Gaurodan
"Long forgotten is the legend of Gaurodan, the bird of thunder, and his fight with Guayota, the fire beast. But now mankind has discovered the egg of Guayota within Mount Teide, and it is only a matter of time until Gaurodan returns from the sky to fight the beast and punish us for awakening his ancient enemy."
So, this game is the coolest fucking thing ever. I just played it yesterday, and decided that this was much more worthy of this weeks post than what I'd been playing before. So, without further ado, here it is!
Graphics
Like all games by Locomalito(the creator), the graphics consist of pixel art. One thing that really makes the game shine, however, is the detail he's put into these graphics. The pixel art is detailed and vibrant, and there's even an option to add a tiny bit of artificial glare to make the game look like it's being played in an arcade cabinet. The game, like his others, is fixed resolution with fullscreen as default. It's understandable, though, as Locomalito's aim seems to be creating the most authentic retro experience possible, not to mention that the game isn't too resource intensive and looks great in fullscreen.
Sound
As per usual with his games, the music was made by the composer Gryzor87. It, along with the sound is nice, but not too unexpected for the type of game here. One nice point is that the music has the sort of 'buzz' to it that normally comes from old console/arcade sound chips. Again, it's a wonderful detail that only serves to improve the overall feel of the game.
Gameplay
The game is a sidescrolling SHMUP of the variety that confines you to an arena rather than making you fly through a long level.(Though if that's what you prefer, Locomalito's got you covered on that one, too) Like any good giant lightning-spewing pterodactyl, your goal basically comes down to destroying everything in sight. To do so, you actually have two fire buttons: one to aim straight to the sides, and one to angle your shots downwards. You tend to slide around when flying, but it still feels quite controlled. There's both a story mode and an unlockable endless mode available, with separate highscores as well.
Concept
Considering how closely this game was released after the movie Pacific Rim, I'd normally assume that there was some inspiration there. However, Locomalito apparently started work on Gaurodan in January, so that's probably just a coincidence. The firing mechanic is really neat, especially because of the fact that the angle of shots changes when you turn. This leads to a cool strategy of quickly alternating left and right to spray shots downwards. It strikes me as intentional, so I wonder where the idea came from.
Final Thoughts
Even if you aren't convinced that it's as awesome as I say it is, you really ought to try it anyway. Why's that, you ask? Because it's free to download! The best part about Locomalito's games is that they are all freely available. Anyway, go try it out!
Note: This game is not on Steam. It's also free. Go download it here. If you really enjoy it or feel like burning some money, donate to Locomalito.
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