The Guardian Legend facts for kids

The Guardian Legend (ガーディック外伝, Guardic Gaiden) is an exciting video game made by Compile in 1988. You play it on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). In the game, you control a special hero who is part human and part robot. Your big mission is to stop a giant alien moon from crashing into Earth. To do this, you need to find and turn on ten secret devices hidden inside the moon. Just like the game Metroid, The Guardian Legend lets you play as a powerful female character.

When the game first came out, people had different opinions about it. Some liked how it looked, sounded, and felt to play. Others thought some parts of the game were too similar or that the password to save your game was too long. Even though it wasn't super famous at first, more people know about The Guardian Legend now. It's a great example of a game where you get to do many different kinds of things!

Story of the Game

In The Guardian Legend, you are Earth's special protector, a "robot transformer" named Miria in the Japanese version. Your main goal is to destroy a huge alien moon called Naju before it reaches Earth. To save our planet, you must find the moon's self-destruct device and escape before it blows up.

But it's not easy! Five different alien tribes live on the moon and will try to stop you. Luckily, you'll find helpful messages left by someone else. These messages guide you to the safety switches you need to turn on the self-destruct device. They also help you find secret rooms and pathways.

How to Play

You play as the Guardian in two different forms. When you are on the surface of Naju, called the "Labyrinth", you walk around as a human. But when you enter special areas, the Guardian changes into a fast spaceship!

Your Guardian has a life meter that shows how much health you have. If aliens hit you, your health goes down. You can pick up items to get your health back. If your life meter runs out, the Guardian is defeated, and the game ends. You can shoot at aliens with different weapons. As you play, you'll find new and better weapons to use.

You'll also meet friendly, round creatures called "Landers." These Landers can help you by refilling your health or giving you more shots for your weapons. Blue Landers are special because they can sell you new weapons. They also give you passwords. These passwords let you stop playing the game and come back to it later, picking up right where you left off.

Exploring the Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is made of many rooms, each as big as your screen. You can look at a map to see where you are, even when you pause the game. You can walk from one room to another, or you can use "warp panels" to jump to different areas. Some warp panels need a special key to open. Many rooms have aliens, but others have clues, shops, passwords, or entrances to the Dungeon.

Flying in the Dungeon

The Dungeon is where the Guardian flies as a spaceship. These areas are full of aliens you need to destroy. At the end of each Dungeon area, you'll face a very strong alien called a boss. After you defeat the boss, the Guardian flies out of the Dungeon and back to the Labyrinth. You'll then get a cool power-up! Sometimes, you'll also get a key for a warp panel. Some Dungeon entrances are open from the start, but others need you to complete a task first. Clues in the Labyrinth will tell you how to open these hidden entrances.

Game History

The Guardian Legend was first made for the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) and came out in Japan in 1988. It then came to North America in 1989 and Europe in 1990. The same people who created this game also made other popular games like Guardic, Zanac, and Puyo Puyo.

Many people who reviewed the game liked its many features. Some even compared it to other famous Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Mike Engler, who helped make the game Retro Game Challenge, even said that The Guardian Legend is "one of the best games ever released." In 1989, Nintendo Power magazine nominated the game for "Best Graphics & Sound," "Best Play Control," and "Best Overall," though it didn't win any of those awards. Some of the game's music has even been remixed by fans!