Guardian Heroes is pinnacle of 2-D insanity on the Sega Saturn and one of the greatest beat em ups of all time. I can't count how many hours me and my nephew logged in on this juggernaut of a game. Treasure mastered and commandeered the Saturn hardware like no other and Guardian Heroes was a towering achievement. 18 animated on screen sprites with little to no slow down was unheard of at the time. To see the kinetic 2-D fighting frenzy with so much action on the screen was and still is mind-blowing. No arcade game from even Capcom or Konami at the time had as many enemy sprites. Everything about GH was superior, the graphics, the action, the gameplay and combos, the music, the story, literally everything. I'm actually quite surprised that Sega Lord mentioned the slow down. The slow down was kept to a minimum. It only appeared when it crammed 20 sprites on screen or a combination of enemies and humongous sprites. The slowdown never detracted from the fun and wasn't in anyway excessive. Guardian Heroes was one of the Saturn's crowning achievements and still stands as the quintessential beat em up action game.
The sprite pushing insanity of this game is really a testament to the Saturn, even with slowdown. This game and the Dragon Force games would truly be impossible on the PSX.
There was definitely plenty of slowdown, but it was mostly when big destructive spells were going off or lots of sprites on screen; I always just associated the slowdown with being able to actually see what was going on so it made sense to me anyway. It's not like it tanked the actual framerate into oblivion like multiplayer Perfect Dark or something.
Easily my favorite beat-em-up of all time, and one of my favorite games on the Saturn. No words can describe how much I love this gem of a game, and the soundtrack is incredible.
Guardian Heroes was the main reason I got a Sega Saturn back in 1996. I was going to get the Playstation cause of Resident Evil but then I saw the new issue of GameFan at the time which had Guardian Heroes on the cover. I bought the magazine and read about the game and found out it was made by Treasure and with that I change my mind of getting a Playstation and got a Sega Saturn instead.
Same. I actually had already bought a PS1 when FFVII was announced and I saw it in an issue of GameFan, but I played Guardian Heroes for 15 minutes at my local game store and bought a Saturn the next day. Saturn's 1996 line up was incredible. Out of all three consoles, I still love Saturn the most that year.
I still have that magazine !! Game fan magazine was the best I used to be excited every month to go the electronics boutique in the mall and see what game would be on the cover
Game fan wow bringin it back. I wanted a Saturn back then but couldn’t get it. I couldn’t get a PlayStation either but I did have a Genesis and I stumbled across a little gem called Gunstar Heroes. That was my introduction to treasure
I have the Xbox 360 version, and I love the hell out of it. Made me realize just how much awesome stuff I missed by not having a Saturn back in the day. It still annoys me how few Saturn titles have gotten released elsewhere over the years.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Genesis, but we have enough Genesis ports. Just because a console failed doesn't mean the games are bad. I wish Sega would give us Saturn classics on Switch
@@williamdrum9899 Right? The hardware may have been under supported and marketed, and ultimately a “failure,” but there were over 1000 games for the system (N64 had only 393) and many of those games were seminal works of interactive art! Especially after Sega became a software dev, you’d think they’d find some way to give these games a second life. However, I suppose some developers like Treasure are no longer with us, so some legal barriers and compensation troubles make some games get lost to the sands of time. We’re lucky Guardian Heroes was ported.
loved this game growing up, and was able to purchase it for $40 in like 2007 back when most "retro gaming" wasn't even a popular thing yet. Now retro game pricing is beyond stupid now.
Yep it's really bad all right. I remember not to long ago (although I guess actually it's been 13-14 years now) when things were not so completely ridiculous. But those times are long gone now. I pretty much buy most of my stuff second hand or carefully online. I'm just not willing to pay the prices they're asking. Also emulation is way better.
@@christianpalmer7899 Yep it's become like housing where people buy properties just to speculate on them. It's all about the value not about the actual product itself.
I still remember in 1995, after playing Virtua Cop & Sega Rally, Guardian Heroes launched and I was truly feeling the power of 32bit console from these few games. Guardian Heroes and Die Hard Arcade are the best beat-em-up games in this generation.
Treasure went above and beyond with Guardian Heroes. Great variety of characters, Street Fighter 2 style special attack inputs, branching story paths, RPG level up elements, 6 player compatible (with the optional adapter), the Undead Warrior, the 99 player trick/glitch, EVERY character you encounter is unlockable for battle mode and Nando the flaming bunny. This game was epic.
Did you also buy Saturn Bomberman? Saturn Bomberman is best known for its multiplayer functionality for up to ten players. The game was acclaimed for its enjoyable gameplay and multiplayer, though some felt it didn't advance the series as much as earlier installments.
@@ChrisWoollett my friends and I loved Bomberman so much we designed it to be the mascot of my graduating class in high school in 1998. I was really surprised the student body voted for our design. Although the biggest reason was likely that my high school received 32 bomb threats that year, and the slogan was “Class of 98 ready to evacuate!” 😂 (Google overbrook pine hill bomb scare 1998 and you’ll find articles about it lol).
I agree 💯. Guardian Heroes was a monster of an achievement. This was the quintessential beat em on the Saturn that made up for the absence of a 32-bit Streets of Rage.
Probably my favourite Saturn game ever. It's the only one I go back to on emulators (as I sold my Saturn ages ago). My best friend and I used to play this for hours back in the day.
I remember ditching my college class to pick up this game at Electronic Boutique. What sweet joy Guardian Heroes was to play. One of the best Saturn games that was ever released. A true Jem!!!
My brothers and I spent countless hours on this game. Leveling up. Discovering new stories and unlocking characters. This just wasn''t one of the best games on the Saturn but of it's console generation.
That green issue of Gamefan cemented my want for the Sega Saturn. That GH preview captured my imagination like nothing else before. I already owned a Playstation since that previous Christmas but as a Genesis owner during the 16-bit era, I was quite aware of what Treasure was capable of and couldn't wait to dig in!! I kept re-reading the article, stared at the screen captures, and drew the characters. I still have the issue (amongst 20+ others), and is quite beat up as a result. That next summer, I bought a Saturn, a second controller, and Guardian Heroes! To this day, it was the best gaming decision I ever made!! I dreamt of a sequel for years and then Treasure dropped it on the GBA. While I liked it immensely, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by the super cheap A.I. which made me put the game down several times. I still want that true sequel that this original outing truly deserves!
