History VideoGame / TheGuardianLegend

* DiskOneNuke: The Fireball Level 1. It is very early to retrieve this weapon after completing the first corridor and an easy sub-boss. This weapon, while not dependent on gunpower, is powerful enough to defeat sub-bosses and mini-bosses in less than 5 shots and can get you out of a jam against a barrage of enemies and small projectiles common in the earlier levels. This Level 1 weapon will get you through the game until Areas 5 and 6 are open, where weapon upgrades are available.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Level 3 [[HomingProjectile Area Blaster]], also known as the Seeker weapon. It launches two extremely fast homing missiles that do very good damage and can clear out powerful projectiles like the Optomon's strings, but uses up a whopping ''120'' chips per second at level 3, which is roughly four times more than most other weapons. By the time you get this after Corridor 9, you are already at the end of the game and it might only be used in some the remaining sub-bosses, and maybe some parts of Corridor 20 and 10 where enemy spam gets ridiculous. Even when collecting the final gunpower upgrade at Corridor 20 in which this weapon's damage is dependent on, it is still inefficient and other Level 3 Weapons that also depend on the final gunpower are more efficient to use.

* DiskOneNuke: The Fireball Level 1. It is very early to retrieve this weapon after completing the first corridor and an easy sub-boss. This weapon, while not dependent on gunpower, is powerful enough to defeat sub-bosses and mini-bosses in less than 5 shots and can get you out of a jam against a barrage of enemies and small projectiles common in the earlier levels. This Level 1 weapon will get you through the game until Levels 5 and 6 are open, where weapon upgrades are available.

* DiskOneNuke: The Fireball Level 1. It is very early to retrieve this weapon after completing the first corridor and an easy sub-boss. This weapon, while not dependent on gunpower, is powerful enough to defeat sub-bosses and mini-bosses in less than 5 shots and can get you out of a jam against a barrage of enemies and small projectiles common in the earlier levels. This Level 1 weapon is recommended to use up until you start getting

** The Fireball weapon can be hard to use due to being a PainfullySlowProjectile. While it is extremely slow at Level 1, it has a fixed damage rate not dependent on gunpower, but it does massive damage and damage disperses per time. Level 1 is powerful enough to defeat bosses in 2-4 shots. When it reaches Level 2, it is slightly faster, but does double damage, can clear out all projectiles and most enemies, and it is bigger in size.
*** Semi-averted when it reaches to Level 3. While it retains the same size as Level 2, does 1.3x damage than the Level 2, goes very fast in speed. What makes this harder to use is that you can quickly run out of chips if you spam recklessly without paying attention to your chips.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Level 3 [[HomingProjectile Area Blaster]], also known as the Seeker weapon. It launches two extremely fast homing missiles that do very good damage and can clear out powerful projectiles like the Optomon's strings, but uses up a whopping ''120'' chips per second at level 3, which is roughly four times more than most other weapons. By the time you get this after Corridor 9, you are already at the end of the game and it might only be used in some the remaining sub-bosses, and maybe some parts of Corridor 20 and 10 where enemy spam gets ridiculous. The problem is, other weapons do the same job, but more efficient. Because the damage is dependent on how many Gunpower you have, you won't be able to see its true power until completing Corridor 20 for the final Gunpower upgrade.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Level 3 [[HomingProjectile Area Blaster]], also known as the Seeker weapon. It launches two extremely fast homing missiles that do very good damage and can clear out powerful projectiles like the Optomon's strings, but uses up a whopping ''120'' chips per second at level 3, which is roughly four times more than most other weapons. By the time you get this after Corridor 9, you are already at the end of the game and it might only be used in some the remaining sub-bosses, and maybe some parts of Corridor 20 and 10 where enemy spam gets ridiculous. The problem is, other weapons do the same job, but more efficient.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: Especially considering the Japanese name of the game, ''Guardic Gaiden''. Aside from the addition of the labyrinth region, the other major difference between this game and its predecessor ''Guardic'' is that this game actually has a story. With this in mind, the name takes on two meanings. It is telling the legend of the Earth's guardian, and it is also a version of Guardic that actually has a legend to tell.

