Guardian Tales Gameplay Impressions Global | New Retro ARPG

Are you in the mood for a cool new action-adventure RPG with puzzles, co-op, city-building, hero collector, classic game homages, and great pixel-art? Then strap yourselves in, because we’re going for it right now. Guardian Tales is the name of the game and Kakao Games is the publisher, they wanted us to let you know about it and I’m so glad that they did. I wasn’t aware of this game and this is one of the ways that we discover hidden gems that would otherwise go unnoticed. Our Guardian Tales gameplay impressions will show you that it is a lot of fun, and it should be available to download on Android and iOS as we speak, so hit that link in the video description to get started.

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Do you see that little red guy over there in the video, at around 0:45? That’s Byrule’s Hero Hyper, who is looking for a master sword. Somehow a careless NPC managed to break it, but thankfully she gave him a laser cannon in turn which is, in my humble opinion, a thousand times better. There are other examples of humor, including a red panda that attributes his demise to taking that arrow on the knee, and you get to contact some characters via a social media app called FaceBreak. Does it ring a bell?

The game is genuinely fun, but there’s a lot more going for it. One important detail is that there’s no auto mode. Yes, you’ve heard that right, but let me repeat to make it clear: no… auto… mode. You have to control your heroes in every single mission, and the only glimpse of an auto mode is when you want to rerun a dungeon to farm rewards such as EXP or gold. Otherwise, it’s all up to you and your skills.

But first things first. Guardian Tales features a classless character system, which means that you only pick the gender of your knight to begin with. After that, it’s up to you to shape your hero by choosing and equipping your favorite weapons. This includes swords, crossbows, staffs, gauntlets, rifles, and more, from a selection of over 200 weapons. Along the way, other cute pixel heroes and villains are going to cross your path, and at a point you can create a party of up to four characters.

There are 57 heroes to unlock, which takes us to the gacha part, but you don’t have to do it because you get quite a few of them just by progressing in the adventure. It’s probably wiser just to go for the weapon gacha because it may yield better results, but hey, there’s the other side of the coin as well, because the more heroes you have, the better, but more on that later. Nevertheless, make sure that you take a detour to the hero collection to see some fantastic 2D artwork and superb character design.

So, about the heroes that you can collect, what good are they for? I mean, besides offering different approaches to combat, that is? Enter the Floating Castle, which is where the city building aspect of the game comes in. This is a simple, fun, and entertaining feature where you get to see your team of brave warriors hanging around, relaxing at the spa, having a beer, and just enjoying their time. It’s exceedingly cute and a terrific distraction from the core gameplay, as you build and upgrade structures, expanding your safe haven in many ways.

The retro pixel art is really cute, with details that capture the eye. The changing weapons and costumes give your hero a new look every now and then, there’s even a purr-fect cat knight skin for you to show your enemies that you’re not kitten around. Paw-don me for the puns.

Gameplay is way more than a straightforward hack and slash. You fight your way through the levels but there’s always a clever puzzle around the corner. You may have to find a way to beat a superfast girl in a one-on-one race, make your way out of a labyrinth, or persuade a poacher to leave the woods. There are many more examples like this, tons of hidden places to discover, and all of this keeps the flow of the game interesting and surprising. This is a game that just screams speed running at you, and it encourages you to revisit previous levels with unlocked abilities so that you can find new treasures and hidden areas.

Combat is fun as well, especially when you combine heroes with different weapons and abilities. Things can get quite hectic, especially during boss fights, as you control your hero and the rest of the team does its best to keep up, each one with their unique styles. One of your first companions is the white beast, a cute but ferocious wolf that brings a lot of bite into the battle; Loraine is more than the bartender that she seems to be, acting as a support unit that throws explosive mushrooms; Yuze is a succubus that knows how to handle a sword, among others. You have to equip your heroes with the best weapon combinations, level up, and evolve them to their next stage.

Apart from the storyline, you have other game modes including 4-player co-op raids, guild houses that can be customized, 1v1 PvP, and more.

Guardian Tales is a blast, it doesn’t try to hide the fact that it is heavily inspired by classic adventures, and the mix of action, puzzle, and gacha elements hits all the right notes. It is a great choice for everyone who is a tired of auto-play games which, let’s face it, it’s pretty much all of us. If you’re looking for a great action RPG with humor and range, give Guardian Tales a go right now by clicking the link in the video description. Have fun, thank you for watching our Guardian Tales gameplay impressions, and I’ll see you guys on FaceBreak!

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