I bought this game on day release - and up until 2 years ago, still owned it. But I sold it to fuel / feed my alcoholism. Seeing this video upsets me because I love this game so much. However, I am now 5 months & 26 days sober and in the process of buying a copy again. The £100+ price tag is worth every bit of epic gameplay, transparency splendour and saxophone musical score. Can't wait 👌
Great review and beautiful game! This is the best Sega review and informational TH-cam channel. Hopefully soon you will reach 100,000 subscribers. You deserve it! Thank you for your hard work SLX!
@@curtiswilson4737 I have a fullHD Tv at home, I havent bought one of the last gen consoles because I dont really want to upgrade the TV to 4K. I will, eventually, when the slim consoles released and there are enough interesting new games to justify the purchase.
Guardian Heroes is great. Such a classic. My brother's friend brought it over and let us borrow it. I remember playing through it so many times to try to get all the endings. Such a classic.
Holy shit someone grab the Welches! Because this game is my jam! Not only is this my favorite Saturn game but this was also the first 32 bit game I ever played. I remember being completely blown away watching the opening cut scene.
This is such a crazy coincidence, I just finally got my back up of “Guardian Heroes” running and began playing the game for the first time ever tonight. I go to take a break and see SLX’s review for it! I definitely enjoyed what little bit I’ve played and so far it is living up to all the hype! (However, I did try the GBA title “Guardian Heroes Advance” and have never liked or been able to get into that game.).
@Vava85. I think I'm in the same category. I can't count how many times I played this. It was especially fun with 2 players. GH was an absolute beast of a game. Coincidentally, I logged in similar hours on another Treasure Saturn game. That was the spectacular Radiant Silvergun. But GH is one of the greatest games of all time.
Treasure! Alien Soldier and Gunstar Heroes are so impressive for MD games. Their Saturn games are excellent too. The Xbox remake looks very nice, not pixedllated, more fluidity, no slowdown, just what the saturn version missed. Thanks.
One of my absolute, all time favorites. I played it for 15 minutes in my local game store and bought a Saturn the next day. What a summer 1996 was. Love that I can still play it on Series X at least.
Man Treasure was an awesome developer. I remember getting this on xbox online during the 360 days. Never knew it was from treasure and was a saturn port.
This is one of my favorite Saturn games. Gunstar Heroes was probably my favorite Genesis games. The music in both games was phenomenal. My one gripe with the Xbox version is the intro is missing.
You can still watch it in the Gallery/Bonus section, but I wish it would play automatically. Also, it has the Japanese dialogue in it. Press the X button for full screen!
The Elementalist dude's familiar attacking in time with him and getting hit by his magic is cracking me UP. That, and his Guile-like gait when not attacking. This game looks like so much fun! Thanks for the retrospective!
I didn't know guardian heroes was TREASURE. I am super excited to dive into this game now. I had no idea it was this complex with al the special moves and 6 characters and 6 endings and paths to choose. I tested it a couple minutes on my MODE Saturnn just to see what it looked like, and was gona go back to it later. now I am gona put some serious time into this one and study the special moves and all that first.
I remember being a laughing stock among gaming buddies for my genuine excitement for this game at launch. I didn't even own a Sega Saturn. 3D was the way forward for everyone I knew. I still prefer 2D sprite work and artwork done right. Guardian Heroes is a great game that has more worth from the sum of its parts than being simply amazing. This is one you can go back to and have a different experience every time.
3D graphics broke barriers and allowed new freedoms, but I agree, 2D games will always have a unique appeal. 2D games by the mid-90’s had figured out the perfect pace of action density and intuitive gameplay, and reached a “classic look” that ages well, while 3D games often had “too much freedom” with enemies widely spaced out, platforming was an imprecise chore of frustration, and especially early 3D titles had a tendency to have little texture and hyper-simplified environmental art (like all the games with no grass) or too much texture that jumbles together and makes it hard to see what you’re doing (like the original Wipeout). Growing up, I had a Genesis, but I missed out on the SNES and PS1. Actually, I tried out all the systems every chance I could get at our local Toys “R” Us, but all the blocky dithering on the PS1 was super distracting for me, I would have bought an N64 (or Saturn, but I couldn’t afford it) but I ended up waiting till the Dreamcast release because that was the first 3D system that seemed capable of “clean” 3D games that didn’t feel like a downgrade from my Genesis. I was a little kid, but I knew what I liked, and Mario was lame but Sonic was cool 😂 and Sony didn’t even have a mascot. Now that I’m 34, I own an SNES Classic and PS Classic, and tried a few other retro games, and the early 3D games STILL look rough and funky (I’m giving them a try though, I swear!), but the SNES had some true classic gems that surprise me for how gorgeous and iconic they look today, and I also tend to favor the hyper-fluid sprite games in YabaSanshiro for my NVIDIA Shield.
I remember picking up Guardian Heroes at the time I wasn't sure due to it being a 2d game, but once I got home and played I was hooked, remember wasting away weekends playing it from start to finish and changing the story with my choices classic game for the Saturn, I was really surprised to see it show up on the Xbox 360 store and yes I snapped that up right away and do play it from time to time on my Series X, Its a shame no one really plays it online anymore would have been fun to grab some random 6 people and just go to town and see how long you can last, It was also a shame that Sega didn't port more of there Saturn games to the 360 or even now. there is a demand for more Saturn games but Sega sadly isn't the Sega we grew up with.
This was one of the best looking 2D games of the entire generation, if not the best. Still plays great today. I prefer the original over the Xbox 360 port.
Why would you prefer the original over the port? The port has the original version in it untouched with the added bonus of removing the slow down. You simply choose between the original or remix mode in the menu. There's literally no reason to not choose the port unless you just want to use a Saturn controller.
@@diogenesdacynic8656 I'm pretty sure you can still buy it on the Xbox store. It's backwards compatible on Xbox One and Series X. I've played it on both and it plays like a dream.
Own this game on on both Saturn & Xbox 360. You can tell the HD remaster was done w/tlc & holds up very well. It gets rid of the terrible slowdown of the Saturn version too. Well worth picking up & playing online! Add me on Xbox Live & we'll play some Guardian Heroes HD.
Well, with the NVIDIA Shield having the same processor, and the existence of YabaSanshiro, you kinda can get that experience. I do agree though, the switch’s controller support and portability are a bit different, and it does seem like an ideal platform for retro compilations to be commercially released.