%% * BreastPlate: Perhaps justified, as the Guardian's main defense is a personal nigh-invisible [[DeflectorShields force field]].

%% * CoresAndTurretsBoss: The very first boss of the game, as well as [[ExtraEyes two of the organic corridor bosses]].

%% * {{Cyclops}}: You can see a few of these in the game, but Fleepa and Optomon are the most glaring examples. (Puns fully intended.)
%% * DeadManWriting: When you first enter the labyrinth.

%% * ExtraEyes: Grimgrin. Eyegore too, but he ain't nearly half as tough as Grimgrin...
%% * EyeBeams: Optomon likes this one a lot.
%% * EyeScream: Inevitable, given the number of eyeball-related enemies. [=GrimGrin=] even TurnsRed and turns up the number of objects it spits at you once you've punched out its main eyeball.

%% * GreenHillZone: Area 0, which is also the HubLevel and the NoobCave.

%% * KillItWithFire: The Fireball weapon. [[InfinityPlusOneSword Especially at max level, when it can cause massive damage AND destroy normally un-destroyable enemy projectiles]].

* LastChanceHitPoint: You will not die when your shields drop to zero. The next hit will destroy you, though.

%% * TheMaze: The Labyrinth is this.

%% * RecurringTraveler: The Big Blue Lander shopkeeper.

%% * SiliconBasedLife: Some of the enemies, particularly in the Crystal region.

%% * TeleportSpam: Bombardier and Teramute love to do this, as do some of the mini-bosses.
%% * TurnsRed: Clawbot, Grimgrin (who also ShowsDamage), and the FinalBoss (who ''literally'' turns red).

%% * WaitingPuzzle: How the seal for door three is opened, and provides the page quote for that trope.

** Semi-averted when it reaches to Level 3. While it retains the same size as Level 2, does 1.3x damage than the Level 2, goes very fast in speed. What makes this harder to use is that you can quickly run out of chips if you spam recklessly without paying attention to your chips.

* BonusDungeon: Corridors 11-20 are not actually necessary to complete the game; corridors 1-10 are the ones that give you keys and are required to open the final corridor 21. That said, the bonus items you get for completing the other 10 corridors will definitely help.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The [[HomingProjectile Area Blaster]], also known as the Seeker weapon. It launches two extremely fast homing missiles that do very good damage and can clear out powerful projectiles like the Optomon's strings, but uses up a whopping ''120'' chips per second at level 3, which is roughly four times more than most other weapons.

** The Fireball weapon can be hard to use due to being a PainfullySlowProjectile, but does large amounts of damage and makes the Optomon bosses easier by burning up the tentacle lines they shoot at you.

* DifficultySpike: Although the game starts difficult, it takes a huge leap once the player arrives in the [[WombLevel Organic]] region, particularly Area 8. This is where [[SmartBomb Enemy Erasers]] begin to become an essential tool for surviving the Corridors, [[BossInMookClothing former mini-bosses]] start roaming the halls of the Labyrinth, and upgrades become few and far between. The game then takes ''another'' huge leap in difficulty once the player reaches the Wasteland region, where even regular enemies you've been wasting with ease since the beginning suddenly get way more health and way more damage.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The [[HomingProjectile Seeker]] special weapon. It launches two extremely fast homing missiles that do very good damage, but uses up a whopping ''120'' chips per shot at level 3, which is roughly four times more than most other weapons.

%% * ActionGirl: The game's protagonist.

%% * ArtificialHuman: The Guardian herself.

%% * EarthShatteringKaboom: The goal of the game is to prevent this from happening to Earth... by making it happen to ''someone else''.

%% * FighterLaunchingSequence: The Guardian launches to and returns from the flying levels in this manner.
%% * FlipScreenScrolling: The labyrinth areas.

