New Game Boy Title Winsley’s Guardian Now On Kickstarter

Thanks to the user-friendly GB Studio development software, new games for Game Boy pop up nearly every day now, but we thought this one stood out pretty boldly. It may not have the best graphics, but it’s trying some things we’ve never seen other games ever do, 8-bit or otherwise.

Winsley’s Guardian is an action RPG where you start out as a little girl named Winsley — though she doesn’t stay little for long. You’re actually playing through someone’s entire life. Winsley goes through teenage years, becomes a full adult, reaches middle age, turns into an old woman and then faces Death for the final boss (she probably loses).

• Traverse through the different stages of life as dungeons such as Winsley’s hometown, the Zoo, School, the Dreamworld, Corporate world, raising children, fighting off old age and much more.
• Gain the powers of your Guardian to aid you against the bosses in 2D Zelda action/adventure-style
• Uncover clues and figure out the mystery of who exactly Winsley’s Guardian is!

We actually know who her guardian is, because the game is based on a true story. Winsley is a real person — she’s the daughter of Spencer Walters, president of the indie studio that produced this game. And the guardian angel watching over her is based on her older sister Everly, who died shortly after a premature birth.

At this point in the campaign, Winsley’s Guardian will make back its modest finding goal, but we feel it deserves more. You don’t often see an indie game for a retro system that is this personal and heartfelt. A digital copy of the game costs a $25 pledge, a physical cart costs $30 and the full box and manual takes $40. This is the only time we’ve seen barely any difference between the digital and physical prices of something like this. Might as well go for the whole thing.

Winsley’s Guardian will end its campaign September 16. Get your copy for your collection and make sure Winsley has a happy life!