I remember 1/1/97 watchin' it on the display of a gameshop with steel harbinger on the psx as well & I loved it's animated intro. I didn't have but a game gear & a mega drive back then & I had bought Aladdin & Vectorman on the MD so I had my hands full, but when I got it in 2000, I couldn't get enough of it's intro, the OST & the gameplay as well !
I didn't care for the scaling aliasing effects - but I'd sure love to see a version with higher resolution to eliminate the aliasing effects ... and just enough blur to avoid harsh "square edge" pixels. The completely updated graphics of the XBox version, though ... I dunno about that look. I still want the original pixel art, just scaled without the original's aliasing artifacts.
You can select the original pixel art style in the 360 version, and it scales nicely across modern Xbox backwards compatibility, including the One X and Series X. I never uninstall it. I personally love to see pixels, but I bet you'd be surprised how good it looks in person.
The pixel graphics look pretty bad scaled on a modern HD TV though. You could go through the trouble of hooking up your 360 to a CRT via composite. Then it looks good. But I prefer to play the original Saturn version for this reason.
this game is my number one favorite Sega Saturn game ever Guardian Heroes is so cool it deserves a Nintendo Switch Port as part of a Treasure Collection
I remember just taking a chance on this game in 1996 not knowing anything about it or even who made it. After giving it its first trys I just starting laughing. "What kind of black magic is this little console capable of?!?!" Insanity in 2D digital form! lol
There weren't many Saturn games that made me jealous as a PSX owner back in the day, but this was for sure one of them. Gunstar Heroes had impressed me more than anything I'd seen on the Genesis, and seeing this one in Gamefan had me wishing I could get at it (there was only one guy I knew well with a Saturn, and he pretty much only played NHL games). It's almost a shame it's as story-centric as it is, as the Japanese version is still within the realm of affordability ( I was able to get it for about $35), while the English versions are in the hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, that would have made me appreciate it much more had I shelled out for it back in the day.
Fantastic video covering probably one of my favorite games of all time! Me, my dad, two younger brothers and our friends put countless hours into this game when it was new. Such a damn classic!
The Arena Mode not only made it one of the few games that gave full use of the Saturn 6 players adaptor but it was the most complete versus mode I remember, allowing to play in teams, choosing the levels of each character and the best of all: Playing with the enemies you defeated, including mobs, flying characters, bosses and even innocent bystanders. Nobody mentioned that one of the final bosses is Golden Silver? The final boss of Gunstar Heroes.
Yeah a bit surprised this review was so lacking on info. I mean he even showed Golden Silver near the end! I think battle arena mode had over 40 characters you could pick. You could even pick the end bosses that all had insane attacks. It was complete mayhem and so so much fun. There is also a colosseum hidden in the forest level near a sign. Once entered you would face continuously harder waves of enemies. It was a great way to level up. though you could also use the cheat codes to go max level :) I also loved the undead soldier that you could control and set to go berserk. There was even a branching path in the game that lets Han get a flaming sword just like it. Always pissed off my friend, as I kept setting him on fire, haha. Ah man such good memories of this game.
I never played this game on Saturn, or even have a Saturn in fact. But I finally bought it for Xbox 360, and man, I love this game! Guardian Heroes is easily one of the best beat 'em ups I've ever played. I've played through it twice so far.
I passed on this game when it was new purely because of the misleading cover art...I didn't even realize it was Treasure. Luckily by 1999 I figured out what I missed and got a copy for $15 before the collector mania took off.
Same here! The cover art did not attract me at all ... Then when I saw it at Montgomery Wards for 20$ I checked out the back and figured it would be a pretty good deal ... The epic opening hooked me, and the story and gameplay kept me going through to check out as many endings as I could on my quest to unlocking all the characters
Guardian heroes is my favorite game of all time, so happy to see the appreciation for it on here. Thanks for showcasing the best game ever made, and for my personal favorite system out of the many ive owned over the yrs.
I agree with the 'saving your character' comment. Sometimes I'll go to the battle arenas, fight a bunch of monsters, just so I could have Randy or Ginjiro at max level magic. Then I can play the rest of the game like I'm some god.
this was probably my favorite saturn game of all time! and yeah the multiplayer gets nuts! i loved picking kanon and just take to the sky and rain fireballs down on everyone.... good times!! shame M2 didn't pick this game for their sega ages line i would've easily forked over 20 for that game to the the M2 overhaul treatment.
I never had a Saturn back in the day so I didn't play this one till years later but man once I did I couldn't put it down. Great review of a great game!
That Fighters of Pain track hits so hard in the beginning of this game. Who ever worked on the music knew what was up. When you dropped out of the window and hear the soldiers salute before the fight, sends chills down your spine.
Oh how I adored Guardian Heroes, could finish it with Ginjirou, played it so many times. Also got it when re-released on the XBox 360. Agree with pretty much everything you said in the review. Now I want to play it again... :(
Remember playing this as a kid many moons ago. Blew my mind all those year's ago. Gripped my love and imagination even till this day. Absolutely great video. Thank you
This game is proof that the industry moved to polygons too early, and that sprites (if used with proper hardware) still had tons to give, even in the CD era.
Awesome review. This game definitely is one of the best on the Saturn. I think SOA didn't have confidence in this title because they wanted to be focused on the competition having games with 3D polygons. And keep in mind, SOA had a much different agenda than SOJ when it came to leadership. The sequel, Advance Guardian Heroes (GBA), released 8 years after this game, was not as stellar. It definitely had the frantic action, and the music on there is a LOT more energetic (progressive house/techno), even though it shares a few songs in this game IIRC. Also, you can level up on there as well after completing a stage. I believe it's only 2 players. The characters from the original game AFAIK make cameo appearances. I'm not 100% sure if they're playable in-game, but they help you along the way after fighting them. If you die, you have a choice to sell your soul to still be active, but whatever you acquired while in Devil mode will be lost within a time limit and you get a Game Over then. Interesting to note, the artist & director of this game went on and did Code of Princess (3DS/Switch/PS4), which shares the EXACT same game mechanics, along with the level-up system after completing a stage, and it has multiple endings.
I feel like it would have been worth mentioning that there are some emulators (YabaSanshiro) and versions of the game (Xbox 360) that run the game without any slowdown at all.
