Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Guardian Angel



Dimamic get Dynamic!

Freddy Hardest is our Guardian Angel for Dinamic's scrolling beat 'em up in the Big Apple, which actually ain't too dissimilar to After The War. Manhattan always seems to be the perfect setting for a grim future with crime and gangs. I don't know why but it's got that deathwish vibe and setting nailed so perfectly.

Anyhow, I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic and I think it's because I played their Army Moves via disk (instead of tape) back in my Spectrum +3 days (a short-lived machine as it died after a few weeks... sigh).

They've released some good Atari ST games also and many you can find by searching at the top of this web page. Anyhow, we begin our Death Wish at the docks and are instantly assaulted by waves of 80s-styled thugs! Some have brought along their toys, like baseball bats and knives. Where's Charles Bronson when you need him?



Ahh, nuts! That guy is big and I hear sneaky footsteps behind me!


Yee Aw that sucka!

Being a beat 'em up, we get around crime-infested streets using left/right. The fire button performs a punch, which you'll find is only good against the weaker Sailors. Pulling down allows us to stomp on rats but offers little benefit against tougher dudes! Finally, pushing up will unleash the fury of your infamous high kick which is your only powerful move. Energy levels will automatically replenish IF you get a chance to stand still for a moment.

Guardian Angel doesn't take itself seriously and has you laughing at the silly antics you see on-screen. I love how the baddies turn into zapped skeletons for a split second when dying - it's like a Tom And Jerry cartoon. Watch out for "Death Star", a forklift trucker called Ricky Chang who is probably the world's worst driver. However, my favourite is being kicked out of your cute yellow boots when suffering a final death blow. Hilarious stuff.

That's this game to a tea, it's stupid but incredibly entertaining. The kind you play after a bad day at work!



What? You think ganging up is going to scare me away - not on your nelly!!


Aesthetics

The gameplay window is small with much of the screen being -mostly- pointless decor. However, I do like the detailed backgrounds, even if they're too colourful for a bleak city scene! Sprites are large and well-detailed with basic animation but there are some cool scenes and Ricky Chang will always make me laugh. Fantastic!!

Forget the terrible theme tune. Okay, thankfully, all in-game sound effects are made from good and meaty samples with the chainsaw guy being superb. In fact, I really love the excellent variety of sampled sound effects.



Now, this is a proper title screen with great artwork.


The CryptO'pinion?

Guardian Angel sure has some good qualities; a bucket load of humour matched by responsive controls, superb sprites and sound effects. Sadly, it's typically Dinamic and too tough!! Only having one decent attack spoils any long-term potential but, I must admit, I enjoyed it with a trainer enabled! But that's a bad thing, right?

I think you guys need to play this beat 'em up regardless of the need for a trainer. Damn good fun!!

Stonish has Medway Boys #85 Floppy Disk.

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