Lost in time and space: The Battle of Olympus / The Guardian Legend / Exile - Metroidvania Works 16

A triple shot of action this week. Wait, "triple shot" suggests more "vania" than is actually present here. The Battle of Olympus draws directly on the action RPG concepts of Zelda II rather than owing anything at all to Metroid or Castlevania; it's not so much "inspired by Zelda II" as "not quite legally actionable Zelda II clone." But one that lends its own ideas to the genre! The Guardian Legend does owe a bit to Metroid, in that it has shooty sci-fi themes and you play as a cool mechanical warrior that turns out to have a woman inside. Or rather, turns out to be a woman. In motion, though, The Guardian Legend plays like a sci-fi offshoot of the original Zelda spiced up with sequences from Zanac. Weird, but good. And Exile... well, that one very much nails the "wandering lost through caverns on another planet" element of Metroid. But still no Castlevania. So instead of saying "triple shot," let's go with "hat trick." A laurel wreath counts as a hat, right? Production notes: Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Why watch when you can read? Check out the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works, available now at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books)! Look forward to SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I, coming this August. NES footage captured from Analogue Nt Mini. Video upscaled to 720 with xRGB Mini Framemeister.