He did mention the 2011 port on XBLA. He also said it was improved and that it can be played on everything from the Xbox 360 all the way up to the Series X. I can confirm this as I purchased it back in 2011 and I own every Xbox including the Series X. It works flawlessly on it (obviously, right). He didn't mention the YabaSanhiro emulator but I think he's trying to stay away from that. I'm thinking about using it myself...is it really as good as they say it is?
@@Sinn0100 It a shame this game is has not been on a Sony console or a Nintendo console yet as those anti-Mircosoft gamers (who missed out when it was on the Sega Saturn) are missing out on an underrated and excellent game.
I'm so glad this game made its way to at least one modern platform! Actually, I would be curious to hear your opinions on both Advance Guardian Heroes and this game's spiritual successor, Code of Princess
I never played Guardian Heroes but Gunstar Heroes & Yu Yu Hakusho for the Genesis were my favorite games of that console. I didn't think too much about Dynamite Headdy & Alien Soldier was amazing but too difficult. Some years ago I finally played Sin & Punishment 2 and I loved it. Fast forward to 2021 and I still don't understand how Treasure didn't become the next Capcom/Konami....their games were stellar, unique and memorable. Does anyone know why they got relegated to handhelds? I'm actually surprised they still exist according to wikipedia. I imagine those who made the company what it was are long gone.
Bad decisions and some unfortunate circumstances have definitely taken a serious toll. The saddest part is they'll never be anything more than what they are now because they've lost all their talent.
I love this game so much I have to make two comments....1. I had no idea the snes japanese game that never came state side was made by treasure. .. and it makes sense because this game was basically built in top of that same idea
It's a great version of Guardian Heroes. One of the upgrades is the ability to skip cutscenes by pressing the back button (whatever the button with two squares is called!) I like to turn the HD filter off, I really like the original sprites!
This game deserved better than to be an exclusive for console that was fatally wounded from the word go. I wanna say there was some kind of sequel released on the GBA. I might be mistaken.
It has been so long since I last played Guardian Heroes (over 2 decades, probably), but I loved that game! (I also loved how you could play the one-on-one mode and even play as enemies in it!) Thanks for showcasing it!
This game is amazing! I rented it along with the Sega Saturn as a kid and it was a gameplay experience like no other. The Beat'em up, and RPG elements come together great. The Fighting game inputs are a great touch. The alternate paths and endings add a lot of replay value.
I played this game to death with my friends back in days. It's one of my favourite game of all times. You could make a video comparing guardian heroes with panzer bandit. Thank you for the video.
Easily on the top10 for the Saturn. My favorite element was the undead NPC which guaranteed that even when you went solo you've got some back up. There was also a more recent spiritual sequel called Code of Princess which ironically also had really bad slow down.
I was surprised how well emulation on the NVIDIA Shield was able to express the gameplay of Saturn games, so that’s definitely worth checking out in the meantime, but it will be cool to see dedicated retro hardware.
This was such a great game and stayed in my Saturn for months. It paved the way for games like Code of Princess and Dragon's Crown. I could play Guardian Heroes all day and not get tired of it.
Guardian Heroes is pinnacle of 2-D insanity on the Sega Saturn and one of the greatest beat em ups of all time. I can't count how many hours me and my nephew logged in on this juggernaut of a game. Treasure mastered and commandeered the Saturn hardware like no other and Guardian Heroes was a towering achievement. 18 animated on screen sprites with little to no slow down was unheard of at the time. To see the kinetic 2-D fighting frenzy with so much action on the screen was and still is mind-blowing. No arcade game from even Capcom or Konami at the time had as many enemy sprites. Everything about GH was superior, the graphics, the action, the gameplay and combos, the music, the story, literally everything. I'm actually quite surprised that Sega Lord mentioned the slow down. The slow down was kept to a minimum. It only appeared when it crammed 20 sprites on screen or a combination of enemies and humongous sprites. The slowdown never detracted from the fun and wasn't in anyway excessive. Guardian Heroes was one of the Saturn's crowning achievements and still stands as the quintessential beat em up action game.
No slow down like Perfect Dark and that game is still 10/10
The sprite pushing insanity of this game is really a testament to the Saturn, even with slowdown. This game and the Dragon Force games would truly be impossible on the PSX.
There was definitely plenty of slowdown, but it was mostly when big destructive spells were going off or lots of sprites on screen; I always just associated the slowdown with being able to actually see what was going on so it made sense to me anyway. It's not like it tanked the actual framerate into oblivion like multiplayer Perfect Dark or something.
Easily my favorite beat-em-up of all time, and one of my favorite games on the Saturn. No words can describe how much I love this gem of a game, and the soundtrack is incredible.
Guardian Heroes was the main reason I got a Sega Saturn back in 1996. I was going to get the Playstation cause of Resident Evil but then I saw the new issue of GameFan at the time which had Guardian Heroes on the cover. I bought the magazine and read about the game and found out it was made by Treasure and with that I change my mind of getting a Playstation and got a Sega Saturn instead.
Same. I actually had already bought a PS1 when FFVII was announced and I saw it in an issue of GameFan, but I played Guardian Heroes for 15 minutes at my local game store and bought a Saturn the next day. Saturn's 1996 line up was incredible. Out of all three consoles, I still love Saturn the most that year.
I still have that magazine !! Game fan magazine was the best I used to be excited every month to go the electronics boutique in the mall and see what game would be on the cover
Game fan wow bringin it back. I wanted a Saturn back then but couldn’t get it. I couldn’t get a PlayStation either but I did have a Genesis and I stumbled across a little gem called Gunstar Heroes. That was my introduction to treasure
My best mate got it and picked up a multi tap...
What a 97 summer we had..
Is it just me or was 97 a fantastic year
@@chrisschone782 I also still have that Guardian Heroes GameFan issue. EGM and GameFan were my 2 favorite gaming magazines back then.
I actually kind of liked the slow down during those hectic times
Kinda helps to emphasize how chaotic it is
It help me to take some snacks.
Same
Right? It’s like bullet time for video games.
As a child, I honestly thought it was intentional. Like slow motion for all the cool shit happening.
Sitting here in the middle of the night...having a few beers...and watching a little Sega Lord X. Things arent so bad...
+1
Done with the beers, and hitting the pen now, but..same lol
@@johndickerdown9225 what's the pen? A way to smoke/vape pot?
@Yeah Right get a life
@@ytgytgy He's not wrong. You just don't want to hear it.
