That's no lady, that's my wardroid: The Guardian Legend | NES Works 117

[@CircsC]

My Mom remembers this game more fondly than anything else on the NES.

[@JeremyParish]

Your mom really IS a classy lady, then

[@rupertcornelius]

your mom @@JeremyParish

[@RT55J]

same with my mom too

[@chanceneck8072]

I played the shit out of this as a child. It might still be my favorite video game of all time...

[@larryb5677]

I always loved The Guardian Legend. One of the best soundtracks out there.

[@FreedomDaveX]

We gotta thank Broderbund for bringing such amazing games as The Guardian Legend, Legacy of The Wizard, and Battle of Olympus out of Japan to the US.

[@Jamie-nx2cg]

It was the wild west back then. You never knew what kind of game you were renting. Great game!

[@Trainy2]

Those graphics of her transforming from a warrior to a ship is one of the coolest things on the NES

[@cube2fox]

Yeah right?! Can't remember any other NES game with such a dope transform animation.

[@simoxyz8630]

This man literally writes the most interesting, most insightful, and most intelligent game reviews I’ve even seen and I’ve been reading game reviews since the 90s.

[@Varis78]

One of my favorite NES games, and I will forever lament its lack of a sequel on the SNES or any other system. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely something truly special from that era.

[@willmistretta]

One other unique twist on shooting game design worth mentioning is that, since score doubles as experience, the lower your final score is, the better you played.

[@vgp128]

We bought this game because we knew Broderbund from back in the day, and the screenshots and blurb on the box looked like the type of thing we liked. We had NO IDEA of the absolute masterpiece this game was. Thank you for giving this game it's due analysis Jeremy!

[@safetinspector2]

9:46 You mentioned background tiles, color schemes and enemy spawns, but the most IMPORTANT difference was background music. Getting into a new area and hearing its theme was the primary reward I sought as Compile's chiptunes were the best this side of Capcom.

[@andrewkaye2108]

A wonderful surprise awaited me when I took a chance and bought this one. A fascinating fusion of shooter and adventure game. Worth every penny.

[@AirZonkWorldChamp]

My favourite game on the NES, truly a work of art!

[@freon22]

Compile made a masterpiece with this. It’s easily top three NES game for me. It scratched that top down action rpg AND that shmup itch when I was a child.

[@reasonforliving3174]

Best to me

[@NearLife4life]

Broderbund struck gold with TGL, The Battle of Olympus (my favorite video game ever) and Legacy of the Wizard

[@MrTableDesk]

I love this game! I discovered it pretty late in the era, probably around 1992, but after I played it I used to preach to everyone about it.

[@safetinspector2]

Did you get any converts? I failed to get anyone to love this game like I did...

[@MrTableDesk]

@@safetinspector2 a handful. It was a lot easier when the NES was semi-current.

[@OutlawDin0]

Always wanted to see a solid remake of this one. The formula just works so well.

[@thejackal007]

11:48 Yes!! This game is very overlooked and I'm glad you also see the similarities between the 2!

[@jasonblalock4429]

Woo, another Sigma Star Saga fan in the wild. There's dozens of us!

[@tec5x5]

Also add me to the Sigma Star fan list @@jasonblalock4429

[@TheVgrey]

Love this game wish for a port or a remake or better a remake that includes the original

[@dientimuri3956]

The Guardian Legend is my favorite game on the NES, and it is absolutely a forgotten gem. This, Blaster Master, Rygar, Faxanadu, and Castlevania 3 are my personal top 5 NES games.

[@rdyfrde]

This is one of my favorite NES games. I bought it in a pawn shop for $5 based on the weird cover, not knowing what I was about to get. Still love firing up my 1988 NES and playing it all over again from time to time. I wish it would be ported over to something newer but it likely will never happen.

[@RoseWaltz]

i write so many stories as a Wee Lil' Paps about exploring planets thanks to this game - i always assumed it was a transforming mecha and she made her walking form look like a lady because she was amazingly cool i know this is such an Old Person thing to say, but i miss pixel art because you had to imagine what it looked like - modern games give you too many details

[@tekkensentai]

My friends and I spent multiple attempts to complete “the trench run” opening level. We cheered when we got to the boss…and were promptly defeated.

