Guardians of Lore by developer Round2Games is a throwback to when pastel-colored 2D sprites had names like Castlevania and Super Metroid and where the description on the game box could proudly proclaim it to have 'hours of endless fun.' It was also a time when characters had spiked hair, dressed in armor, and impressed their female cohorts with the size of their swords. Ah, the good old days.

The story, as rudimentary as stories go has the player taking the role of Prince Sayri, a disciple of past kings and gatekeeper of the Stories of Time, a series of books that depicts the turbulent history and origin of their kingdom. Your job is to protect the books and the stories within them from a mysterious force that threatens their very existence. The play mechanics will be immediately familiar to anyone who remembers the platforming days of the SNES and Genesis. 

2D or 3D That is the Question

While Guardian of Lore follows the typical side-scrolling lineage, you can expect a few new additions along the way aside from the familiar run, jump, and swing your weapon and kill your foe formula. In an added twist, your characters can cast magical spells through a series of button configurations which adds a new dynamic to the platforming mix.

Areas are relatively huge usually consisting of both indoor and outdoor levels where you have to make your way from top to bottom. There are no timers and players are encouraged to explore and find hidden goodies. Along the way, you'll have to dispose of enemies, break open crates to reveal hidden items and search for knowledge. You’ll need this acquired knowledge to enhance your character's skills and abilities to improve on your spells which will aid in your progress as certain doors and areas can only be accessed with spells.

Of course, no platformer is complete without the complimentary end bosses and Guardian of Lore delivers more than its share. Some bosses are easily defeated while others will require all your acquired skills to vanquish them to the abyss. The mission structure is utterly engrossing and disguises many of the repetitive platforming pieces quite well. 

Never Letting Your Guard Down

The package is wrapped nicely with beautiful pastel graphics, smooth animations, andcatchy tunes. While the platformer / side-scrolling genre goes far back, it's nice to know that the developers didn't meddle in things that man must leave alone and retained the simple gameplay that made these games stand the test of time.

The gameplay is long, involving, and just very hard to put down once you get going as it constantly refreshes your interest whether from a new twist or from a newly acquired spell.

So if you remember fondly those occasions when games were extremely playable, colorful, and fun instead of being a post-zombie apocalyptic grind, then Guardians of Lore is a definite must-have for all you nostalgia lovers.