I have the Xbox 360 version, and I love the hell out of it. Made me realize just how much awesome stuff I missed by not having a Saturn back in the day. It still annoys me how few Saturn titles have gotten released elsewhere over the years.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Genesis, but we have enough Genesis ports. Just because a console failed doesn't mean the games are bad. I wish Sega would give us Saturn classics on Switch
@@williamdrum9899 Right? The hardware may have been under supported and marketed, and ultimately a “failure,” but there were over 1000 games for the system (N64 had only 393) and many of those games were seminal works of interactive art! Especially after Sega became a software dev, you’d think they’d find some way to give these games a second life. However, I suppose some developers like Treasure are no longer with us, so some legal barriers and compensation troubles make some games get lost to the sands of time. We’re lucky Guardian Heroes was ported.
@@williamdrum9899and sega dreamcast
loved this game growing up, and was able to purchase it for $40 in like 2007 back when most "retro gaming" wasn't even a popular thing yet. Now retro game pricing is beyond stupid now.
Yep it's really bad all right.
I remember not to long ago (although I guess actually it's been 13-14 years now) when things were not so completely ridiculous. But those times are long gone now.
I pretty much buy most of my stuff second hand or carefully online.
I'm just not willing to pay the prices they're asking. Also emulation is way better.
At least there's reproductions for those that just want to play it.
In 2010 I paid 20 bucks for an N64 (the green DK64 one)
Most people are buying to collect instead of playing.
@@christianpalmer7899
Yep it's become like housing where people buy properties just to speculate on them. It's all about the value not about the actual product itself.
I still remember in 1995, after playing Virtua Cop & Sega Rally, Guardian Heroes launched and I was truly feeling the power of 32bit console from these few games.
Guardian Heroes and Die Hard Arcade are the best beat-em-up games in this generation.
Treasure went above and beyond with Guardian Heroes. Great variety of characters, Street Fighter 2 style special attack inputs, branching story paths, RPG level up elements, 6 player compatible (with the optional adapter), the Undead Warrior, the 99 player trick/glitch, EVERY character you encounter is unlockable for battle mode and Nando the flaming bunny.
This game was epic.
This game and Darkstalkers are the two reasons I bought my Sega Saturn. Many amazing memories spending hours with my friends on the branching paths.
Did you also buy Saturn Bomberman? Saturn Bomberman is best known for its multiplayer functionality for up to ten players. The game was acclaimed for its enjoyable gameplay and multiplayer, though some felt it didn't advance the series as much as earlier installments.
@@ChrisWoollett my friends and I loved Bomberman so much we designed it to be the mascot of my graduating class in high school in 1998. I was really surprised the student body voted for our design. Although the biggest reason was likely that my high school received 32 bomb threats that year, and the slogan was “Class of 98 ready to evacuate!” 😂 (Google overbrook pine hill bomb scare 1998 and you’ll find articles about it lol).
One of the greatest games of all time!
Seriously?
@@mxggo9046 very serious
I agree 💯. Guardian Heroes was a monster of an achievement. This was the quintessential beat em on the Saturn that made up for the absence of a 32-bit Streets of Rage.
Agreed!! One of the greatest!!
Probably my favourite Saturn game ever. It's the only one I go back to on emulators (as I sold my Saturn ages ago). My best friend and I used to play this for hours back in the day.
I love your channel man. I grew up a Nintendo kid and missed out on a lot of Sega gems. Ive learned so much from watching your channel, thank you.
I remember ditching my college class to pick up this game at Electronic Boutique. What sweet joy Guardian Heroes was to play. One of the best Saturn games that was ever released. A true Jem!!!
And here I am in 2022 just got this game and SO READY to experience it. Hey, better late than never as they say right?
Based
Love Guardian Heroes, one of the more unique Saturn games.
I learned how to read playing this with my mom back in like 97-98! We thought the slowdown was slo-mo so it added to the experience for us lmao
My brothers and I spent countless hours on this game. Leveling up. Discovering new stories and unlocking characters. This just wasn''t one of the best games on the Saturn but of it's console generation.
I'd never knew this game existed till I found about it in Uncle from Another World.
Lol I watching that anime now I'm like he talking about all these games let me see
That green issue of Gamefan cemented my want for the Sega Saturn. That GH preview captured my imagination like nothing else before. I already owned a Playstation since that previous Christmas but as a Genesis owner during the 16-bit era, I was quite aware of what Treasure was capable of and couldn't wait to dig in!! I kept re-reading the article, stared at the screen captures, and drew the characters. I still have the issue (amongst 20+ others), and is quite beat up as a result.
That next summer, I bought a Saturn, a second controller, and Guardian Heroes! To this day, it was the best gaming decision I ever made!!
I dreamt of a sequel for years and then Treasure dropped it on the GBA. While I liked it immensely, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by the super cheap A.I. which made me put the game down several times. I still want that true sequel that this original outing truly deserves!
I bought this game on day release - and up until 2 years ago, still owned it. But I sold it to fuel / feed my alcoholism. Seeing this video upsets me because I love this game so much.
However, I am now 5 months & 26 days sober and in the process of buying a copy again. The £100+ price tag is worth every bit of epic gameplay, transparency splendour and saxophone musical score.
Can't wait 👌
Good for you friend. Stay strong 😊
@@williamdrum9899 cheers fella 👍
@kevin weinz cheers mate
How's it going, friend?
Great review and beautiful game! This is the best Sega review and informational TH-cam channel. Hopefully soon you will reach 100,000 subscribers. You deserve it! Thank you for your hard work SLX!
I wish SEGA AGES ported this to Switch.
I got it on the Xbox One X. I'm very happy
@@curtiswilson4737 I have a fullHD Tv at home, I havent bought one of the last gen consoles because I dont really want to upgrade the TV to 4K. I will, eventually, when the slim consoles released and there are enough interesting new games to justify the purchase.
You and me both.
@@starpier You don’t need a 4K tv to play or take advantage of the Xbox One X. Hell, all you need is an Xbox 360 to play the HD remaster.
WHY WASN'T IT 1ST PLACE?!?!?!?!
Guardian Heroes is great. Such a classic. My brother's friend brought it over and let us borrow it. I remember playing through it so many times to try to get all the endings. Such a classic.
Holy shit someone grab the Welches! Because this game is my jam! Not only is this my favorite Saturn game but this was also the first 32 bit game I ever played. I remember being completely blown away watching the opening cut scene.