[@Blade_Corps]

Love this game to this day, it needs more attention.

[@kaox44]

One if not one of the best game ever made. Everything about it is gold, I mean this game capture you with a personal mission, The Reward was worth playing through.

[@thenightstar8312]

This game marked one of the first times ever as a kid, becoming a young teenager that I can recall looking at a video game sprite and going "Oh wow, she's cute!"

[@TheLastLineLive]

This is one I didn’t play until way later in life. And it is a rare example of playing a game for the first time from that era that I was still able to enjoy. Sometimes it is really hard to enjoy a game from long ago if you’re playing it after more polished later games. I guess the unique premise of gameplay coupled with the fact that the gameplay is pretty solid helps a lot.

[@Kaylakaze]

This is one of my absolute favorite NES games. It really needs a pseudo-remake.

[@YTDeepshock]

There is one out there from an amateur indie dev: Steel Seraph. Another one that might come down the pike is made by someone named Stuffman, called Astrolancer. (Full disclosure, I made the first game.)

[@PhantomBlackStar]

I remember my Mother playing often, along with many RPGs , Space Shooters, Platformers and a few Japanese games. As a young kid.

[@BillyTBum]

If you're at all familiar with what the NES hardware was and was not capable of, by far the greatest achievement of this game was that your system didn't burst into flames trying to run it. It was a bullet hell game on a system that couldn't handle bullet hell. It employs rather extensive sprite flickering (among other things) to get by, and the one weapon that only works in the shooter mode does so solely because it could not be drawn horizontally (and thus could not actually function in the overhead mode).

[@jeremygreen2883]

This game is so awesome. I love the pixel art and the game play. I wish Guardian Legend would get the Blaster Master 0 treatment with a faithful update.

[@tekkensentai]

There was an unofficial remake called the guardian legend legacy. I have no idea how to acquire it but videos are on KZbin

[@russianbot8576]

aw man i got this game for like $3 at a local game store after getting a (literally) ditched NES and fixing the 80-pin in '09. one of the best pickups i got, and for a criminally low price too. it's amazingly fair for the era it felt. not balls hard, but challenging. real good shit.

[@chaseman94]

I've been in love with The Guardian Legend since I 1st rented from Randall's a grocery store chain in the Houston area back in late 1989. It's a shame there was never a direct sequel to this game and I wish it would've happened but I guess Compile didn't feel the same way.

[@FLCL75]

Coincidentally, the round mascot creature's name is 'Randall'. It appears in all of Compiler's games.

[@nobodyimportant8859]

My favorite NES game

[@johankrs]

I haven't played The Guardian Legend, but from the video, what it reminded me of was Nier Automata, up to and including the "girl that turns into fighter jet (kinda)", and all the action RPG elements

[@michag798]

Yoko Taro is an avid old school shmup fan, so it only makes sense.

[@sanctumsys]

nice to see the peak of the NES get some recognition. i always felt this game is underappreciated now given how well it executed the "blaster master thing" it feels like more games should give the split-format concept a shot given how well it worked out for games like these

[@tec5x5]

I want a new entry into this series I love it The Guardian Legend is so fun and inventive

[@jasonblalock4429]

11:50 Hah, I was going to mention Sigma Star Saga if you didn't. It's actually one of my favorite GBA games, despite its flaws, and I think it's kind of a hidden gem. On top of being fun, it had a surprisingly good story and a strong arc for its main character.

[@rodneylives]

ZANAC and Guardian Legend are two of my favorite NES titles! I think I actually prefer ZANAC slightly more, it's got so much to discover in what is apparently a simple game.

[@diamondsmasher]

I bought this game from one of those bargain bins at a local music store when I was a teen based solely on its artwork, and boy was I blown away with this game! The music, the fast paced action scenes towards the middle of the game, and the fun little anime touches were so surprising. If I ever had any complaint for the designers, it’s that the game sorely misses having invincibility frames…. Standing on even a basic enemy for just a second too long can immediately wipe you out, regardless of your experience level. Other than that minor quibble, completely flawless NES design on this one!