%% * LaserBlade: The Saber Laser and [[DualWielding Cutter Laser]] weapons. They are also usually the easiest way to take down many of the otherwise challenging bosses. Lightsabers are just better, it seems.

%% * PaletteSwap: It's a NES game, so of course.

* AWinnerIsYou: "You are the greatest player." is displayed at the end, along with your score and some extra art.

* ActionGirl: The game's protagonist.

* ArtificialHuman: The Guardian herself.

* BeamSpam: Many of the corridor areas have enemies that shoot a hail of lasers (especially at the end, when the [[DemonicSpiders laser-shooting Clawbots have DEADLY beams]]). Also Eyegore, a [[ExtraEyes multi-eyed]] skull boss loves this trope too.

* BossRoom: When you walk into a room and hear a warning klaxon and see [[GhostButler indestructible pyramids closing around you]], be prepared to fight!
** Or not. The pyramids close slowly enough that you can run out before the boss appears if you're quick! You can also stand over the walls as they form, then either go in to fight or run away if you think the boss is out of your league.

* BreastPlate: Perhaps justified, as the Guardian's main defense is a personal nigh-invisible [[DeflectorShields force field]].

* CoresAndTurretsBoss: The very first boss of the game, as well as [[ExtraEyes two of the organic corridor bosses]].

* {{Cyclops}}: You can see a few of these in the game, but Fleepa and Optomon are the most glaring examples. (Puns fully intended.)
* DeadManWriting: When you first enter the labyrinth.
* [[DegradedBoss Degraded Mini Boss]]: One of the minibosses in the labyrinth stages [[BossinMookClothing appears as a regular enemy later]], while still retaining its high health and brutal collision damage...

* DungeonShop: The giant Blue Landers you come across in the game either own these or operate PasswordSave rooms. Some of the Lander shopkeepers offer a choice of three purchases, but you can only take one of the items they have. (Though there is an [[GoodBadBugs exploit]] that allows you to take all three if you can pull it off properly.)
* EarthShatteringKaboom: The goal of the game is to prevent this from happening to Earth... by making it happen to ''someone else''.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Guardian's name [[NoNameGiven is never revealed in the game or the English instruction manual]]. According to the [[CanonName original Japanese manual]], she is called "Miria" (full name: "Strongest Warrior System D.P., pet name Miria"). {{Fanon}} refers to the Guardian as "[[FanNickname Alyssa]]".

* ExplosiveBreeder: One of the enemies in the labyrinth areas is a [[DemonicSpider blue spider]] that if left unkilled, turns orange, then red, then it splits into seven identical copies of itself. These individual copies can split even more, making things a little... complicated.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The [[SmartBomb Enemy Eraser]].
** Also, in a strange way, the game's Japanese name, as this game is basically Guardic from the MSX only with a story.
* ExtraEyes: [[EyeScream Grim]][[ThatOneBoss grin]]. Eyegore too, but he ain't nearly half as tough as Grimgrin...
* EyeBeams: [[ThatOneBoss Optomon]] likes this one a lot.
* EyeScream: Inevitable, given the number of eyeball-related enemies. [=GrimGrin=] even TurnsRed and turns up the number of objects it spits at you once you've punched out its main eyeball.
* FighterLaunchingSequence: The Guardian launches to and returns from the flying levels in this manner.
* FlipScreenScrolling: The labyrinth areas.
* FlyingFace: [=GrimGrin=] is one with many ExtraEyes.
* GameMod: The "Secret Edition" rom hack, which takes the original's NintendoHard difficulty UpToEleven by, among other things, [[TookALevelInBadass giving Teramute a major upgrade]], making him a new ThatOneBoss.
** There's also a Fan-made Sequel called "The Guardian Legend: Shadow of Naju" that is VERY well put together. Available for download [[http://theguardianlegend.com/forum/index.php?topic=2068.0 here]]

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: It (a.k.a The Final Guardian), the FinalBoss, who appears out of nowhere after the BossRush, just when you think you're home free. (In a bout of FridgeLogic, it shouldn't matter that much if you beat it or not, since it only appears ''after'' you've succeeded in your mission to blow up the planet.)