Uncle from another world brought me here. I see why he loved it
This is such a crazy coincidence, I just finally got my back up of “Guardian Heroes” running and began playing the game for the first time ever tonight. I go to take a break and see SLX’s review for it! I definitely enjoyed what little bit I’ve played and so far it is living up to all the hype! (However, I did try the GBA title “Guardian Heroes Advance” and have never liked or been able to get into that game.).
Guardian Heroes is my most played game on the SS, hundreds of hours, lovely hours.
@Vava85. I think I'm in the same category. I can't count how many times I played this. It was especially fun with 2 players. GH was an absolute beast of a game. Coincidentally, I logged in similar hours on another Treasure Saturn game. That was the spectacular Radiant Silvergun. But GH is one of the greatest games of all time.
Treasure! Alien Soldier and Gunstar Heroes are so impressive for MD games. Their Saturn games are excellent too. The Xbox remake looks very nice, not pixedllated, more fluidity, no slowdown, just what the saturn version missed. Thanks.
One of my absolute, all time favorites. I played it for 15 minutes in my local game store and bought a Saturn the next day. What a summer 1996 was. Love that I can still play it on Series X at least.
Had this for my saturn back in the day, have it on my 360...love it
This is the game I got when I bought my Sega Saturn in 97 and I still cherish it.
Man Treasure was an awesome developer. I remember getting this on xbox online during the 360 days. Never knew it was from treasure and was a saturn port.
This is one of my favorite Saturn games. Gunstar Heroes was probably my favorite Genesis games. The music in both games was phenomenal. My one gripe with the Xbox version is the intro is missing.
You can still watch it in the Gallery/Bonus section, but I wish it would play automatically. Also, it has the Japanese dialogue in it. Press the X button for full screen!
@@ShinobiWan1 Thank you for the heads up! I can finally see it again.
The Elementalist dude's familiar attacking in time with him and getting hit by his magic is cracking me UP. That, and his Guile-like gait when not attacking.
This game looks like so much fun! Thanks for the retrospective!
I didn't know guardian heroes was TREASURE. I am super excited to dive into this game now. I had no idea it was this complex with al the special moves and 6 characters and 6 endings and paths to choose. I tested it a couple minutes on my MODE Saturnn just to see what it looked like, and was gona go back to it later. now I am gona put some serious time into this one and study the special moves and all that first.
One of my favorite Saturn games. In fact I bought a used Saturn for this game and Dragon Force.
I remember being a laughing stock among gaming buddies for my genuine excitement for this game at launch. I didn't even own a Sega Saturn. 3D was the way forward for everyone I knew. I still prefer 2D sprite work and artwork done right. Guardian Heroes is a great game that has more worth from the sum of its parts than being simply amazing. This is one you can go back to and have a different experience every time.
3D graphics broke barriers and allowed new freedoms, but I agree, 2D games will always have a unique appeal. 2D games by the mid-90’s had figured out the perfect pace of action density and intuitive gameplay, and reached a “classic look” that ages well, while 3D games often had “too much freedom” with enemies widely spaced out, platforming was an imprecise chore of frustration, and especially early 3D titles had a tendency to have little texture and hyper-simplified environmental art (like all the games with no grass) or too much texture that jumbles together and makes it hard to see what you’re doing (like the original Wipeout).
Growing up, I had a Genesis, but I missed out on the SNES and PS1. Actually, I tried out all the systems every chance I could get at our local Toys “R” Us, but all the blocky dithering on the PS1 was super distracting for me, I would have bought an N64 (or Saturn, but I couldn’t afford it) but I ended up waiting till the Dreamcast release because that was the first 3D system that seemed capable of “clean” 3D games that didn’t feel like a downgrade from my Genesis. I was a little kid, but I knew what I liked, and Mario was lame but Sonic was cool 😂 and Sony didn’t even have a mascot. Now that I’m 34, I own an SNES Classic and PS Classic, and tried a few other retro games, and the early 3D games STILL look rough and funky (I’m giving them a try though, I swear!), but the SNES had some true classic gems that surprise me for how gorgeous and iconic they look today, and I also tend to favor the hyper-fluid sprite games in YabaSanshiro for my NVIDIA Shield.
I remember picking up Guardian Heroes at the time I wasn't sure due to it being a 2d game, but once I got home and played I was hooked, remember wasting away weekends playing it from start to finish and changing the story with my choices classic game for the Saturn, I was really surprised to see it show up on the Xbox 360 store and yes I snapped that up right away and do play it from time to time on my Series X, Its a shame no one really plays it online anymore would have been fun to grab some random 6 people and just go to town and see how long you can last, It was also a shame that Sega didn't port more of there Saturn games to the 360 or even now. there is a demand for more Saturn games but Sega sadly isn't the Sega we grew up with.
You might’ve found a few more people playing online right after Sega Lord X’s video
This was one of the best looking 2D games of the entire generation, if not the best.
Still plays great today. I prefer the original over the Xbox 360 port.
Theres a port?! When the fuck did this happen, and how did i not here about it?!
@@diogenesdacynic8656 Years ago. But the graphics of the original is superior IMO.
Why would you prefer the original over the port? The port has the original version in it untouched with the added bonus of removing the slow down. You simply choose between the original or remix mode in the menu. There's literally no reason to not choose the port unless you just want to use a Saturn controller.
@@diogenesdacynic8656
I'm pretty sure you can still buy it on the Xbox store. It's backwards compatible on Xbox One and Series X. I've played it on both and it plays like a dream.
@@SeanUCF Because the upscaling is garbage and I'd rather play on a CRT
Own this game on on both Saturn & Xbox 360. You can tell the HD remaster was done w/tlc & holds up very well. It gets rid of the terrible slowdown of the Saturn version too. Well worth picking up & playing online!
Add me on Xbox Live & we'll play some Guardian Heroes HD.
Got this as an 8yr old kid in the u.k in 98 and honestly this game always stood out.sound track was good too.
I'm surprised that they hadn't released a "treasure"box collection for the switch
Well, with the NVIDIA Shield having the same processor, and the existence of YabaSanshiro, you kinda can get that experience. I do agree though, the switch’s controller support and portability are a bit different, and it does seem like an ideal platform for retro compilations to be commercially released.
I bought a Saturn and guardian heroes at a high price. Its worth every penny.
I remember 1/1/97 watchin' it on the display of a gameshop with steel harbinger on the psx as well & I loved it's animated intro. I didn't have but a game gear & a mega drive back then & I had bought Aladdin & Vectorman on the MD so I had my hands full, but when I got it in 2000, I couldn't get enough of it's intro, the OST & the gameplay as well !