[@matthuck378]

You also nailed why I like ARPGs. I dig being able to 'tank' my way through a 'twitch' area eventually and if needed.

[@basementeater]

Best soundtrack on NES

[@jasonhunter2819]

I just replayed this game about 2 months ago, it holds up even better than I thought it would! Easily in my top 10 for the NES! It is so much faster than I remember, flying is by total instinct, especially right at the start when you're so underpowered and squishy!

[@GlennFresch]

I bought this game on a whim when I was in elementary school back in 89 because it had sea creatures. Lol. At the time I had little knowledge of the game company or anime storyline and characters. In the end I was amazed at the depth of gameplay compared to what I was used to (gradius etc). I also liked that I was more forgiving with deaths and hits. So it’s not just relying on difficulty to keep the player coming back.

[@JJKoester]

Can't wait for the next episode. Here's hoping I won't guess I'll have to jump.

[@malkneil]

Great episode Jeremy. I remember discovering this one late when a buddy who was into Zanac mentioned it to me. That was around 2001 and I was in my early 20s and hadn't really played it back in the day because it wasn't a common title. Even the few times I ran across it back in the day, it easy to see why someone could dismiss it from just playing for a few minutes; I had the same reaction when my buddy recommended it years later. But once you give it a chance and some play time, it's really a great mashup of styles. The only mystifier I recall is the knowledge that you pretty much need to find an ample number of those hidden upgrades in the overworld before you can realistically take down certain bosses. Also, the US box art was apparently ripped shamelessly from an obscure 1985 sci-fi horror flick called 'Creature'.

[@Hwi1son]

I love this game. And thank you for this series

[@retrojoe85]

The game of my childhood, which I own several copies of it (don't ask me why, it's just happened) and it's still my phone's ringtone. Thank you for talking about it, it was already discovered as a hidden gem but in my opinion it worths even more.

[@Hwi1son]

Do you prefer the US box art or the European box art?

[@retrojoe85]

@@Hwi1son the european one was so much better. The US box art was a copy of a movie's poster called Creature.

[@maxrage2104]

One of my favorite games on the Nintendo. Not many people seem to talk about this one enough.

[@Tryphen]

A Top 5 NES game for me. I had been given my Older Brother's NES as a hand-me-down alongside 30 games. I saw a spread for it in Nintendo Power 259 and decided to keep it alongside 5 other games, selling the rest. I'm so glad I did as I immediately fell in love.

[@safetinspector2]

Zanac and Guardian Legend are my two very favorite NES games. I'm so glad you covered them. The crab-claws I developed from playing through them using the NES MAX controller were painful, but I loved every minute.

[@hadamana]

I still remember accidentally discovering the sound test menu back in the day... I couldn't figure out how it happened for weeks, until one day it happened again and I realized the controller was kinda half wedged under the couch when I powered on the NES... This led me to try holding buttons like that on all kinds of games, but to no avail. I have yet to figure out how to get this to work on an emulator.

[@CEEPMDEE]

I loved this game and I rocked it. I even rocked the all shooter run. This game is fun, and it's sound track is outstanding.

[@SeanScorpion]

Me and my brother spent weeks trying to beat it but we could never beat the final “dungeon”. We could beat Street Fighter 2010, Captain Skyhawk, and Double Dragon II just fine too. Anyway it’s a memorable game with amazing music, especially that upgrade jingle.

[@sryx]

Parts of this game lived on in the SMS game PowerStrike. Compile had a long history of reusing characters, enemies, small musical riffs and other nods to their games and I like to image they all live in a shared compile universe :)

[@JeremyParish]

Yeah, I'll be calling back to TGL in my Golvellius and Power Strike episodes, eventually.

[@FallicIdol]

This one slipped through the cracks when I was a kid. I got Ninja Gaiden for my birthday and by the time the holidays were around, I had found interest in other games. Looks worth playing though.

