Publisher The Arcade Crew and developer JoyMasher have finally unveiled the official announcement trailer for Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, a 16-bit action platformer with some great Mega Man X, Ninja Gaiden, and Shinobi vibes. The game is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, PC via Steam, and Amazon Luna in fall 2022. The game has been in development a few years already, originally just called Moonrider, with plenty of little updates coming through social media, but today the game is ready to make its big splash.
You play as a cybernetic ninja, putting it in line with recent indie hits like The Messenger and Cyber Shadow. The premise is that the titular Moonrider has rejected its role as a soldier of a totalitarian regime and instead is seeking vengeance (for something) on its creators and other “super soldiers.” As for the actual gameplay, “Powerful modifier chips are guarded and hidden throughout the adventure, allowing the cyborg super soldier to customize its fighting style while gaining killer advantages and abilities” across eight levels.
Rooted in Brazil, JoyMasher has made a name for itself in high-quality pixel art action games with retro flair, including Odallus, Oniken, and most recently Blazing Chrome. If the announcement trailer is any indication, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider will be an excellent addition to the JoyMasher library.
