Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider (PC, PS5, PS4, NS)

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is an authentic recreation of the classic 90s ninja video games like Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and Shadow of the Ninja. The 16-bit music, art style, and gameplay are all captured perfectly without a miss. Going in blind, you would think it is a remaster or port of a real existing 90s game. The game follows our eponymous character, The Moonrider. Originally created to defend its oppressive creators: an evil totalitarian state,

PLAY IT OR SKIP IT? Play it if you’re looking for a fantastic pixel-art throwback to games like Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider plays like a love letter to classic 16-bit ninja action games of old. Just don’t go in expecting a ton of depth or replay value; this is a strictly old-school experience in every way. TIME PLAYED I spent two hours with Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, which was enough time to test out a few different levels and die a lot. More skilled players—or those who spend the time learning enemy placement and how to dodge each attack—can probably complete the game in about this long, or maybe even less if you’re really speedrunning.