Radiant: Guardians of Light
Step into a world engulfed in darkness and embark on an epic quest to restore light and hope in “Radiant: Guardians of Light.” In this captivating fantasy adventure, the fate of the kingdom of Helia rests upon your shoulders as you are unexpectedly chosen by the spirit of light, the most powerful of them all.
Gultar, once the savior of Helia, now reigns as the adept of Darkness, corrupting every corner of the realm. It is up to you, the chosen one, to rise against the encroaching shadows and bring an end to Gultar’s tyrannical rule.
Journey through five captivating zones, each teeming with treacherous hazards and mythical wonders. Along the way, you will encounter a myriad of enchanting characters, both friend and foe, who will aid or hinder you on your path. Forge alliances, acquire potent equipment, and discover ancient potions and special abilities that will enhance your powers as the Light Adept.
Prepare to face five formidable bosses, including Gultar, the malevolent adept of Darkness who stands as the ultimate villain. In addition to Gultar, you will confront four powerful elemental bosses, each corrupted by his influence. These maleficent adversaries embody the corrupted forces of Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind, posing unique challenges and wielding darkness-infused might.
Delve deep into the heart of each elemental domain and engage in intense battles against these bosses, testing your skills and strategy to the limit. Unleash your own elemental powers, honed through your connection with the spirit of light, as you strive to restore balance and harmony to the realm.
But the challenges don’t end there. Along your journey, you will encounter a series of formidable minibosses, each guarding their own domain within the realm. These mighty foes possess their own dark secrets and formidable abilities, requiring cunning tactics and adaptability to overcome.
Face off against these minibosses, conquer their unique challenges, and claim their spoils as you inch closer to your ultimate goal. Only by triumphing over each adversary, from the lowliest minion to the most powerful of bosses, can you hope to bring light back to the kingdom of Helia.
But you are not alone in this quest. Join forces with Quinn, the last apprentice of the legendary Ophana, in captivating solo or cooperative gameplay. Together, Ainar and Quinn must navigate treacherous battles, solve intricate puzzles, and unravel the secrets of Helia to save the world from the clutches of tyranny.
Immerse yourself in a visually stunning world, where lush landscapes and intricate details bring Helia to life. Uncover the deep lore of the kingdom through rich storytelling and immersive gameplay, as you witness the consequences of a long-fought war and the potential to change the destiny of Helia forever.
Are you ready to become a guardian of light and defy the darkness that threatens to consume everything you hold dear? Embark on an unforgettable journey in “Radiant: Guardians of Light” and become the beacon of hope in a realm lost in shadows.
Game Discussion
Steam User 6
Stunning action RPG that feels like a Beat 'em up game but has skills to level up and gear to craft. It is significantly easier in co-op than in single-player. No missable achievements, can be played on easy and completion takes around 13 hours (or less in co-op).
Approximate time to 100%: Around 13h in single-player but less in co-op as it is easier that way
Estimated achievement difficulty: 8/10 in single-player because of the Coliseum level 50 achievement. Doing that in co-op lowers the difficulty so much, and this can be done on a save file that you played in singleplayer
Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1
Is there a good guide available: I made this guide:
Multiplayer achievements: No
Missable achievements: No, but I highly recommend first crafting all the different gears before upgrading the later ones. Because one of the ingredients is extremely rare. (I used the second-to-last weapon because of that, as it is almost as good and so much easier to upgrade to max level)
Grinding Achievements: Yes kinda, 10k enemies killed is a lot. However, with how challenging Coliseum level 50 is, there is a big chance to unlock the 10k enemies before completing Coliseum level 50
DLC-Only achievements: No
Speedrun achievements: No
Time-gated achievements: No
RNG-achievements: No
Does difficulty affect achievements: No, can be played on easy. However, it is still very challenging on the easy difficulty
Unobtainable/glitched achievements: No
In Radiant: Guardians of Light, you play as Ainar (Melee) or Quinn (ranged). Ainar's sister gets kidnapped at the beginning of the game; it is up to you to save her! You can switch between the two characters, and it is also possible to play in local co-op or through Steam Remote Play. The game is an action RPG that feels a lot like a Beat 'em up. You move from left to right on the screen while enemies spawn from both sides (and sometimes from other structures in the middle of the map). You can only move on when all the enemies are defeated.
