Publisher The Arcade Crew and developer Joymasher have announced that the upcoming pixel art action-platformer Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider will launch on the Nintendo Switch on January 12th, 2023.
It wasn't long ago that 2023 still felt like an age away, but the game's release is now only a little over a month away, and we're incredibly excited to get stuck in. Joymasher had previously worked on the Contra-inspired run 'n' gun title Blazing Chrome, which we scored an impressive 9/10 in our review.
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is inspired by retro games like NInja Gaiden and Shinobi and features lightning-fast gameplay, gorgeous 16-bit visuals, and "crunchy" audio. Danilo Dias, co-founder of developer Joymasher, had the following to say:
“From using traditional audio recording techniques from the '90s to limited color palettes that’d feel right at home on a Sega Genesis, we wanted every aspect of Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider to faithfully pay homage to the formative era of games which ultimately inspired us to create our own.
"The classic simplicity of action platformers continues to influence game design to this day, and Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a tribute to where some of the best retro experiences originate from as well and our interpretation of how they can still evolve going forward.”
Are you looking forward to checking out Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider next month? Let us know with a comment down below!
Comments 33
This looks pretty cool
Wouldn't the closest comparison be Shinobi? Or is it bad juju to talk about Sega games on this site?
Shinobi III mixed with Hagane? Um, yes. I'll be buying this a few times. Especially if it comes out on a cart. Joymasher are incredible. PLAY ODALLUS.
What part of it is Ninja Gaiden? I guess Ninja Gaiden drives more clicks than Shinobi inspired.
Really looking forward to this. It'll be a nice companion piece to Cyber Shadow.
Loved Ninja Gaiden (and Shinobi, calm down folks!). Cyber Shadow was very very good, so hope this one is just as good, hope it gets physical release
This is more Hagane than it is Ninja Gaiden. Same as Cyber Shadow, which was much more Shadow of the Ninja than Ninja Gaiden. Joymasher's games never disappoint and I've been looking forward to this one since it was announced! Here's hoping for a physical release!
Feels more Shinobi than Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden feels tougher than this but the game does look badass so I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Really looking forward to this, it looks superb. Although I'm not so keen on the new name, Moonrider on its own was good enough.
@SonOfDracula it's obviously the second one. That's the only thing that makes sense...because it's 1994, and this is a middleschool playground.
Oh wait Persona 5 and Sonic Frontiers are both on the front page.
The will be hitting the Sega Genesis or SNES online services right?
@OldManHermit amanoftasteaswell.jpeg
Well, this announcement came out of nowhere. Good to see it. I've been checking in on development of this since I found out about it in, I think, 2018. Back then, it definitely was giving me Shinobi 3 vibes, which is a good thing. I see various other influences as well. I'm very curious to see how this turned out as it has looked very good even early on. I also hope there are more options, such as to reduce screen shake. As Cyber Shadow has been brought up, oddly enough, I finally purchased that one yesterday, but I haven't been able to sit down to try it yet.
@sdelfin Cyber Shadow is a joy. Hope you get to sink your teeth in soon.
Shoot, this looks pretty dope.
If this game is inspired by Ninja Gaiden, then it's appauling lol. Nowt like!
However, it does look bloody good.
Had me sold at mention of "joymasher". Had me extra-sold with that rebounding dive-kick animation.
Dive-kicks are the best, especially rebounding ones.
Looks badass!
Now this looks great. Definitely a game I'll keep my eye on.
I was just revisiting this game yesterday wondering when it was going to launch and here ya’ll are with the goodies!
Can’t wait for this— my calendar is marked!
This looks good and same developer as Blazing Chrome? Yeah, definitely have my eye on this.
Felt way more Cyber Shadow vibe than Ninja Gaiden. I assume the NG influence means it's going to be more on the unforgiving end of the difficulty spectrum.
This looks incredible. I loved cyber shadow which this does look like and blazing chrome was tough as nails but it sure was a nice throwback to contra. The main character in this reminds me of the one from Turrican.
This looks ff-in awesome SOLD. Blazing Chrome is fantastic; this seems like a guaranteed win.
I played the demo on steam and this game rocks! Day one for sure
I am ... so so in ! Love 2d ninja games with sprites
Great news to kick off 2023 ! Any info for a physical copy soon ?
I'm seeing a heavy dose of Contra: Hard Corps blended with a little bit of Shinobi III and Strider. Ninja Gaiden's influence on the gameplay seems pretty minimal.
The Arcade Crew and Joymasher have quickly taken my heart from their previous efforts. This is yet another one right up my retro alley.
Day one, love Blazing chrome so can't wait for this.
Finally, a new game that earns the distinction of being "badass" that isn't a shooter!
It's been too long since Cyber Shadow.
@SpeedRunRocks Who did the God Slayer graphic for you, and how do I get one?
@DestructoDisk
I did it myself on MS Paint!
I have stickers made, but I haven't set up an online shop yet.
Thanks for digging it!!
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