Star Guard

Star Guard is a 2D platformer brought back to the basic elements of the genre: jumping and shooting, with a distinct retro look. Enemies are red, allies are green and the levels consist of yellow lines against a black background. The player controls a spaceman on a mission to defeat an evil wizard, armed only with a single gun that fires in the direction the character is facing. There is a fast pace as the character has unlimited lives and respawns at the last checkpoint, with a shield that renders him invincible for a few seconds. Enemies include different types of monsters, each with their own moving and attacking pattern. The game consists of nine levels and tidbits of the story are provided as text while playing. In certain sections there are a few AI-controlled allies that help fighting. Points are awarded per defeated monster and some of those also respawn as white ghosts. Later levels introduce deadly laser beams, explosive blocks and bombs. Each level also holds a diamond that is worth 20,000 points. Players are encouraged to replay levels to get a better score, a faster time, or to finish it with less deaths. After completing the game individual levels can be replayed in the Trial mode, and a Hard difficulty becomes available as well. In that mode, the character only has a few starting lives and collecting the diamonds is the only way to gain more.