* KillItWithFire: The Fireball weapon. [[InfinityPlusOneSword Especially at max level, when it can cause massive damage AND destroy normally un-destroyable enemy projectiles]].
* LaserBlade: The Saber Laser and [[DualWielding Cutter Laser]] weapons.
** They are also usually the easiest way to take down many of the otherwise challenging bosses. Lightsabers are just better, it seems.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: The Bombardier boss can fire no less than 12 or so missiles at you in one go. Its missiles, however, are very weak, [[BreatherBoss especially when you fight it the second time around]].
* TheMaze: The Labyrinth is this.
* MechanicalLifeforms: Most of the enemies infesting Naju.

* MookMaker: LOTS of them...

* NintendoHard: This is one of the more infamous games among NES fans. Some of the later corridor bosses are downright ''brutal''.

* OrganicTechnology: Those enemies that aren't MechanicalLifeforms.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Teramute, a dragon boss that sprays fireballs. [[BreatherBoss It's very easy, unfortunately]].
* PasswordSave: Deemed one of the flaws of the game; the passwords are 32 characters long, including both upper and lower case letters, numbers, and even a couple of punctuation marks.
* PaletteSwap: It's a NES game, so of course.

* RecurringTraveler: The Big Blue Lander shopkeeper.

* SiliconBasedLife: Some of the enemies, particularly in the Crystal region.

* TeleportSpam: Bombardier and Teramute love to do this, as do some of the mini-bosses.
* TurnsRed: Clawbot, Grimgrin (who also ShowsDamage), and the FinalBoss (who ''literally'' turns red).

* VideoGameSettings:
** GreenHillZone: Area 0, which is also the HubLevel and the NoobCave.
** UnderTheSea: Areas 1 and 2, the Water region. The Labyrinth may be in a dry space since it has non-aquatic enemies, but the Corridors are clearly underwater, full of fish and other underwater enemies, and the bosses are giant cyclopean sharks, octopi, and an irate crayfish.
** TheLostWoods: Areas 3 and 4, the Forest region. Given their oddly geometric shapes, the foliage here may also be MechanicalLifeforms or SiliconBasedLife.
** DugTooDeep: Areas 5 and 6, the Crystal region, which has the appearance of a crystal mine.
** WombLevel: Areas 7 and 8, the Organic region. The walls are meat and the Corridors are full of [[EyeScream eyeballs]].
** ShiftingSandLand: Areas 9 and 10, the Wasteland region. It's dusty and cracked and colored like sand. Also, full of bones.
** TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Corridor 21, which exists in a previously empty room back in Area 0 after all 10 main corridors have been finished.
** MinusWorld: The "[[FanNickname Lost Frontier]]" - a region outside the playable bounds of the game, which is accessible by putting in certain passwords. It's a glitchy region where new rooms are all randomly generated and should be traversed with caution as it is entirely possible for a new room to generate without an exit.

* WaitingPuzzle: How the seal for door three is opened, and provides the page quote for that trope.

** There's also a Fan-made Sequel called "The Guardian Legend: Shadow of Naju" that is VERY well put together. Link [[http://theguardianlegend.com/forum/index.php?topic=2068.0 here]]

* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: Zibzub, a red squid boss.

[[DescribeTopicHere If someone is reading this... I must have failed.]]

''The Guardian Legend'' (known as ''Guardic Gaiden'' in Japan) was a hybrid ActionGame and ShootEmUp created by Creator/{{Compile}} and published by Creator/{{Irem}} for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Released around 1988, it's likely forgotten by all but the most hardcore of gamers, but this game did a great job of blending the two genres.

The game is about a [[RobotGirl female aerobot]], codenamed "the Guardian", who is commissioned with stopping an alien-infested planet called Naju from [[ColonyDrop crashing into Earth]] and killing everyone. To do this, she must set off ten strategically-placed explosives within the corridors (by transforming into a spaceship and flying through them) and defeat the bosses within.

