The Guardian Legend

The Good
Sub weapons! They are so interesting to try each one and see their upgrades. The SHMUP sections are great and intense, and the breaks between them in adventure exploration works perfect. The visual style is quite unique. Gameplay is great!

The Bad
Weapons disbalance. Some weapons feel overpowered and some kinda weak compare to others. Some bosses are too weak. And some harder bosses placed earlier than they should.

The Bottom Line
The game design in 1988 wasn't that polished as today. So the cons are quite typical to any game of that time. Think Contra or Castlevania or Megaman and many others, they have the same issues with weapons and bosses. So this game is pure 10/10 for its year. It has mysterious unique vibe, very well delivered genre split, great gameplay.