Guardians: Denjin Makai 2 allows players to channel their inner Japanese superhero in a super fast beatemup with some silly charm and an impressive combo system.
For a genre all about spanking endless hordes of buff guys and emerging victorious, I find it strange how few beatemups make me feel as overpowered as Guardians: Denjin Makai 2 does.
Don't get me wrong--I still suck. I whiff attacks, I head straight into oncoming danger, I haven't even beaten the game in less than 7 credits. But every now and then, I go absolutely wild on a boss and combo them up the side of a wall. From time to time, I dispatch an entire group of enemies in a matter of seconds. And maybe, say, once per run, I really feel like I've just slipped into the shoes of a classic Japanese superhero, and it's my turn to take down the villain of the week.
This series is all about its insane move list, and so Guardians has an absolute BUTTLOAD of cool moves. The game teaches you how to do many of them from the Character Select, but some are only going to be discovered once you use your character. Guardians features a very intuitive combo system, and practicing with it will allow you to take down enemies faster and easier than if you were just taking playing a slow game of keep-away like you would in a game like Final Fight.
And honestly? I recommend playing aggressively. If you want to beat the game with less credits, the safest (and most fun) thing you can do is stack enemies and make sure you can keep hitting them before they even touch you.
I will say, though, that while Guardians is awesome, it isn't exactly epic. The game is frequently very funny, almost satirically so. Environments are beautifully detailed and enemies will frequently be caught engaging in silly gags. However, the boss designs really just...aren't great, at least visually. The first boss is a pretty funny take on the typically buff villains you'll find in any beatemup. The next few are a generic ninja, a plain-looking mech, then an ugly...mollusk, thing? The only boss that really stands out is the final one. And while the music is usually solid...gosh, the default boss theme truly sounds like boring Character Select music.
At the end of the day, Guardians isn't a beatemup that I can "get lost in" like Golden Axe or Streets of Rage 2. But it gets it right because it remains fun, bizarre and undeniably spectacular from beginning to end.
For a genre all about spanking endless hordes of buff guys and emerging victorious, I find it strange how few beatemups make me feel as overpowered as Guardians: Denjin Makai 2 does.
Don't get me wrong--I still suck. I whiff attacks, I head straight into oncoming danger, I haven't even beaten the game in less than 7 credits. But every now and then, I go absolutely wild on a boss and combo them up the side of a wall. From time to time, I dispatch an entire group of enemies in a matter of seconds. And maybe, say, once per run, I really feel like I've just slipped into the shoes of a classic Japanese superhero, and it's my turn to take down the villain of the week.
This series is all about its insane move list, and so Guardians has an absolute BUTTLOAD of cool moves. The game teaches you how to do many of them from the Character Select, but some are only going to be discovered once you use your character. Guardians features a very intuitive combo system, and practicing with it will allow you to take down enemies faster and easier than if you were just taking playing a slow game of keep-away like you would in a game like Final Fight.
And honestly? I recommend playing aggressively. If you want to beat the game with less credits, the safest (and most fun) thing you can do is stack enemies and make sure you can keep hitting them before they even touch you.
I will say, though, that while Guardians is awesome, it isn't exactly epic. The game is frequently very funny, almost satirically so. Environments are beautifully detailed and enemies will frequently be caught engaging in silly gags. However, the boss designs really just...aren't great, at least visually. The first boss is a pretty funny take on the typically buff villains you'll find in any beatemup. The next few are a generic ninja, a plain-looking mech, then an ugly...mollusk, thing? The only boss that really stands out is the final one. And while the music is usually solid...gosh, the default boss theme truly sounds like boring Character Select music.
At the end of the day, Guardians isn't a beatemup that I can "get lost in" like Golden Axe or Streets of Rage 2. But it gets it right because it remains fun, bizarre and undeniably spectacular from beginning to end.