game from The Arcade Crew's press release:

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider’s design holds the best classic action game elements in the laser-precise sights of its starring ninja, keeping combat snappy, responsive and challenging. Powerful modifier chips are guarded and hidden throughout the adventure, allowing the cyborg super soldier to customize its fighting style while gaining killer advantages and abilities. The game’s gorgeously bleak world expertly recreates the 16-bit era through intricate pixel art and crunchy audio, building a striking, compact gauntlet across eight deadly stages. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider revels in top-notch, refined platforming action for a tight, focused experience that never lets its blade get dull.

Humanity finds an unlikely hero in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider’s oppressed world; authoritarians have built super soldiers as weapons of war, but their creators have sealed their fate by bringing the warrior known as Moonrider online. Conceived as a tool to uphold a totalitarian state, the Moonrider has rejected its intended purpose, instead choosing a relentless battle for vengeance against its creators and fellow super soldiers.

Sign us up. We're ready to fight against totalitarianism as a robotic ninja warrior any day of the week. You can really see the game's inspirations from the trailer, but these screens also do a fantastic job of showing off the game's pixel art. It looks just like those grungy-looking favourites from the '90s.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider will be riding onto the Switch eShop this Fall, so expect to hear more news about the game in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you haven't had a chance to pick up Blazing Chrome yet, why not check out our review:

What do you think of Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider? Are you ready for some difficult Shinobi-esque platforming and combat? Let us know in the comments!