I didn't care for the scaling aliasing effects - but I'd sure love to see a version with higher resolution to eliminate the aliasing effects ... and just enough blur to avoid harsh "square edge" pixels. The completely updated graphics of the XBox version, though ... I dunno about that look. I still want the original pixel art, just scaled without the original's aliasing artifacts.
You can select the original pixel art style in the 360 version, and it scales nicely across modern Xbox backwards compatibility, including the One X and Series X. I never uninstall it. I personally love to see pixels, but I bet you'd be surprised how good it looks in person.
@@SotNist Oh, nice! Thanks for the info!
The pixel graphics look pretty bad scaled on a modern HD TV though. You could go through the trouble of hooking up your 360 to a CRT via composite. Then it looks good.
But I prefer to play the original Saturn version for this reason.
@@SotNist does it have the same life bar as the Saturn on the xbox consoles in regular mode?
@@maroon9273 no, they're bordered. But the playfield and sprites are the same. The Engish translation is also greatly improved.
I never had a saturn so I played this one xbox and I loved it!awesome video and review SLX!
Seriously one of the best channels on TH-cam, you are doing an AMAZING job Sega Lord.
Treasure have such a wide catalogue...
Absolutely loved GH. Sadly never owned it. Just borrowed it...
this game is my number one favorite Sega Saturn game ever Guardian Heroes is so cool it deserves a Nintendo Switch Port as part of a Treasure Collection
As a PSX boy I never left I was missing out on what sega had to offer.
Untill I played this of course and immediately started saving up for a Saturn.
I remember just taking a chance on this game in 1996 not knowing anything about it or even who made it. After giving it its first trys I just starting laughing. "What kind of black magic is this little console capable of?!?!" Insanity in 2D digital form! lol
I freaking love this game. Me and my brother back in the day spend hours playing this game unlocking different paths and characters to play.
There weren't many Saturn games that made me jealous as a PSX owner back in the day, but this was for sure one of them. Gunstar Heroes had impressed me more than anything I'd seen on the Genesis, and seeing this one in Gamefan had me wishing I could get at it (there was only one guy I knew well with a Saturn, and he pretty much only played NHL games). It's almost a shame it's as story-centric as it is, as the Japanese version is still within the realm of affordability ( I was able to get it for about $35), while the English versions are in the hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, that would have made me appreciate it much more had I shelled out for it back in the day.
I really enjoy the company history you always give before jumping into the reviews on here.
Makes for a really nice set up!
Fantastic video covering probably one of my favorite games of all time! Me, my dad, two younger brothers and our friends put countless hours into this game when it was new. Such a damn classic!
The Arena Mode not only made it one of the few games that gave full use of the Saturn 6 players adaptor but it was the most complete versus mode I remember, allowing to play in teams, choosing the levels of each character and the best of all: Playing with the enemies you defeated, including mobs, flying characters, bosses and even innocent bystanders.
Nobody mentioned that one of the final bosses is Golden Silver? The final boss of Gunstar Heroes.
Yeah a bit surprised this review was so lacking on info. I mean he even showed Golden Silver near the end!
I think battle arena mode had over 40 characters you could pick. You could even pick the end bosses that all had insane attacks. It was complete mayhem and so so much fun. There is also a colosseum hidden in the forest level near a sign. Once entered you would face continuously harder waves of enemies. It was a great way to level up. though you could also use the cheat codes to go max level :) I also loved the undead soldier that you could control and set to go berserk. There was even a branching path in the game that lets Han get a flaming sword just like it. Always pissed off my friend, as I kept setting him on fire, haha. Ah man such good memories of this game.
I never played this game on Saturn, or even have a Saturn in fact. But I finally bought it for Xbox 360, and man, I love this game! Guardian Heroes is easily one of the best beat 'em ups I've ever played. I've played through it twice so far.
Love these new types of videos from you. More Saturn games please!!
I needed to find out what UNCLE from ANOTHER WORLD was ranting about.
So glad you did a video on this, been replaying it recently on the Xbox and was hoping you had. Keep up the good work man!
I passed on this game when it was new purely because of the misleading cover art...I didn't even realize it was Treasure. Luckily by 1999 I figured out what I missed and got a copy for $15 before the collector mania took off.
🍀 lucky.
Same here! The cover art did not attract me at all ... Then when I saw it at Montgomery Wards for 20$ I checked out the back and figured it would be a pretty good deal ... The epic opening hooked me, and the story and gameplay kept me going through to check out as many endings as I could on my quest to unlocking all the characters
Guardian heroes is my favorite game of all time, so happy to see the appreciation for it on here. Thanks for showcasing the best game ever made, and for my personal favorite system out of the many ive owned over the yrs.
A definite classic and my favorite game on the Saturn! I had no idea there was an XBLA version. How the hell did I miss that!
I agree with the 'saving your character' comment. Sometimes I'll go to the battle arenas, fight a bunch of monsters, just so I could have Randy or Ginjiro at max level magic. Then I can play the rest of the game like I'm some god.
this was probably my favorite saturn game of all time! and yeah the multiplayer gets nuts! i loved picking kanon and just take to the sky and rain fireballs down on everyone.... good times!! shame M2 didn't pick this game for their sega ages line i would've easily forked over 20 for that game to the the M2 overhaul treatment.
I never had a Saturn back in the day so I didn't play this one till years later but man once I did I couldn't put it down. Great review of a great game!
That Fighters of Pain track hits so hard in the beginning of this game. Who ever worked on the music knew what was up. When you dropped out of the window and hear the soldiers salute before the fight, sends chills down your spine.
Oh how I adored Guardian Heroes, could finish it with Ginjirou, played it so many times. Also got it when re-released on the XBox 360. Agree with pretty much everything you said in the review.
Now I want to play it again... :(
Isekai Ojisan brought me here. Let's see what's this all about
My uncle's favorite
Remember playing this as a kid many moons ago. Blew my mind all those year's ago. Gripped my love and imagination even till this day.
Absolutely great video. Thank you
This game is proof that the industry moved to polygons too early, and that sprites (if used with proper hardware) still had tons to give, even in the CD era.
love this game I have the Japanese import and the us version my friends and I played the crap out of it we would juggle enemies for over 100 combos
Awesome review. This game definitely is one of the best on the Saturn. I think SOA didn't have confidence in this title because they wanted to be focused on the competition having games with 3D polygons. And keep in mind, SOA had a much different agenda than SOJ when it came to leadership.
