Guardian Heroes

From Sega Retro

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GuardianHeroes title.png

Guardian Heroes
System(s): Sega Saturn, Xbox Live Arcade
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Sound driver:
Sega Saturn
SCSP/CD-DA (23 tracks)
Peripherals supported:
Sega Saturn
Saturn 6 Player Adaptor
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1-6
Release Date RRP Code
CERO
Missing Parameter!

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Guardian Heroes (ガーディアンヒーローズ) is a beat-'em-up game developed by Treasure and published by Sega exclusively for the Sega Saturn in 1996.

The game would be see a sequel eight years later with Advance Guardian Heroes which Sega was not involved with.

Gameplay

The game is largely a sidescrolling beat-'em-up with some elements of an RPG. Unlike games such as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage, players are unable to move "in and out" of the screen with the Up and Down buttons. Instead, they jump between three fixed planes using L and R, and as such the control scheme is more similar to fighting games like Street Fighter, wherein Up is jump and Down is duck.

Some aspects of the game are more RPG-like. At the end of each stage, the player is given options on the direction the story will take. There is a total of 30 levels [1] of which players will see fewer than 10 in a given playthrough, and five possible endings. Defeating enemies gives the players experience which can be spent at the end of each stage on the following: strength (damage done to enemies), vitality (player's health), intelligence (spell strength and radius), mentality (magic points and recovery rate), agility (speed) and luck (modifies damage dealt and received).

Versus mode has up to six players (some can be computer-controlled) fighting each other in an arena. Most characters from the story mode can be used in versus mode, although the player must have encountered them in the game (thereby encouraging multiple playthroughs). [2]

Xbox Live Arcade Version

A port of the game was released by Sega for Xbox Live Arcade in Autumn 2011. This version features online play that also allows drop in co-op. Multiplayer mode can go up to four players locally, or up to twelve players online. The gameplay was also rebalanced and retooled to take advantage of the Xbox 360 controller. The translation was also revised as well as featured restored content that was removed from non-Japanese versions of the game. Finally the game features a graphics filter that gives a stylized look to the original low-resolution art of the Sega Saturn original.

Promotional material

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
90 №2, p83[3]
93 №172, p22-29[4]
90 Defunct Games
80 №31, p72/73
90 1996-07-08
65 №372, p31
98 Vol 4, №4, p14/34/35/36/37/38/39
97
93
86 №86, p54-55
90 24/08/2009
48 №41, p67
100 №7, p125/126
93 №42, p68-71[5]
65
85 №64, p106/107
90 RPGamer
80 №78, p50/51
95 №8, p64/65[6]
80 №1996-01, p185[7]
86
Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "'".
30 №17, p78/79
Sega Saturn
Expression error: Unexpected < operator.
Based on
23 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
576 KByte (HU)
93
[9]
Consoles News (FR) PAL
90
[3]
Consoles + (FR)
90
[10]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
93
[4]
Digitiser (UK) PAL
86
[11]
Edge (UK)
80
[12]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
81
[13]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
65
[14]
Fun Generation (DE) PAL
70
[15]
Gambler (PL)
80
[16]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
96
[17]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
86
[18]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
73
[19]
GMR (US)
100
[20]
Intelligent Gamer (US) NTSC-U
91
[21]
Intelligent Gamer's Fusion (US) NTSC-U
91
[22]
Joypad (FR)
88
[23]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
61
[24]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
64
[25]
Maximum (UK)
100
[26]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
87
[27]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
75
[28]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
93
[5]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
93
[29]
neXt Level (DE) PAL
65
[30]
Player One (FR)
85
[31]
Power Up! (UK)
82
[32]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
80
[33]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
90
[34]
Secret Service (PL)
90
[35]
Sega News (CZ)
93
[36]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
80
[37]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
94
[38]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
95
[39]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
80
[40]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
86
[8]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
80
[41]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) NTSC-J
30
[42]
Video Games (DE) PAL
62
[43]
Sega Saturn
82
Based on
39 reviews

Guardian Heroes

Saturn, US
GuardianHeroes Saturn US Box Back.jpgGuardianHeroes Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
GuardianHeroes Saturn US Disc.jpg
Disc
Guardianheroes sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
GuardianHeroes Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
GuardianHeroes Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
GuardianHeroesSaturnEUManual6L.pdf
Manual
Saturn, JP
GuardianHeroes Saturn JP Box Back.jpgGuardianHeroes Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
GuardianHeroes Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
GuardianHeroes Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc

Artwork

External links

  • Guardian Heroes on Xbox Marketplace: UK, US, JP, KR

References

  1. File:CVG UK 175.pdf, page 92
  2. File:CVG UK 175.pdf, page 93
  3. 3.0 3.1 File:ConsolesNews FR 02.pdf, page 83 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:ConsolesNews FR 02.pdf_p83" defined multiple times with different content
  4. 4.0 4.1 File:CVG UK 172.pdf, page 22 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 172.pdf_p22" defined multiple times with different content
  5. 5.0 5.1 File:MeanMachinesSega42UK.pdf, page 68 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega42UK.pdf_p68" defined multiple times with different content
  6. File:SSM_UK_08.pdf, page 64
  7. File:SSM_JP_19960112_1996-01.pdf, page 189
  8. 8.0 8.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p11" defined multiple times with different content
  9. 576 KByte, "Július-Augusztus 1996" (HU; 1996-xx-xx), page 24
  10. Consoles +, "Mai 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 140
  11. Digitiser (UK) (1996-06-14)
  12. Edge, "April 1996" (UK; 1996-03-08), page 72
  13. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "June 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 26
  14. Famitsu, "1996-02-02" (JP; 1996-01-19), page 31
  15. Fun Generation, "05/96" (DE; 1996-04-10), page 50
  16. Gambler, "10/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 42
  17. GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 4: April 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 14
  18. Game Players, "Vol. 9 No. 7 July 1996" (US; 1996-06-11), page 54
  19. GamePro, "July 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 72
  20. GMR, "June 2003" (US; 2003-05-01), page 92
  21. Intelligent Gamer, "July 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 78
  22. Intelligent Gamer's Fusion, "Volume 2, Number 8: April 1996" (US; 1996-02-27), page 64
  23. Joypad, "Mai 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 72
  24. MAN!AC, "03/96" (DE; 1996-02-14), page 43
  25. MAN!AC, "07/96" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 64
  26. Maximum, "May 1996" (UK; 1996-05-30), page 125
  27. Mega Force, "Mai 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 82
  28. Mega Fun, "08/96" (DE; 1996-07-17), page 70
  29. Mean Machines Sega, "September 1996" (UK; 1996-08-05), page 90
  30. neXt Level, "Juli 1996" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 64
  31. Player One, "Mai 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 110
  32. Power Up!, "Saturday, June 29, 1996" (UK; 1996-06-29), page 1
  33. Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 6" (JP; 1996-03-01), page 120
  34. Saturn+, "Easter/April 1996" (UK; 1996-03-07), page 42
  35. Secret Service, "Październik 1996" (PL; 1996-10-01), page 67
  36. Sega News, "Leden 1997" (CZ; 1997-xx-xx), page 12
  37. Sega Power, "May 1996" (UK; 1996-03-14), page 50
  38. Sega Pro, "September 1996" (UK; 1996-07-xx), page 18
  39. Sega Saturn Magazine, "June 1996" (UK; 1996-05-22), page 64
  40. Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-01 (1996-01-12,26)" (JP; 1995-12-22), page 189
  41. Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 30
  42. Ultimate Future Games, "April 1996" (UK; 1996-02-29), page 78
  43. Video Games, "7/96" (DE; 1996-06-26), page 93