* BeamSpam: Many of the corridor areas have enemies that shoot a hail of lasers (especially at the end, when the [[DemonicSpiders laser-shooting ships have DEADLY beams]]). Also Eyegore, a [[ExtraEyes multi-eyed]] skull boss loves this trope too.

* ClippedWingAngel: On flying stages, many bosses start to agressively throw mooks at you after [[TurnsRed turning red]], giving you an opportunity to rack up much needed HP and power chips. In fact, the Corridor 8 boss is so hard to beat mainly because at one point he ''stops'' making mooks, leaving you without means to restore your health or refill a secondary weapon.

** The Spiral Shot, also called the Repeller. It creates a spinning energy ball which slowly moves forward as it spins around. As pointed out by Creator/LordKaT in one episode of ''Until We Win'' (in which he referred to it as "the circle cannon") it can be used to beautiful effect against bosses as it spins around on top of them to rack up hit after hit after hit.

* EarthShatteringKaboom: The goal of the game is to prevent this from happening... by making it happen to ''someone else''.

* EvolvingAttack: Both your main gun and your special weapons.

** Corridor 4 caused a lot of players trouble. For that corridor the only hint given on how to open the gate was "Ask the round creature for help." Most players quickly realized the "round creature" was a giant Blue Lander who operated a DungeonShop nearby, but what they didn't know was that "asking for help" meant leaving and re-entering the room a large number of times, with no text or indication that it's helping at all, until eventually the Lander tells you he'll help.
** The game does not tell you that have 5 defensive shields increase your movement speed.

* IfYouCanReadThis: All of the messages left to you by the last (good alien) survivor of NAJU comes in the form of giant monitors on the floor.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence - Those indestructible pyramids blocking your passage, until you gain enough speed upgrades to outrun the miniboss room ones or slip through the tiny gaps between the regular ones.

* LevelGrinding: Killing enemies over and over will increase you score and eventually award you with one extra point of health. This ceases to be benefitial when at one million points you start needing another million for one health point.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: The Bombardier boss can fire no less than 12 or so missiles at you in one go. Its missiles, however, are very weak, [[BreatherBoss especially when you fight it the second time round]].

* {{Oculothorax}}: While eyes are a pravalent theme among many bosses, special mention goes to Optomon, who is a giant eye wrapped in tentacles.

* UndergroundMonkey: LOTS of enemies, including some bosses. The strangest example of this trope is in the Organic corridors. Accompanying the eyeball enemies and annoying green squid-like enemies that absorb all of your firepower are palette swapped enemies from the Water and Forest regions, so you end up fighting mushrooms and sea creatures at the same time as eyeballs.

* PowersOfTwoMinusOne: The "count" (or remaining secondary weapon shots) display will only go up to 255.

** The game nor the manual does not tell you that have 5 defensive shields increase your movement speed.

* GuideDangIt: Corridor 4 caused a lot of players trouble. For that corridor the only hint given on how to open the gate was "Ask the round creature for help." Most players quickly realized the "round creature" was a giant Blue Lander who operated a DungeonShop nearby, but what they didn't know was that "asking for help" meant leaving and re-entering the room a large number of times, with no text or indication that it's helping at all, until eventually the Lander tells you he'll help.

* UnwinnableByInsanity: The game will softlock if the score goes too high.

''The Guardian Legend'' (known as ''Guardic Gaiden'' in Japan) was a hybrid ActionGame and ShootEmUp created by {{Compile}} and published by Creator/{{Irem}} for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Released around 1988, it's likely forgotten by all but the most hardcore of gamers, but this game did a great job of blending the two genres.

''The Guardian Legend'' (known as ''Guardic Gaiden'' in Japan) was a hybrid ActionGame and ShootEmUp created by {{Compile}} and published by Creator/{{Irem}} for the NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Released around 1988, it's likely forgotten by all but the most hardcore of gamers, but this game did a great job of blending the two genres.