ASTROLANCER Reviews

Is this game TGL 2/TGL Zero? I'm going to go against the grain and Say no despite the majority of reviews saying otherwise. This does disappoint me since The Guardian Legend is no contest my favorite NES game and this game is marketed as a spiritual successor. However That doesn't mean Astrolancer is by any means a bad game, No it's quite good! But I cant avoid heavily comparing the two and it does not favor Astrolancer It keeps the Action, some of the Aesthetic, and the carryover of weapons from Top down to SHUMP. However It removes a lot of the wandering exploration/need to take notes (You had to explore around to find shops, hints, coordinates, etc) and the RPG mechanics. The leveling system in TGL naturally scaled you with how well you scored in the game, which encouraged you to do better in the SHUMP stages in particular and the game forced you to explore to find the tools you would need to tackle the next SHUMP Challenge. Astrolancer does have SOME exploration but its more about filling out a skill tree to create a playstyle and poking around designated off the main path areas, which is not bad, but not as graceful in my opinion. The Top down is more linear which again is fine, It reminds me more of Blaster Master/Zero Trilogy which again is good! But its not TGL I find the SHUMP stages is less compile and more Touhou which is fine and good in isolation. But I think OG TGL handled it a bit more gracefully where it was about tactically using weapons you found on the overworld to handle different situations. I think Hexeye tried to evoke it but I dont think it hit the mark since Hexeye clearly was trying to make it more bullet hell and more about dodging intracate patterns in boss fights and blowing through enemies with the Thrust mechanic and subweapons rather than exploring the land to find the right tools for the next challenge. To be fair the bullet hell segments are fun and the weapons are pretty fun. I still think TGL did it more elegantly I like the story, its simple but solid and the droids gave me some good laughs and the art direction is solid. The in game manual in particular is cute. Only complaint is I think the plane the Robot lady transforms into looks silly (She's fine in her humanoid form though). I still recommend it, Its fun still, its well worth the five bucks (I would have happily spent ten or maybe fifteen). But It doesnt compare favorably to TGL in my eyes

As somebody who's been a passionate fan of The Guardian Legend since owning the NES cartridge as a kid, this immediately caught my attention. And it doesn't disappoint! Everything I would have wanted from a remake/sequel/reimagining of TGL is here: more varied areas, more modern shmup mechanics, the works. I think the lance dash with I-frames is an excellent addition, especially given the game leaning more into modern Bullet Hell. I love the retro graphics and music, and I enjoy the storyline and its moral ambiguity. I have a few quibbles, but they're very minor: I would have liked a more even split between the "labyrinth" and "corridor" sections, as the game focuses primarily on the "labyrinth" areas. The game is also significantly more linear than The Guardian Legend, being divided into stages rather than a fully interconnected map. Having the option to toggle the strafe, rather than it being a separate game mode, would have been nice. And the difficulty ramp between normal enemies and "Bullet Hell" bosses is very steep. Again, though, these are minor and personal quibbles and I still immensely enjoyed the game. Overall, though: If you are or were a fan of The Guardian Legend, pick up this game immediately.