Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Genre: 2D action, Metroidvania, anime

Trust Inti Creates to create a pixel-based 2D action game that’s part Metroidvania/search action, part linear left-to-right combat and platforming affair. But also trust them to bring in their Gal Gun franchise in some shape or form; in this case as the spin-off Gal Guardian since first-person rail shooters are a niche affair that caught on during the HD era of gaming.

The first Gal Guardians: Demon Purge (originally Grim Guardians) back in 2023 was a fun linear 2D action game with some opened-up explorable segments, which halfway through devolved into a fetch-quest backtracking slog. Though to be fair, it didn’t feel that long due to the pacing and boss fights which were pretty epic. Fast forward two years later, and we have another sequel with two new protagonists and a slight change in direction. Is it for the better? Well….

Demon Fold

Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark is set in the same Gal Gun/Gal Guardians universe but with new protagonists you can switch around with: Kirika and Masha. The duo have to restore their boss Demon Lord Maxim into his rightful form as he was destroyed by rival demons and betrayed by the castle’s head maid.

Kirika wields a sub-machine gun and is the ranged attacker, while Masha uses a whip and fights at close range. The former can use shotgun attacks for big damage (at the cost of more bullets meaning frequent reloads) while the latter can charge and perform a plant seed attack which is usually a walled spike barricade or a rolling ball of flame that’s pretty sizeable. The duo can use all sorts of sub-weapons ranging from daggers to even summons that help even the playing field.

Levels and areas in Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark are spread out in a maze-like structure like most search action games. Unlike most games of the genre, your traversal powers and blockade-breaking skills to progress further are determined by your Demon Lord Maxim’s level. To level him up, you have to find his bones scattered all across the map (in a nod to OG search action title Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest). The more bones you collect (via treasure chests & enemies) and restore at his home base’s throne, the more stat bonuses and powers you get. The latter include double jumps, air dashes, and a super dash that lets you run across water.

While this direction in power distribution does mean you can gain abilities quick, it’s also a victim to random generation. Short of the many treasure chests with many bones in them, you will end up going through gauntlets of enemies with nary a bone dropped. Pretty soon, you might end up in a situation where you have to save up money (to buy expensive big bones) or even farm for bones just to get that one power up that may help you in your progression.

Also, the game’s fast travel system is archaic especially for a title that requires you to go back and forth through every nook and cranny. You can unlock ferry points that let you travel to different areas and regions, but most of them are placed so far apart and in not-so-ideal spots that you might as well spend the extra time backtracking. And while you can use the game’s save point to teleport back to the castle, you cannot do it vice versa. This would have saved most players and search action fans a lot of time backtracking and getting through the game, so it’s a bit perplexing why Inti Creates is stingy with this.

At the very least, the level challenges are decent, and the boss fights are fun. Some do repeat themselves like the ones with the sandworms in the red desert area. But for the most parts, they’re fun to participate in and the challenge level seems fair given the sister’s mix of traversal-slash-evasion abilities and that Lord Maxim can use his Demon Heal powers in a fix to keep your maid duo alive long enough to finish the tough fight. Also, one of the Demon powers you get lets you super-dash through most obstacles, but you get this about 5 hours+ and after some bone-hunting.

Serving Time

This Gal Guardians sequel hits all the right notes for a fun if cumbersome search action experience: lovely animation and aesthetics, great action and boss fights, and a nice map to uncover. However it does suffer a bit for some repeated boss moments (like the scarabs in Yohane the Parhelion), some not-so-intuitive backtracking options, and the fact that you have to grind for bones to get the top-shelf navigation powerups.

It doesn’t feel like it’s designed like proper Metroidvanias like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and the Ori series, to make you enjoy the discovery aspects of the genre. Still, it’s far from being abysmal and is at least worth your time if you fancy an anime-infused search action game featuring characters from Inti Creates’ Gal Gun universe. And some jiggle and fanservice to go along with it.

For chrissakes, there’s an achievement for getting bathed in a big-boobied dragon girl’s oil saliva; that pretty much gives you an idea of the title’s demographic.

Final Score: 70/100

Review code provided by publisher.