Review – Angel Guardian

After more than eight years in development and with some special Twitch integration features, Angel Guardian is a rather unique fast-paced action shooter. Set aboard a space station under attack, this side-scrolling cyberpunk Metroidvania puts you in the space boots of Kita, a warrior guardian on a mission to rescue Eiji, the king’s son, while fighting legions of hostile enemies and their powerful bosses. Or, to put it another way, be prepared to suffer quite a bit if you want to prove yourself as a true guardian.

Angel Guardian opens at the Altera Space Citadel Station 01 with a seriously impressive anime cutscene. The villain Ion Zeta violently seizes King Solomon’s throne and unleashes all kinds of mechanical monstrosities upon the space station. As Kita, the king’s most highly regarded Warrior Guardian, you are tasked by Duncan, the king’s chief aide, to extract young Prince Eiji safely before he is killed and the royal succession is sabotaged.

At first, the prince is extremely vulnerable. You therefore have to keep a constant eye on him while being attacked from all sides by ever-respawning enemies. To be frank, there is never a moment of rest in this fast-paced action shooter. Luckily, Eiji eventually gains some pretty powerful abilities of his own that you can put to good use, meaning you won’t have to face everything quite so alone from that point onward.

While traversing the space station relies on typical side-scrolling platforming, you will quickly notice that there is no map or directional marker system to help you find your way around. That is hardly necessary, though, as Altera features an entirely linear 2D layout. However, what the game lacks in navigational complexity, it more than makes up for in gameplay depth. The eight rifles, each with two upgrade paths, along with a sword and several special moves, provide a plethora of options and playstyles.

Just because you are being attacked from all sides doesn’t mean you always have to go all-in on a frontal assault. You can, for example, also hide behind objects to avoid certain enemies or take them out quietly instead. Additionally, you can temporarily use a jetpack, special boots, shields, and other boosts, as well as throw various objects, including explosives. You can even use Eiji himself as a weapon, with him kicking opponents while airborne. Truth be told, his animations can be pretty funny at times, but they can also be a little glitchy, such as when he simply respawns next to you after you leave him too far behind. That is, unless one of those monstrosities happens to kidnap him in the meantime. If one of those monsters manages to kidnap him, it means instant death for you as well.

Hacking doors is a major part of the experience. You will hack systems to disable defenses or gain access to new areas. These doors are not only essential for progression but often lead to rooms packed with power-ups. There are several different ways to unlock them, either by using multitools from your inventory or manually figuring out the combinations against the clock. One of the mechanics requires you to rotate the analog sticks, which can be quite challenging while still remaining fun.

The game also features Twitch integration that lets viewers affect the action in real time. They can spawn enemies directly in your path, drop ammo when you are desperate, or trigger Eiji’s superpowers. Every run becomes unpredictable. Share the IDs with your chat and let viewers unleash mayhem live while you fight to survive.

Combat features some severe difficulty spikes and is naturally very fast-paced and chaotic. The tight, fast-paced shooting is built around constant movement. Literal swarms of deadly enemies come rushing at you, demanding quick reactions. However, your ammo is limited, and your sword can only handle so many enemies at once, so sometimes you simply have to run for it, with or without Eiji on your shoulders. Enemies do not drop any power-ups either, so you are entirely dependent on what you can collect and carry with you on the way to a boss.

And boy, do these boss fights take the difficulty up another notch. You will often need several attempts just to figure out a boss’s weak spot and how to exploit it effectively. Personally, I would have preferred a difficulty setting that can be changed on the fly, or at least some accessibility options that can be tweaked during a run, as certain bosses can keep you stuck for a very long time. You can adjust the difficulty before loading your save, and there is also a restart option that lets you take another run to collect extra ammo or medkits. However, neither option is ideal, as you lose a significant chunk of story progress and have to replay a substantial section of the game.

There are also a small number of occasional bugs, such as UI menus that can respond sluggishly or freeze up, and loading times are not particularly fast. Sometimes, controls feel floaty as well, for example when climbing down ladders or performing wall glides, with Kita not always behaving exactly as intended. Aiming with the analog stick while shooting is also not always particularly precise.

Overall, however, this is a highly polished release. Performance is also solid, and even with all settings maxed out on Ultra, the game is not particularly demanding to run. The very cool cyber-synth soundtrack makes the action feel even more intense and is undoubtedly one of the game’s strengths. Every now and then, there are also voiced lines, which sound just as good.

Final Thoughts

You can tell from the level of polish that Angel Guardian has been in development for quite some time. With its gorgeous anime cutscenes, dope synth beats, fast-paced action, and an extensive arsenal of weapons, moves, and tools, it has plenty to offer. Its special Twitch integration, which allows viewers to interfere with the action, gives it a certain uniqueness. However, the substantial difficulty spikes, with no compromises in the form of accessibility options, make it more of a niche experience for those with the fastest reflexes who are also willing to persevere.

Additional Information

Release Date: November 3, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Corgee inc
Publisher: Corgee inc
Relevant links: Available via Steam.