For defeating enemies, you receive experience and ingredients. The experience is to unlock skills from a skill tree. The tree offers many skills like more damage, more defense, special skills, more gold, more item drops, and a chance to revive when being defeated. It also has a skill for earning more experience. I overlooked this one at first, but it's the perfect way to level up more quickly. The ingredients you receive from monsters or find on the ground (or by destroying stones) are used for making potions or gear. The gear is permanent and can be upgraded with the same ingredients. Potions are used directly after making them and vanish when you die. The ingredients don't have a sparkle, so keep your eye out for items and flowers on the map!
While I struggled with Radiant: Guardians of Light a lot (even on the easy setting), I had a lot of fun and couldn't stop playing. It helps that a next level up or new gear item is never far away to help you get through the next section. I would also like to add that I'm very inexperienced when it comes to brawler-type games, so it can be a "me" problem. And again, I still had a lovely time and couldn't stop playing.
I adore the artwork of Radiant: Guardians of Light. It just looks so beautiful and colourful. Even the darker areas or the bosses. Just so much detail. What I also love is that you will see the gear you have equipped on your character. So you can see the changes on your character.
Another thing I found enjoyable is the variety of enemies. In later areas, you will discover kinda similar kind of enemies, but they still can be a little different. You have the expected close combat ones and rangers. But some will spin around on the map, and others have a giant shield, which you have to get behind them to attack them. A lot of the time, you're prioritizing killing one enemy over the other. It's also a lot of fun to experiment with the various pendants you can equip and their effects, even more so after unlocking the skill to be able to equip two of them. I'm a fan of the pendants that spawn projectiles. There is one where some coins will turn into projectiles, and another where your crits will turn into projectiles. Both are great fun and can create a chain reaction, as killing an enemy drops coins that can turn into projectiles, which in turn can kill another enemy.
None of the Achievements in Radiant: Guardians of Light are missable, and you can unlock them on the easy difficulty (this option can be found in the settings menu). I highly recommend going for the achievement to craft every gear before upgrading them around the end of the game, as one of the ingredients is quite rare to find. Completion took me around 13 hours, but this was after I had tried for the level 50 in the Coliseum achievement for a while and received some help through co-op. It is doable in single-player, but it is incredibly challenging. I love that it's possible to load your existing single-player save into multiplayer and continue where you left off.
I give Radiant: Guardians of Light 4 out of 5 stars.
Do you enjoy games that don't have missable achievements? Check out this list on my website:
Missi the Achievement Huntress: Games without missable achievements
Steam User 1
This is a great beat 'em up with very beautiful art and smooth fighting. I really enjoyed the variety of enemies and the world. The RPG elements are nice and it fits with the game. Both characters are unique in their own way and provide a different style of gameplay.
Steam User 2
TL;DR: A solid, visually appealing beat 'em up with satisfying combat and light crafting/progression. Recommended for genre fans on sale despite some visual clutter and minor technical hiccups.
Stepping into Radiant: Guardians of Light, the first thing that grabs you is its pleasing, slightly cartoonish visual style. It’s easy on the eyes and sets a lighthearted, almost casually epic atmosphere – don’t expect grimdark here. The core loop is classic beat 'em up goodness: clearing vibrant areas packed with enemies, feeling the impact of your blows. The satisfaction comes from mastering the combat, which offers a well-balanced difficulty curve. It requires practice and skill development, but ramps up fairly, keeping you engaged without constant frustration.
Between brawls, you return to a village hub. Here, the light RPG/crafting elements kick in. Spending coins and gathered ingredients to forge new weapons, armor, and potions adds a nice layer of progression and customization, giving you tangible goals beyond just punching.
While the heroic, film-score inspired music fits the tone well and the graphics are generally pleasant, there are drawbacks. Visual clarity can be an issue, especially in chaotic fights or near certain environmental details like trees – losing sight of your character happens. I also encountered technical bugs, notably co-op session launch problems requiring a restart and noticeably choppy framerates during cutscenes. The story provides context but feels a bit surface-level, lacking deep lore explanations (at least in the portion I played), and the environments, while nice, could use more visual variety.
Overall, Radiant offers solid, satisfying punches and kicks with that enjoyable progression hook. It sparks that drive to improve your skills and push forward, though longer sessions might induce some fatigue. Verdict: Recommend (with minor reservations) – primarily for dedicated beat 'em up enthusiasts who enjoy light crafting. Given the current price point feels a touch high, catching it on sale is the ideal way to dive into this luminous brawler.