Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

 Switch
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Nintendo Life
    Jan 11, 2023
    90
    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is an absolute triumph in 'neo-retro' game design. It boasts fluid combat with plenty of variety in environmental and enemy design and an art style that looks like it beamed straight over from the early '90s. While its overall short length might be a bit of a sticking point for some, those looking for an action title that is not only a fantastic experience but also feels like an authentically retro one will find this to be an absolute no-brainer. It's straight up one of the coolest games to kickstart 2023.
  2. Noisy Pixel
    Jan 11, 2023
    90
    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is an excellent experience. It's challenging yet rewarding, and the core gameplay and solid design fundamentals make it an absolute blast to play. This ninja action platformer takes one of gaming's most legendary action sub-genres and makes it relevant again for 2023.
  3. LevelUp
    Jan 18, 2023
    88
    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a fantastic platformer that combines the best elements from the SNES and Genesis era with some fresh and fun ideas. It is difficult, as some of its inspirations, but beginners can still enjoy it and have a great time.
  5. Hobby Consolas
    Jan 11, 2023
    84
    An excellent ode to the golden era of 16 bits. As a game per se, it delivers a brief but intense and varied challenge, one that will seduce you to replay its levels once and again.
  6. TouchArcade
    Jan 18, 2023
    80
    Moonrider has an excellent presentation, and the controls are just as responsive as you would hope. The game throws out a lot of fun little twists as you make your way through its stages that ensure things always stay fresh. While it falls a bit short of the fantastic Blazing Chrome and ends a little earlier than I’d prefer, this is still a fine classic-style romp that fans of 2D action games will have no trouble getting into.
  7. God is a Geek
    Jan 11, 2023
    80
    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is easy to recommend for those longing for retro platformers, but is over a bit too quick.
  8. GameSkinny
    Jan 13, 2023
    70
    Far from revolutionary, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a tight and varied old school action platformer that doesn't overstay its welcome. What it lacks in length and post-game unlockables, it makes up for with sick pixel art and a roaring chip-tune soundtrack.
  9. NintendoWorldReport
    Jan 11, 2023
    70
    While there’s certainly nothing really off putting about Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, it ultimately feels pretty derivative. It does an admirable job of conjuring up feelings and impressions of the 16-bit era, but it fails to push the envelope in any meaningful way. There’s no doubt that it’s a decent way to spend a couple hours as far as action-platformers go, and fans of the genre–particularly the retro-focused kind–will get a kick out of something so clearly paying homage. For my money, though, I’d have liked to see a few twists and a bit more risk taking with such a well-worn type of video game. Falling short of being a full Moonrider, Vengeful Guardian does enough to make rolling credits worthwhile, if not much else.
  10. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 18, 2024
    65
    Not much about the game will stick with you, but if you played a lot of games in the '90s it will be a nice distraction – or at least a call to revisit the games it's trying to mimic. Moonrider would be mid-tier at best in the '90s, but will likely be lost to obscurity in the saturated retro market of today. [Issue #66 – July/August 2023, p. 20]
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  11. Eurogamer Germany
    Jan 21, 2023
    60
    Moonrider is a solid remix of its masters, a decent game that never particularly shines. It offers up a good challenge and nice level design that often has you thinking, 'hey, I know recognize that!' — when you're actually thinking of a superior title that you should be playing instead.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best Switch Game of 2023
72
#72 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2023

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Rakereview000
    Feb 11, 2023
    8
    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a 2D side-scrolling platforming game with a 16bit artstyle. It takes heavy inspiration from the Mega Man X andVengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a 2D side-scrolling platforming game with a 16bit artstyle. It takes heavy inspiration from the Mega Man X and Zero series, both in its visuals, story and gameplay.
    The story is pretty straight forward, taking place in a futuristic setting where a strong regime controls the entire world. The Moonrider, a robotic killing machine is freed by the revolutionists in order to fight the leaders of the world. I think it's enjoyable, and it definitely has some really good dialogs about the meaning of governing authorities. My only problem is that most of the dialog moves really fast and it's hard to read everything, with no option to change.
    Graphics look incredible. The game has a clean 16bit artstyle that is visually appealing to the eyes, and interesting character designs. The environments look clear and unique, but all of them feel like part of the world of the game.
    If you've ever played a Mega Man game, more specifically the Zero series, you'll feel right at home. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider has a similar stracture: 2 opening stages, followed by 6 stages that can be cleared in any order ending with a boss battle, which let's Moonrider obtain a new weapon, which have limited ammo. However, unlike Mega Man, there is no specific weakness to every boss, which is good because most of them are pathetically easy anyways. I found all of the weapons to be somewhat useful and fun to use. The main weapon of Moonrider is his sword, which controls similarly to zero's saber in the MMZ series. It's great to use and has a few moves, but unfortunately you don't gain any new moves for it, which is a shame because it feels somewhat lacking in the air. Moonrider can also dash, similarly to MMX, jump and wall jump. I found the wall-jumping as a bit uncomfortable, but I got used to it eventually. In stages, you can explore a bit and achieve chips which can be equipped in order to gain new passive abilities. They're a great feature, and from the ones I tried each one has its uses. I like how in the end of each stage you're told how many collectibles you've missed, so you can go back and replay the stages if you wanna achieve 100%. The level design is great, with some great platforming and combat integrated into the stages. I would say the music is not that memorable though, but it's all right.
    Overall, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a sweat and short package (2 hours or so), and it was really fun and worth it for only 17$.
    8/10    … Full Review »
  2. last_of_us
    Jan 31, 2023
    10
    A nice game
    its almost like shinobi games in sega
    its almost easy game for kill bosses just get closed them & spam ur atack & special    A nice game
    its almost like shinobi games in sega
    its almost easy game
    for kill bosses
    just get closed them & spam ur atack & special atack
    they die easy
    ty for this game    … Full Review »
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