Guardian Heroes

Beat 'em up with RPG stat progression and branching story paths. You pick one of four heroes who've stolen a magic sword, then fight through a kingdom's collapse in side-scrolling brawls. Combat uses a three-plane system—you can dodge between foreground, middle, and background layers while fighting. Between stages, you allocate experience points to strength, defense, or magic, shaping how your character plays. Story branches based on dialogue choices and which NPCs you kill or spare, leading to different endings. Supports two-player co-op through the campaign. There's also a separate versus mode where six players (or AI) fight simultaneously in arena matches, choosing from the story cast plus unlockable characters. Hand-drawn sprites and multiple playable routes give it replay value beyond the initial run.