Developer: Treasure Publisher: Sega Release: 04/24/96 Genre: Beat em up
Sega had a lot of partnerships with smaller developers in Japan that yielded many underrated classics like Ranger-X and Pulseman. But few were as impressive as Treasure. Right out of the gate they had the Genesis doing things few thought possible with Gunstar Heroes. They continued their streak until the end of the 16-bit era with one banger after another. I mean for god’s sake they made a pretty awesome McDonalds game! When the Saturn hit many wondered if they would be able to do it all over again. They most certainly did and their first effort, Guardian Heroes, remains one of the greatest beat me ups of all time.
The spirits of Earth and Sky waged war long ago and in an effort to win the war the Sky spirits granted humans the use of magic. The Earth spirits were defeated however in fear the Sky spirits imprisoned the new wizards along with them. One of these wizards, Kanon manages to escape and take over the kingdom in secret to search for the legendary sword said to be able to end his reign. Four warriors (Han, Ginjirou, Randy and Nicole) have found the legendary sword but before they can celebrate their success Serena, a former knight informs them that the knights of the kingdom are coming for it in force, enveloping them in the struggle between the Wizard kingdom and the true royal family.
Wow. That is all I can say. No one saw this one coming. Treasure had built up a reputation for taking familiar genres and turning them on their heads. But Guardian Heroes packs so many unique features in this one game that it is astounding. Nearly all of the flaws that plague the beat em up genre have been addressed in some form or fashion, from pacing to replay value. This is as complete a package as you can imagine for what was becoming a tired genre. At this point I question why the god damn game is not more readily available. But I digress.
Initially there are four playable characters. Han is your bruiser/tank, Randy is your magician who specializes in offensive spells while Nicole has the best defensive magic but can also get physical if need be. Ginjirou strikes a balance between physical attacks and magic. He is not as strong as Han but can execute the longest combo strings in the game and my absolute favorite to use. The distinctions are important because of the RPG elements. You gain experience and level up rapidly in every level. You earn one point per level that you can apply to five stats: strength, vitality, mental, agility, and luck. This allows you to customize characters, shoring up their weaknesses or emphasizing their strengths. After you complete the game once Serena becomes playable and is so broken stat wise it is essentially an easy mode.
The combat system is heavily based on Treasure’s prior work on Yu Yu Hakusho for the Genesis. Mechanically the game is dense. You have a light and strong attack and can block almost anything. You can easily juggle enemies and execute combos as the controls are simple and intuitive. Everyone has numerous special attacks performed with simple button commands to add further depth. Rather than the typical belt scroll the game also adapts Yu Yu Hakusho’s (or Fatal Fury) lane system with three lanes. At the press of a button you can switch lanes, either to avoid attacks or ambush enemies. It is odd and personally I would have preferred two planes but whatever, it is unique and works.
Even solo you are not alone. In the second level you gain an undead companion who fights alongside you. By default he will assist you and follow your movements. You can issue commands at any time such as keeping him idle or letting him go all out, at which point he will aggressively seek enemies. The last command lets him go berserk and trigger a potentially screen clearing explosion but this is tempered by the fact that the game does not freeze when giving orders. Technically he is invincible and you can abuse this to clear the screen when you do not want to die. Trust me there is no shame in letting him do all the work if need be.
When you first see Guardian Heroes it looks chaotic and it is. Unlike most beat em ups the game regularly tosses anywhere between 9-12 enemies simultaneously. Fighting is occurring on all three lanes and it is easy to get lost in the commotion, especially due to the heavily pixelated graphics that zoom in and out. The game emphasizes crowd control and it is easier as your attacks can and will hit multiple enemies simultaneously. The designers know that regardless of how well thought out the mechanics it can grow tedious. Most levels are only a few minutes long and feature a few waves before one or two boss battles. That is long enough to let you experiment and master the controls while ushering you to the next awesome set piece. But make no mistake; this is not a short game. Far from it in fact.
For a brawler Guardian Heroes probably has the most replay value out of any title in the genre. In total the game has thirty stages. However a single run will take you through 7-8 at most. The game has numerous branches at the end of every level that will determine your path through the game. Sometimes you have as many as five choices as to how to proceed! These are not simple palette swap levels either. The branches take the narrative in different directions with unique outcomes. There are seven possible endings and five end game bosses that are so different it is worth replaying the game multiple times to see them all. Replay value is one area the beat em up genre suffers the most. That Guardian Heroes excels in this regard so well is astonishing. But there is more.
Treasure has included a fighting game mode that is just as raucous as the solo campaign. Where the story mode only has five playable heroes you can eventually unlock all forty characters you will encounter throughout the game. Obviously this means there is no semblance of balance; characters like Nando and random villager have next to no HP and are there just for fun. But a surprising number of the vs. roster has depth and are fun to play around with. Surprisingly there is support for up to six players simultaneously which is a step beyond their work on Yu Yu Hakusho. I wish I could say I have experienced this but I will be honest; I have probably seen a picture of the Saturn multitap once let alone seen one in person ever.
In Closing
Guardian Heroes is one of the Sega Saturn’s best titles. It is easy to see why. With its fast-paced, strategic combat and mix of genres there are still few games quite like it. At this point I do not know what more needs to be said. This is one of the most complete packages you will ever see in this genre. If you consider yourself even a slight fan of brawlers or just want a phenomenal action game to sink your teeth in to Guardian Heroes delivers in spades.
