This Link's Awakening and Earthbound-inspired Gameboy RPG pays tribute to the developer's late daughter: "You know how important keeping their memory alive is"
Nov. 16, 2023Winsley’s Guardian will be shipped in an actual Gameboy Color cartridge
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An indie developer is paying tribute to his late daughter with an incredibly heartfelt action RPG inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Earthbound.
The story follows the titular young girl as she seeks someone described only as her guardian. As you progress through levels like Winsley’s hometown, the Zoo, School, and the Dreamworld, you’ll gradually watch the protagonist progress through her childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, middle age, and retirement before facing off against “death himself.”
The tools at your disposal will include “every day weapons” (you start with a “pool noodle sword” as well as “the powers of your Guardian” as you battle enemies and bosses in 2D retro Zelda action adventure fashion.
I only played a few minutes of the demo and very quickly felt a lump growing in my throat as Winsley finds her older sister’s blanket in her childhood home’s basement and is told it belongs to “someone who will always be there for you.” With every line of dialogue, it’s immensely clear that Winsley’s Guardian was created by a loving parent for his daughter, and it adds a ton of emotional weight and a deeper meaning to both the story and gameplay.
I was also delighted by the lovely Game Boy-inspired animation in which characters bounce to the rhythm of some truly nostalgia-inducing music. Heart-wrenching backstory aside, the game is fun and nicely polished for being so early in development.
Guardian Games is a new indie “female-led” indie studio with Rakhi Narain serving as creative director. Spencer Walters, Winsley’s real-life father, is the studio’s CFO. “All of our games at Guardian Games Studio have meaning and purpose. We aim for fun first, narrative-driven games that will leave a lasting impact on our players,” the studio says of itself.
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There’s no release date for Winsley’s Guardian just yet, but you can support it on Kickstarter and check out the demo, which I highly recommend. Once it ships, you’ll have the option to download a ROM file and play it on an emulator or, for my galaxy-brained readers, get the version that comes on an actual Gameboy Color cartridge and play it as the universe intended.
Just one more to add to the list ofupcoming indie gamesI can’t wait to play.
After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
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