As someone from back in the day who loves The Guardian Legend for life, this mostly scratches the itch for a spiritual sequel, but not fully. In one of the later stages, you get those infamous fish enemies that comes down the sides of the screen during the shmup part.

This is more linear vs TGL. It's stage based and you only go through one part at a time instead of having the ability to roam around everywhere via finding keys to access new areas. While TGL had roughly 50/50 ratio of classic Zelda vs shmup parts, this game weighs mostly on the exploring aspect. I wish it had longer shmup parts. Some people would feel this is more like Blaster Master Zero (roaming around outside of the Sofia) instead of classic Zelda. Same type of game, I'm just more old school.

It stays true to the NES feel in sound and graphics. When you get to the next stage, it gives you that "color palette change" feel.

There are two types of secondary weapons. From the beginning and at every checkpoint, you can choose between a small number of "main secondary" meaning you'll have two types of main shots assigned to one button. Then there's a different set of secondary weapons assigned to a different button but it relies on a meter. The difference with this vs TGL is that when your secondary weapon meter gets low/runs out, your main weapons don't downgrade. And then you have another move such as dash that gives you several iframes which is great for dodging.

Throughout the game, you'll find a very small number of "EC's" which is kind of a money system. This allows you to buy the other secondary weapons that rely on your meter. I would recommend buying the "secret door detector" on the first stage so you can always find money to buy them.

For someone who prefers non-bullethell games, there are certainly parts where it gets very bullethell; the boss fights. The ship form seems to have a tight hitbox so you really have to be careful (you can dash while in ship mode to take advantage of those iframes). I can handle it, but casual players might get turned off at these parts.

The game feels solid and I haven't encountered any bugs, strange jankiness, or getting stuck anywhere. The only thing I wish is that it asks you if you really want to quit to the title screen because I did that at the beginning. So be careful during the pause menu! Luckily it autosaves at checkpoints. If you die at the bosses during the shmup part, you don't have to start back at the beginning.

Final word: If you came here because of TGL, you should get this. It may not 100% scratch the itch, but it gets pretty darn close, especially for that price.

As someone from back in the day who loves The Guardian Legend for life, this mostly scratches the itch for a spiritual sequel, but not fully. In one of the later stages, you get those infamous fish enemies that comes down the sides of the screen during the shmup part. This is more linear vs TGL. It's stage based and you only go through one part at a time instead of having the ability to roam around everywhere via finding keys to access new areas. While TGL had roughly 50/50 ratio of classic Zelda vs shmup parts, this game weighs mostly on the exploring aspect. I wish it had longer shmup parts. Some people would feel this is more like Blaster Master Zero (roaming around outside of the Sofia) instead of classic Zelda. Same type of game, I'm just more old school. It stays true to the NES feel in sound and graphics. When you get to the next stage, it gives you that "color palette change" feel. There are two types of secondary weapons. From the beginning and at every checkpoint, you can choose between a small number of "main secondary" meaning you'll have two types of main shots assigned to one button. Then there's a different set of secondary weapons assigned to a different button but it relies on a meter. The difference with this vs TGL is that when your secondary weapon meter gets low/runs out, your main weapons don't downgrade. And then you have another move such as dash that gives you several iframes which is great for dodging. Throughout the game, you'll find a very small number of "EC's" which is kind of a money system. This allows you to buy the other secondary weapons that rely on your meter. I would recommend buying the "secret door detector" on the first stage so you can always find money to buy them. For someone who prefers non-bullethell games, there are certainly parts where it gets very bullethell; the boss fights. The ship form seems to have a tight hitbox so you really have to be careful (you can dash while in ship mode to take advantage of those iframes). I can handle it, but casual players might get turned off at these parts. The game feels solid and I haven't encountered any bugs, strange jankiness, or getting stuck anywhere. The only thing I wish is that it asks you if you really want to quit to the title screen because I did that at the beginning. So be careful during the pause menu! Luckily it autosaves at checkpoints. If you die at the bosses during the shmup part, you don't have to start back at the beginning. Final word: If you came here because of TGL, you should get this. It may not 100% scratch the itch, but it gets pretty darn close, especially for that price.