Golden Force is a fun, retro, side-scrolling experience not for the faint of heart. Full of challenging battles and pixelated fun, this run-n-gun will keep you on your toes.
One of my only claims to video game fame is winning a Mortal Kombat tournament my freshman year of high school, the first time I ever played it. I am royalty in terms of button-mashing and brute forcing my characters way through challenges. What can I say, I’m passionate about winning.
A lot has changed in the ways of video games since the OG Mortal Kombat, but one thing has not: my absolute adoration for the pixelized, 16-bit, retro style of games that harken back to the original Pokémon or Legend of Zelda. In comes, Golden Force.
You find a set of four mercenaries: Gutz (a very Link-esque blonde, with a sword), Spina (a female character with purple hair, and dual blade wielding), Drago (an axe wielding dragon), and Elder (an old man with robot arms) aboard the Golden Boat who are in need of cash after taking a few pricey vacations. They head to the Muscle Islands to take on the Great Demon for cash.
After throwing you into your first boss fight, you arrive on the islands. Level selection is very reminiscent of an old Nintendo platformer, with every island having multiple stages. The different stages and levels are a retro delight on their own – with tunnels, large coins, pipes, and the occasional cute cat as an enemy.
I won’t lie to you here though – this game is hard. You’re thrown quite a variety of enemies and a lot of boss fights that are satisfying in their own way to beat, but you will die a lot. It takes a bit of patience to keep going through some of these fights and stages, as checkpoints are few and far between in this game and starting over from the beginning of a long battle is disheartening. You do have the option of buying things with the cash you earn from the cooky sailor of your ship, but even then it’s still a challenge.
For someone who is not a classic run-n-gun fan, the game is cute and very rewarding once you get past the difficulty. It gives me a nice little reminder of wandering around Hyrule in Legend of Zelda while also having the fun challenges of a retro Mario game, mixed with the run-n-gun intensity of a Cuphead. Patience is a virtue here, and if a challenge is your thing, Golden Force is definitely for you.
