Categories: PS VitaPS4Reviews

Color Guardians review for PS Vita, PS4

Platform: PS Vita
Also On: PS4
Publisher: Fair Play Labs
Developer: Fair Play Labs
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E

Endless runners on the Vita have been pretty hit and miss. Even though you’d expect the genre to be a natural fit on Sony’s handheld — it’s thrived on mobile devices, after all — to date, there have been just as many duds (see the awful bad Z-Run, and the awfully racist Run Like Hell) as there have been games worth checking out.

With such a spotty track record, it’s a welcome surprise to discover that Color Guardians falls into that latter category. In contrast with those two aforementioned games, it’s well-made, it’s nice to look at, and, most importantly, it’s fun.

color-guardians 1color-guardians 1

Of course, if you want to get all technical about it, it’s also not a traditional endless runner. It has less in common with, say, Run Sackboy Run, than it does with a game like Runner 2. Both, after all, take the usual endless runner conceit — start at Point A and run until you hit something — and add in a welcome dose of platforming.

What does that mean? Only that it adds in a Point B. That may not sound like much, but in practice it means that Color Guardians — like Runner 2 before it — breaks down into more easily-digested levels, rather than just having one long, infinite level. Not only that, it means you get level bosses — and honestly, there’s just something more satisfying about beating a boss than there is with running longer than you ever have before.

color-guardians-2color-guardians-2

While Color Guardians may hew close to the same formula as Runner 2, however, I don’t think I’d put it in quite the same league. It doesn’t have the same strong writing or sense of humour, for starters. The plot is your standard “bad guy stole all the colours” trope, and it doesn’t do much to build on that or make it more interesting. Likewise, while the game may be colourful, it doesn’t come close to matching Runner 2’s sense of style. It all feels very “normal”, for lack of a better descriptor; Color Guardians never conveys the kind of sparkle that made Runner 2 so incredible.

But it doesn’t really need to, either. Not when all its other competitors lag so far behind it. Color Guardians may not be one of the greatest games you’ll ever play, but it’s still clearly above average — and all things considered, that makes it a pretty welcome addition to the Vita’s library.

Grade: B+
Matthew Pollesel

Recent Posts

Spy Drops review for PC, Nintendo Switch

Not-so-solid Snake.

2 days ago

ReedPop reveals epic New York Comic Con 2025 programming lineup, guests and panels

George R.R. Martin, Critical Role cast and executive producers, Chris Pratt, the cast of Slow…

3 days ago

Nintendo eShop Update – Drag X Drive, Madden NFL 26, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution

There's a pretty well-rounded selection of new Nintendo eShop titles, content and sales launching today/soon…

3 days ago

Jackbox shows off Party Pack 11 in new trailer

Fight monsters with trivia, draw ugly cookies, and more this fall!

4 days ago

Players of the Battlefield 6 beta cause plenty of property damage in just two days of play

Man, these players think munitions grow on trees or something.

4 days ago

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream review for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X

When a game looks as nice as Eriksholm, it's easy to overlook a few gameplay…

4 days ago