Guardian: Planet Defense is a clever twist on classic wave defense games like Missile Command. Your task is to protect Earth from waves of asteroids and alien ships, and you do this by piloting an orbital defense satellite that can utilize several primary and secondary weapons. Whereas in a game like Missile Command, you fire projectiles from a fixed location on screen, in Guardian, you are constantly orbiting the planet you're trying to protect. This means you have to be smart about where and how you shoot, because you only get so much time to cover one side before you've revolved around to the other.
It's this orbiting mechanic that makes Earth not just your primary objective, but also your biggest obstacle. As you orbit, the planet blocks certain asteroids and enemy craft from view, forcing you to turn your attention elsewhere. Sometimes you can manage that satisfying fade-away shot to blow up an asteroid you've just soared by, but other times you end up sinking a few plasma rounds into the planet's surface instead. And if you aren't careful, you might just find yourself face first in an asteroid that you didn't notice because you were too busy trying to protect a side of the planet now entirely out of your control. The deceptively simple orbiting mechanic leads to nail-biting moments as you are assaulted from all sides and desperately trying to stay ahead, firing wildly into the arc of your orbit hoping you won't crash into something along the way.
At launch, you have three primary weapons and three secondary weapons at your disposal. The default green laser is limited only by energy which regenerates overtime, but the rest are limited by ammunition that you can collect in the form of power-ups dropped by alien spacecraft. No spoilers, but some of these are quite fun to use (and can have terrible consequences if used improperly :D). There is a high score/leaderboard system for friends as well, yet another callback to the game's arcade-y roots.
For less than the price of a cup of coffee, Guardian: Planet Defense is a lovely little game and offers some great moments of tension and desperation as you struggle to protect your planet.