The sequel, Advance Guardian Heroes (GBA), released 8 years after this game, was not as stellar. It definitely had the frantic action, and the music on there is a LOT more energetic (progressive house/techno), even though it shares a few songs in this game IIRC. Also, you can level up on there as well after completing a stage. I believe it's only 2 players. The characters from the original game AFAIK make cameo appearances. I'm not 100% sure if they're playable in-game, but they help you along the way after fighting them. If you die, you have a choice to sell your soul to still be active, but whatever you acquired while in Devil mode will be lost within a time limit and you get a Game Over then.
Interesting to note, the artist & director of this game went on and did Code of Princess (3DS/Switch/PS4), which shares the EXACT same game mechanics, along with the level-up system after completing a stage, and it has multiple endings.
I feel like it would have been worth mentioning that there are some emulators (YabaSanshiro) and versions of the game (Xbox 360) that run the game without any slowdown at all.
He did mention the 2011 port on XBLA. He also said it was improved and that it can be played on everything from the Xbox 360 all the way up to the Series X. I can confirm this as I purchased it back in 2011 and I own every Xbox including the Series X. It works flawlessly on it (obviously, right). He didn't mention the YabaSanhiro emulator but I think he's trying to stay away from that. I'm thinking about using it myself...is it really as good as they say it is?
@@Sinn0100 It a shame this game is has not been on a Sony console or a Nintendo console yet as those anti-Mircosoft gamers (who missed out when it was on the Sega Saturn) are missing out on an underrated and excellent game.
I'm so glad this game made its way to at least one modern platform!
Actually, I would be curious to hear your opinions on both Advance Guardian Heroes and this game's spiritual successor, Code of Princess
Guardian Heroes?Yeah!!!One of the best in my Xbox library.But never...I never forget Saturn version impression in my puberty.
This was one of the most memorable games that we played back in the day on the Saturn.
I never played Guardian Heroes but Gunstar Heroes & Yu Yu Hakusho for the Genesis were my favorite games of that console. I didn't think too much about Dynamite Headdy & Alien Soldier was amazing but too difficult. Some years ago I finally played Sin & Punishment 2 and I loved it.
Fast forward to 2021 and I still don't understand how Treasure didn't become the next Capcom/Konami....their games were stellar, unique and memorable. Does anyone know why they got relegated to handhelds? I'm actually surprised they still exist according to wikipedia. I imagine those who made the company what it was are long gone.
Bad decisions and some unfortunate
circumstances have definitely taken a serious toll. The saddest part is they'll never be anything more than what they are now because they've lost all their talent.
Even their tiny toon handheld game was superb, I remember being pleasantly surprised by it
I love this game so much I have to make two comments....1. I had no idea the snes japanese game that never came state side was made by treasure. .. and it makes sense because this game was basically built in top of that same idea
I wish Treasure was still around. They never made a bad game imo.
Love what we got, shame it had to end 🤷🏼♂️
I have this on my Xbox One. Haven’t gotten around to playing it yet, but maybe it’s finally time!
Maybe it is.
It's a great version of Guardian Heroes. One of the upgrades is the ability to skip cutscenes by pressing the back button (whatever the button with two squares is called!) I like to turn the HD filter off, I really like the original sprites!
@@ShinobiWan1 Awesome! I think I might finally fire it up this weekend. I love all the classic SEGA games that are available on Xbox.
This game deserved better than to be an exclusive for console that was fatally wounded from the word go. I wanna say there was some kind of sequel released on the GBA. I might be mistaken.
I have the gba game so your not mistaken.
Before the video starts I'm here to say this is one of my favourite games of all time... Now you may continue
GH was such a bad ass game. It was one of my all time favorite games not just on Saturn.
@King Charles. I agree 💯. GH is on the all-time Greatest List regardless of systems.
Getting 100 hit combos
Aaaaahhhh wonderful
It has been so long since I last played Guardian Heroes (over 2 decades, probably), but I loved that game! (I also loved how you could play the one-on-one mode and even play as enemies in it!) Thanks for showcasing it!
SLX! excellent game, thanks for the memories.
will you do one on Hi-Octane, Diehard Trilogy and/or Dark Savior?
This game is amazing! I rented it along with the Sega Saturn as a kid and it was a gameplay experience like no other.
The Beat'em up, and RPG elements come together great. The Fighting game inputs are a great touch.
The alternate paths and endings add a lot of replay value.
As I watch this video I have another tab open refreshing ebay listings for Guardian Heroes and watching the viewcounts climb ;)
Good luck, guys!
I played this game to death with my friends back in days. It's one of my favourite game of all times. You could make a video comparing guardian heroes with panzer bandit.
Thank you for the video.
i search this because of isekai ojisan. i dont have saga when i was a young so i miss all these gem
Easily on the top10 for the Saturn. My favorite element was the undead NPC which guaranteed that even when you went solo you've got some back up.
There was also a more recent spiritual sequel called Code of Princess which ironically also had really bad slow down.
Uncle from another world sent me here
should've been number 1
@@poppers7317 agreed
😂
Guardian Heroes is a great game! It sucks the HD version never got a physical release!
I can't help but wonder if the switch might change that someday.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Hopefully, just like I hope Radiant Silvergun comes to Switch and PS4!
@@entertainmentwizard2703 even the ps5 and x series.
@@maroon9273 Yep, though technically those games are backwards compatible on Xbox Series X but only digitally but hopefully that changes!
It's games like this where I pray that Sergey Dvodnenko's MiSTer FPGA core will be a success.
I'm definitely interested.
I'm sure it will be. Might get one soon.
I was surprised how well emulation on the NVIDIA Shield was able to express the gameplay of Saturn games, so that’s definitely worth checking out in the meantime, but it will be cool to see dedicated retro hardware.
lol got curious about the game from isekai ojisan. great content
Treasure were a superb dev company. They knew how to squeeze every facet from that black beast. Always made solid games fkr the mega drive.
Another Saturn banger. Imagine a remake or remaster of this gem on the Xbox. They don’t make em like this anymore
They did release an updated version on Xbox live arcade,I remember getting it during the 360 era
This was such a great game and stayed in my Saturn for months. It paved the way for games like Code of Princess and Dragon's Crown. I could play Guardian Heroes all day and not get tired of it.