[@Fogoat]

This was one of those games that I really wanted to play back in the day and never really got a chance to. Fast forward to 1996 when NES emulation on intel PCs was super hot and I finally got to play this game all the way through. Totally worth the wait to be honest.

[@fangjokerLS]

Brutally tough, and the password system is the work of a madman, but this game is still pretty great.

[@leadbones]

In its time, it was probably the most underrated game out there.

[@seanspear6224]

Hello old friend I missed you old game ! I loved this game over 15 years ago my friend lent it to me

[@dangox3370]

Guardian Legend was featured in a big ol' strategy guide I owned as a kid. I must have drooled over those pages dozens of times. unfortunately no rental shop ever had a copy so I never got to play it. Same deal with the first Megaman and Clash at Demonhead. But at least the guide helped me through Castlevania 2's cryptic nonsense.

[@angrytheclown801]

One of my friends got this for Christmas, so Guardian Legend has always been in my radar. It's a fun game and I'll tell you, knowing about sleeper hits while they're sleeping is like being in some exclusive club.

[@djsquarewave]

i adore this game. played through it with my sister just last year, and we had a blast with it. and an excellent retrospective as usual.

[@8BitAlchemy]

Really great video Jeremy! This was a favorite in my household as a kid and although I've never gone through it myself I love and appreciate this game so much!

[@EriChanTheRetroGamerNerd]

So funny story, I got this as a kid along with Castlevania when a neighbor sold his NES at a yard sale when getting a Genesis, and those two games somehow hadn't sold. Somehow, I think he picked those two on purpose to "not sell". 😂 Anyway, Guardian Legend was my first shooter of any sort that wasn't on Atari 2600, and for a very, very long time I couldn't bear to play other shmups becsuee Guardian Legend had spoiled me, especially with the adventure elements.😊

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Played this in 2014 and my jaw hit the floor when I first saw the top down shooter stage

[@absolutezeronow7928]

The Guardian Legend is definitely another banger by Compile, who'd keep producing great shooters including 1989's Gunhed for the PC Engine or Blazing Lazers for the TurboGrafx-16. Great episode of NES Works.

[@SonofSethoitae]

Don't forget M.U.S.H.A on the Sega Genesis

[@absolutezeronow7928]

@@SonofSethoitae M.U.S.H.A. was 1990 on the Mega Drive though, certainly yes, Compile had great games to come from the perspective of April 1989. They're definitely not done with NES bangers either.

[@SonofSethoitae]

@@absolutezeronow7928 Ah, I see what you were saying now, my bad

[@rootbeer_666]

For some reason I always conflated this with Battle of Olympus when I was a kid, or I paired the two as, idk, sibling titles. No idea why. Not that it matters, I’ve never played either game. But I’m watching an ongoing playthrough series, and I see that I’ve really missed out. It’d be nice if The Guardian Legend were available for the Switch Online NES collection but I guess I may have to rely on my RetroPie setup to give it a shot.

[@paulojoffily7444]

One of the first games I played for the NES and still one of the best. Too bad the planned sequel for the Super NES never happened. Probably all we can do now is pray for a remake.

[@randmiller88]

This and Crystalis were two games I rented a bunch of times but, for some reason, never owned. Good times though!

[@mpixel2058]

My mom bought this game for me when I was like 6. I picked it because the box art looked interesting.

[@lynchie137]

Fantastic game

[@Mechanicoid]

A game I've always enjoyed, but never really got far in. Still, a nice game for the system and full of Compile's goodness.

[@christopherjackson2157]

The soundtrack on this game was the best on the nes.

[@matthuck378]

As a lover of all things ARPG, I'm still sad I missed this in my NES days, when I developed my love for the genre with LoZ, Castlevania 2, Goonies 2, and LoZ 2. Note to indie devs who make pixel art/8/16 bit style games: Make an ARPG like this. Please.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

For a moment I thought that boss at the end was meant to resemble a carrot and wondered if Tyrian's developers picked up on that.

[@gfhrtshergheghegewgewgew1730]

0 days since pit pot was mentioned on the channel

[@patrikwennersten7568]

I absolutely adore this game. Just finished it again like a month ago. What an absolute masterpirce

[@ThomasMHead]

I got my hands on a used cart something like a decade after release, and it still felt ahead of the time! Great concepts put into it all around!

