8-Colors Star Guardians + – Review

Ah, the universe of indie games! There is certainly no denying the impact it has had on the gaming field for over a decade. Like a window of varied and infinite possibilities that opens whenever you want to detach yourself from them AAA which, although well made, sometimes give the impression of being cookie-cutter in order not to risk huge losses of money in case a title doesn't come out as well as one would like, especially considering the exorbitant budgets that the major IPs have nowadays, counting millions and millions of dollars as if they were blockbuster films. And this is why indies are so stimulating: they don't have who knows what budgets — often being financed solely and exclusively through donations from Kickstarter and similar — and they sure don't have a whole team of developers working on it. Indeed, very often some of the most famous indies were created by individual developers who took many resources and several years of time to arrive at a successful game that entered the annuals, such as the multifaceted Toby Fox, the stubborn and controversial Scott Cawthon or the most pleasant Eric “Concerned Ape” Barone.

There are so many indie games, for all tastes: from the most disturbing and controversial horror games to the most imaginative role-playing games (which more often than not refer stylistically to Earthbound) and many, many, many metroidvania And roguelike of various types. But without a doubt it is also a thriving field for a series of purely humorous and/or parodic games, which more often than not touch on many gameplay aspects and narrative tropes of some of the best and most famous video games in history in a comical way. , and not only! There are even games that parody certain television series and even board games! And one thing you can notice is that there are several games of this genre that have been developed on the Italian sound. Just think for example of the very creative and successful tERRORbaneor to the hilarious and irreverent epic of Doom & Destiny. And among these local developers we also find Andrea Demetrioa solitary developer who, alone, has created a simple game in both graphics and gameplay that squints so many of those eyes at so many of those things that it risks a tic, that is, the game we will talk about today: the very recent 8-Colors Star Guardians +an expanded and corrected commercial version of its original and free title that adds several arcade modes and a brand new story chapter that better expands the lore and characters.

First of all we need to make a small clarification: despite the name, this game has nothing to do with the alternative aspects of magical girls created by Riot Games for some characters of his historic MOBA League of Legends. We will, yes, have a small group of heroines fighting evil, but no little dresses with bows, gloves and fluttering skirts! These girls are a real gravy team super feltcomplete with helmets and colorful spandex onesies and a theme song that heavily recalls the now immortal and catchy theme song of the historians Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!

Our five heroines are, in order: Rhea the red ranger who is both fiery but shy and romantic (with a strong predilection for certain alien princesses…), Bree the blue one who, despite being a yoga teacher, is anything but calm and calm, given that she is a violent arsonist, June the masculine yellow ranger who works as a masseuse and is a bit like the big sister of the group, Lua the occult-loving and slightly ditzy rose with pigtails that compete with Usagi Tsukino and the enigmatic but cute Alien Princess Come on (Vee for friends) with his green onesie. These five not-so-spotless but certainly fearless heroines are the only bulwark that remains between the salvation of the Earth and a series of monsters dedicated to bringing chaos and destruction. But what brought them here to us? And what prompted it See to ask our girls for help? What power does the little green-haired princess hide? And what happens when an evil space overlord is punished by having to work in a fast food restaurant earning minimum wage? These are just some of the questions that will be answered in this wacky story!

Super fighting rangers!

So… how to describe the gameplay of this one in layman's terms 8-Colors Star Guardians +? I think the most accurate description one could think of (especially regarding the first chapter and the standard arcade mode) is this question in particular: “What would happen if you took the classic formula of any game in the Mega Man series and transplanted it into a turn-based RPG?”. Because in short, that's exactly what it is! Who has ever played any game in the classic series or X of the home Blue Bomber CAPCOM knows well what it's about, but for those who have never touched these series (shame! And don't come and complain that they are old and unrecoverable games, given that there are Legacy Collection on purpose!), just know that you start with a screen in which you can select, in the order you prefer, one of the eight bosses available to fighteach of which, once defeated, will release some weapon that will prove to be the weak point of another of the selectable bosses, thus showing that there is actually a very specific order in which it would be better to defeat the bosses to have a greater chance of victory .

The substantial difference here is completely in the game genre. While Mega Man is a side-scrolling platformer, in which you go through intricate and difficult levels before you can reach the even more infernal boss, 8-Colors it's a real boss rush in which you face enemies like in the most classic turn-based RPGs, using your skills to bring the enemy's hit points to zero. Unlike a Mega Manhowever, where facing the bosses not in the order established by the weaknesses is yes, difficult, but still doable if you have good reflexes and lots and lots of patience, fighting the monsters in an order different from that dictated by the weaknesses is practically impossible, considering the fixed HP of the squinzies and the huge SP consumption of their (initially few) skills. Going to fight any enemy without having the right move set is equivalent to suicide. Thank goodness, unlike anyone else Mega Man, the game is so generous that, in the event of the party's defeat or strategic retreat, it will provide, through hilarious dialogues between our heroines, a vital clue to understand which type of attack to exploit to hit the weaknesses of the enemy in question and which three out of five girls bring into battle to get the best outcome. Things change in the second chapter of the story, where all five Star Guardians they will be deployed on the field to fight enhanced versions of the bosses already faced in the first chapter (at least most of the time).

Nostalgia, take me away!

As you can also see from the screenshots, 8-Colors Star Guardians + makes retro simplicity its strong point. Using (as per the title, among other things) only eight colors in all and sprites with simple but at the same time effective animations, the good Andrea managed to recreate an aesthetic similar to that of the archaic console video games of the 70s, especially when it comes to enemy design. A small mention should be given to the animations of the Guardians' techniques, which often take advantage of mini cut-ins that show them approaching the camera while charging their shots, as well as the acrobatics they do when using their attacks which, combined with their very funny animations “ballet” style when they stand still, they make the context even more pleasant super felt of the game.

Even the sound department does its duty, with that now unforgettable crackling audio typical of games from times gone by, and the main theme that plays during battles and which has been rearranged for the selection of stages, although omnipresent, never gets boring… after all, it is an alternative and “copyright-proof” version of Go Go Power Rangers, one of those historical acronyms that remains catchy even after hearing it over and over again for years! This isn't to say that there aren't other themes that aren't ringing in some of the plot's highlights, especially in Chapter 2.

Who do we recommend 8-Colors Star Guardians+ to?

I recommend this title mainly to those looking for something that doesn't take itself seriously at all, who love to joke about the typical tropes of the series super sentai and/or magical girl fighters, perhaps also because he wanted more after playing that other excellent indie parody that it is Chroma Squad. Even those who grew up with old video games of the past and with certain series from the 90s will have something to do with them. Furthermore, I can only recommend it to lovers of turn-based games who want to test themselves, given that it has some nice difficult moments that will require patience and strategy. You may find the story mode too short, but the arcade modes and extras to unlock (such as alternate costumes for the five heroines) can keep those who want more occupied. However, we must warn you of one thing: curiously, although the game was programmed by an Italian developer, the local language is completely absent. Not that the English text is too complicated, but it could still discourage those who hoped to be able to enjoy an original text in our language as with other titles of the genre.