Vengeful Guardian Moonrider review: An amazing neo-retro action-platformer with all the 16-bit goodness of the 90s

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a really fascinating title, to say the least. While I had little to no expectations going into the cyberpunk-esque, sci-fi retro side-scroller, the offering directly tapped into my nostalgia for games like Contra on the NES, which is something I never thought I'd get to experience from a title coming out in 2023.

From the action-packed gameplay to the super energetic synthwave soundtrack, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider was a joy to play from start to finish, though there were a few issues that disrupted my enjoyment of the title from time to time. Developer JoyMasher is known for creating some really fun retro-arcade games — like Blazing Chrome — which take direct inspiration from some of the iconic action side-scrollers of the 90s. Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is no different, and, in fact, is much superior and more enjoyable than the developer's previous titles.

I had a great time going through the many different levels of the game, which were filled with some really tricky platforming segments, including a host of challenging yet satisfying boss fights. However, the game is nowhere near perfect, with some glaring flaws in its level design as well as the moment-to-moment gameplay.

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Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is an excellent homage to the 16-bit retro-arcade games of the 90s

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider, much like its name, is very metal in its gameplay as well as general aesthetics, which is something I really liked. The neo-cyberpunk and retrofuturistic art style made for an authentic classic arcade experience, something that I rarely see emulated this well in most modern video games.

I grew up playing games on the NES, with games like Battle City and Contra being my personal favorites. While I did diverge into more mainstream video games as the years went by, I always cherished the retro-arcade titles that were a big part of my childhood.

Immaculate presentation, coupled with an amazing retro-arcade soundtrack

In terms of presentation, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider feels right out of the early 90s, with a bombastic opening that introduces players to the game's plot and, without wasting any time, lets them loose in the shoes of the titular cybernetic-super soldier, Moonrider. The level design is very reminiscent of titles like Contra and the classic Castlevania games, with tightly knit platforming sections coupled with careful enemy placement.

The visuals are drenched in the classic 16-bit visual style (Image via JoyMasher)

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider's art style is directly inspired by the likes of classic 2D side-scrollers, with some really detailed level geometry and characters. I was really impressed by the neo-futuristic aesthetic and level design, which looks very similar to Contra III: The Alien Wars for the SNES.

If players are looking for an even more authentic 16-bit retro-arcade experience, this title has them covered with a dedicated "CRT Effect" toggle that emulates the screen effects of an old CRT television. I loved this addition and kept it on for the entire duration of my playthrough. I really appreciate it when developers include small optional toggles like these to give players more ways to customize their gameplay experience.

Even the cutscenes are structured in the same vein as the classic action-platformers of the 90s (Image via JoyMasher)

Much like its visual aesthetics, JoyMasher used some really catchy sythwave soundtracks as the background score, which adds a lot to the overall enjoyment of the game. While the ost is nothing exceptional, it perfectly complements the high-octane gameplay and the retro visuals of Vengeful Guardian Moonrider.

Action-packed gameplay that kept me on the edge of my seat

The game does not have much of a story apart from a vague opening that does not overstay its welcome. Within the first minute of booting up a new save file, players are given control of the Moonrider, who, much like other super-soldier protagonists in gaming, is woken from his slumber to serve his masters. However, this character defects against his creators and goes on a rampage against them and other fellow super soldiers.

The opening reminded me of one of my personal favorite series, id Software's Doom, which shares a similar premise.

As soon as players get control of Moonrider, they can start hacking and slashing their way through the levels. Despite its aesthetic similarity to Contra, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider plays more like a Castlevania game with an emphasis on platforming and melee combat.

Right off the bat, players are equipped with an energy sword as their primary weapon, which easily slices through the enemies. Along with it, the Moonrider is also equipped with a blaster that can be augmented with different firing modules. Although the levels are fairly linear, they contain a few hidden secrets and collectibles for keen-eyed players to find, which grant them special abilities to use during combat.

There are some really creative boss fights (Image via JoyMasher)

Players can find secret "chips" scattered throughout the levels, which can be used to enhance the secondary weapon's attack. Clearing levels that end with a major boss fight also rewards players with a new special power-up or weapon. I really appreciated this feature, which gave me an additional incentive to replay levels.

The levels in Vengeful Guardian Moonrider are fairly diverse, much like the games it's aiming to emulate. From the standard shoot 'em up to the on-rail shooting sections, the title constantly kept me on my toes, with its diverse level design and its high-octane gameplay.

While the game genuinely impressed me with its retro aesthetics, action-packed gameplay, and immaculate level design, there were quite a few frustrating moments that interrupted my enjoyment of the experience.

Few shortcomings

While Vengeful Guardian Moonrider plays quite well when you're using a controller; it is a whole different story if players want to employ a keyboard and mouse instead. I started playing the title using KB+M but was somewhat forced to switch to a controller since playing the game on the keyboard felt very tedious.

The attack animations, although really flashy, can feel clunky to execute (Image via JoyMasher)

There were multiple instances during gameplay when I was required to press certain button combinations to either defeat a boss or clear a platforming section. However, due to the default keyboard mapping, I was unable to chain the presses in time, resulting in a "game over" screen. Granted, players can rebind keys in the options menu, but I feel the game is much more enjoyable when you're using a controller. This isn't surprising, considering the titles it's trying to emulate were primarily for consoles.

Another issue that is somewhat related to the controls — which sadly wasn't fixed with the use of a controller — was the rigidity of certain actions, especially the platforming abilities of the Moonrider. Executing "sprint and jump," which is one of the most important actions, felt very clunky and awkward. In fact, many of the sprint-based elements — like jumping or attacking — felt very rigid and clunky, due to what I felt was an animation delay between any two actions.

The titular super soldier, Moonrider (Image via JoyMasher)

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a very short game. My first playthrough clocked in at around two hours, which included me dying multiple times to bosses and having to restart entire levels. The game has a dearth of content if players aren't interested in replaying levels to hunt collectibles and secrets.

Lastly, in terms of performance, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is pretty solid across the board. I tested the game on two systems, the first one with a Core i5 8700K, 16GB RAM, and GTX 1650 Super and the second with a Core i5 7200U, 16GB RAM, and GeForce 940MX. On both systems, the game ran flawlessly, with a solid 60 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution.

Platforming in the game can feel like a chore due to stiff controls (Image via JoyMasher)

The performance isn't surprising given the very low system requirements for the game; however, it's still quite overwhelming to see a modern release come out with such a degree of polish. I did, however, run into a few bugs during my time with the game. The most annoying and recurring one involved the game constantly freezing whenever I pressed Alt+Tab. I had to restart the game every time I had to use those keys simultaneously to check something else on my PC, which was very frustrating.

There were also instances of the title crashing after I completed a mission. But this was very rare and only happened twice during my first playthrough. Overall, Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a pretty decent PC port that performs admirably on a variety of system configurations.

In conclusion

Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is an excellent homage to the old NES and SNES classics, with a captivating retro art style and action-packed gameplay that is very similar to the games from the early 90s. The varied level design and tight platforming mechanics, coupled with some really challenging boss fights and a very rewarding progression system, keep the offering fresh and very entertaining from start to finish.

Although the game has some issues regarding controls and general clunkiness of movement abilities, in the face of everything that it gets right, these are nothing more than very minor blemishes. Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is an excellent retro-arcade side-scroller that fans of retro games, or action games in general, should not miss out on.