[@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775]

I only learned about this game in the last five years. And it's become one of my more favorite NES games that I ever played. It's a genuine hidden gem in the NES library. How often do you have characters that turn into a spaceship?

[@Leikjarinn]

your videos mean more to me than pie, i love pie!

[@originalsleepyjon]

My absolute favorite NES game ❤

[@mendez704]

I really regret not knowing that game 30 years ago. I think I would have enjoyed so much. I think I am going toplay it in emulator.

[@nickparsons337]

One of my all time favorite games. Fun fact; should you want to skip the exploratory levels and just want to play the shooter stages; go to the password screen and simply enter TGL as your password. Enjoy!

[@styeiwehdeisfdo]

I loved this game. One of my favorites on the NES. Underrated.

[@ED13209]

One of my fave NES games, played it sooo many times lol

[@goranisacson2502]

I knew it was a genremixing groundbreaker, did not know about the risk-reward stuff. The more I hear about it the more interesting the game sounds, and the more I feel I missed out not even looking at it during my emulation-days.

[@tinypinata505]

I rented this from my local video store but never beat it due to not being able to keep it long enough.

[@ravikanodia]

I played this game last month for the first time since it was new, and in a lot of ways it was just as good as I remembered but man does it really need a balance pass, particularly around the amount of damage enemies deal and the invulnerability windows. You can survive way too many glancing hits but an enemy can just sort of park on top of your sprite and kill you in 1 second.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

Somehow I fumbled my way into buying this when it was released. I must have liked the box art, because I don't remember reading anything about it. I was completely blown away. I still think it's one of the best early-era NES games.

[@ImaginalComponent]

This game has an outstanding soundtrack; on par with the best NES games.

[@fenikso]

I absolutely love this game. It's always seemed criminal to me that it never got sequels or more homage games.

[@tsvtsvtsv]

always cool to see sigma star saga get a mention but i'm a bit surprised you didn't sneak in any reference to the similarly genre-bending XEXYZ. all in due time i suppose!

[@fazares]

i love this game

[@darktetsuya]

Absolutely rented this one back in the day! In recent years I was finally able to secure a copy of my own. quite a surprising concept for the time, half shmup half zelda-like (or top-down metroid?), it was quite fun! but of course super tough, as is par for the course for Compile.

[@zubizuva]

Also like Blaster Master, Guardian Legend has a pretty good soundtrack. As exampled by The Advantage covering a part of it.

[@robbyrobot3303]

The first GolXevious

[@TrentR42]

When i was a kid, i figured out a password that would actually load up a random game. If i recall correctly, it might have been all Z's and loaded you up in a top-down aection, but without enough upgrades to easily survive in that area.😂

[@TeruteruBozusama]

I've heard that this game is excellent, but not why, so now I finally know why!

[@mcneleon]

This was a childhood favorite of mine!!!!

[@brandonb6005]

I really wish I had paid attention to this during the system’s life instead of finding it when retro stores opened in the late 90s / early 2000s. This is one of those games which has aged fairly well given the limits of the cartridge and the formats of the time. I loved it so much that I also played the crap out of Sigma Star Saga when it came out. As to why it didn’t get the kind of love it deserved at the time, I think a few things happened. One, Nintendo slept on it as mentioned. Two, Brøderbund released it and they had a rep as one of the lesser third parties at that time because they mainly released dated Famicom games, though at that time it seemed as if they were developing it as new games that just felt way beneath the competition. Three, the box art is up there with Mega Man as some of the least enticing for the NES of that time, IMHO. I get what they were going for in hindsight but it also comes off as “Marketing has no clue what to do with this.”

[@patrikwennersten7568]

The European (well, I can only speak of the scandinavian one) is waaaaaaay better

[@goranisacson2502]

​@@patrikwennersten7568A casual googling seems to show that the "armor-clad lady" is the European box-art overall. We lucked out, I think.

[@xcar0982]

I bought this game like 5 years ago, and is among my top 10