Moonrider

Revengeance The retro-inspired market went from novel to heavily saturated rather quickly, and now they’ve been their own corner of the industry for over a decade. It’s a rather difficult corner to stand out in. It’s a pretty busy corner. For my money, it’s a precarious balancing act between building off designs and mechanics of the era, while also finding a memorable identity. You can make Contra again, and if you do a good job, that can be good enough. But you can’t stand with the big boys unless you bring your own…

Are you looking for that first great game of the year to play before 2023’s AAA heavy hitters arrive? Check out Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider - Release Date Reveal Trailer That title is a mouthful, but this is a straightforward 16-bit action-platformer inspired by classic series like Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and Mega Man. It hits all the proper retro gaming notes, like being easy to pick up but tough to master gameplay and having a delightful 16-bit visual style. The teams…

Dishing out more retro action JoyMasher isn’t slowing down on retro action games. Its latest release, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, is calling out to the Strider (and Hagane?) fans in the room. And with a fall release planned, it’s reassuring to know that this new throwback isn’t far off. After the Contra-flavored Blazing Chrome, they’ve got my full attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJgmvI0iG6w This one’s another level-based side-scrolling action game, starring a newly-awakened ninja who’s rebelling against a…