Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes is a revolutionary beat 'em up that blends intense side-scrolling combat with deep RPG elements. Following a group of warriors who discover a magical sword, the game features branching storylines, multiple endings, and an innovative three-plane battle system that adds strategic depth to the chaotic action.
Share this game
Story
A supreme being created the universe to find ultimate warriors to hire as its personal soldiers. A vicious battle was waged between the Earth and Sky Spirits (renamed the Earthblood and the Skyborn in the Xbox 360 Remix). The Sky Spirits bestowed incredible powers upon the humans, effectively making powerful wizards for their own gain. The human wizards joined the effort against the Earth Spirits, banishing them into the darkness.
Soon after this was accomplished, the Sky Spirits grew fearful and jealous of the humans, and banished them all into the darkness with the Earth Spirits. Mankind instead opted for a more physical approach to life, and the Time of the Sword began. One of the human wizards, Kanon, escapes his imprisonment with the Earth Spirits, and comes back to the surface to get his revenge on the Sky Spirits. There, he brings his case up with the existing khans.
Since they do not trust him, he destroys them and replaces their kingdom with a wizard kingdom, with puppet khans to do his will. The former king prophesied, prior to his death, that should his reign and the Time of the Sword be brought to such an end, then the sword would resurface and in turn bring an end to Kanon's reign. As a precaution, Kanon banishes every existing sword in his new kingdom, but he overlooks one particular sword, belonging to a fierce, anonymous warrior who fought to the death during Kanon's takeover. Also, the former princess Serena survives the ordeal, and joins the band of knights to try to bring about Kanon's end from the inside.
At the game's start, four warriors – Han, Randy, Nicole, and Ginjiro – find the sword of the valiant warrior. Serena arrives to warn them that the knights have learned of their possession of the sword, and are coming to take it back. The four flee their home as it bursts up in flames during the invasion, then escape the town via separate ways, rendezvousing at the graveyard nearby. The leader of the Black Knights, Valgar, awaits them there, accompanied by a powerful robotic warrior.
They are unable to damage it with normal weapons, and Han resolves to use the new sword against the robot. The sword is struck by lightning, electrocuting Han and causing him to lose his grip on it. The sword then floats over to the burial mound of its original owner, who rises up in zombie form. Enraged, he obliterates Valgar's robot, and attacks Serena.
However, the five discover that the warrior obeys any command that they give. They resolve that, with this new ally, the time to begin an attack on Kanon's new kingdom is at hand. From here, the story splits into various paths. Some involve ultimately fighting against the Sky Spirits, Earth Spirits, and/or the supreme being that made the universe, while others wind up with the warriors ultimately defeating Kanon, only to have to defeat Super Zur, or various rogue robotic warriors that he had left behind, led by the nefarious Golden Silver.
Gameplay Systems
In addition to the story mode, the game includes a versus mode wherein up to six players can compete using any of the main characters (and unlockable monsters, bosses, and civilians) in a timed battle or to the death. The players earn experience points during each scene, and between scenes are able to improve and customize their characters with six attributes: Strength (determines physical damage per hit and distance enemies fly when the character hits them), Vitality (determines HP ), Intelligence (governs size and strength of the character's spells), Mental Protection (determines MP and how effectively the character can resist magic attacks), Agility (determines how fast the character moves and executes physical and magical attacks), and Luck (modifies damage the character gives and receives, in addition to improving Nicole's selection of spells). The game's story mode has multiple paths. The player can choose where they will go and what they do after every level.
Different paths lead to different endings, bosses, and levels. The battlefield has multiple levels. Initially, the player can only access three planes of battle: a foreplane, a middle plane, and a backplane. These planes can be switched between in a set sequence, or at the player's choosing based on which button is pressed.
Often, evasive actions can be taken by switching a plane.
Media Reviews
About Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes is a classic video game released for the Sega Saturn on January 1, 1996. Developed by Treasure and published by Treasure, this title has become a beloved entry in the retro gaming library.
This wiki entry provides comprehensive information about Guardian Heroes, including release details, gameplay information, and story synopsis. Whether you're looking to revisit a childhood favorite or discover classic games for the first time, Emulator Games Wiki has you covered.
Some information sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 3.0.