Dark Guardians Delivers Beautiful Production Values And Endless Ass-Kickery [Review]

I like endless runners as much as the next person (which works out well considering how many I review), but I’m not opposed to a developer trying something new with them.

Dark Guardians is one such attempt, adding rhythm-game elements and arcade twitch play to the well-trod genre. And it’s an experiment that pays off big, resulting in an exciting and all-around fun title.

It’s also smart and good-looking. And the music is excellent. Basically, I’m a fan.

Dark Guardians puts you in the formidable boots of a lone hero with impressive cross-country running skills who sprints through a series of environments with a ridiculous number of wolves, birds, and other dangerous critters between him and his destination.

And some of those animals are on fire.

It’s less like a heavy-metal album cover than it sounds. But not much.

Others are electrified, and some emit an earthy green mist that I imagine smells like damp moss and dirt. The point is that the game throws differently aligned enemies at you, and you can only destroy them with like-charged attacks. You have four different attacks — regular, earth, electric, and fire — and you use them with the large, convenient buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Killing enemies earns you coins that you can use to upgrade your health and attack range. You can also unlock “checkpoints” of sorts by upgrading an ability that lets you start your run farther down the path. That third one in particular is a welcome addition because it gives you a sense of progress and keeps you from replaying the same areas repeatedly.

Plus, you can occasionally activate a Dark Horse that makes you invincible and kills everything it touches. This game is completely awesome.

Game Name: : Dark Guardians The Good: Fantastic production values and some interesting variations on the “endless” genre. The Bad: Some enemy combinations are unbeatable, but that’s rare. The Verdict: It’s an entertaining and engaging title that keeps the variety coming like the endless stream of dire wolves that oppose you. Buy from: App Store – Dark Guardians – Studio Baikin

[rating=game5]