Premise

Code of Princess is an obvious and loving spiritual successor to the Sega Saturn beat 'em up, Guardian Heroes. Like its inspiration, this side-scrolling action-RPG throws you into a chaotic world with multiple combat planes you can switch between and a diverse roster of unique characters. However, unlike Guardian Heroes, Code of Princess funnels all its heroes through the same core narrative. While your character may get a unique introduction cutscene, there are sadly no multiple endings here.

The princess

• The gameplay is simple, engaging, and highly addictive. Combat revolves around combo strings, hard attacks, and aerial moves. The real depth comes from the "Burst" mechanic and the special attacks, which lets you cancel combos into powerful special attacks. Mastering these special attacks and the timing of the Burst is key to succeeding on later stages.

• The characters are varied. Solange is the muscle of the group. She hits like a truck and is surprisingly fast, but her magic utility is minimal. Ali-Baba is a rapid-fire character who is physically weaker than Solange but makes up for it with magical, explosive bombs. Zozo is a physical weakling, hitting like a pillow, but her devastating magic can instantly wipe out entire squadrons of enemies. Allegro is a walking nuclear strike, focusing on hitting everything on the screen at once with massive, sweeping attacks.

• Speaking of the story, it's actually pretty decent, but more importantly, the comedy is well executed. While I wasn't a fan of the story's overall structure, the character interactions and witty dialogue are top-notch. I have to give points to Allegro and Zozo, who are responsible for what feels like 70% of the game’s best jokes.

• While they aren't available in the Story Mode, the extra playable characters you unlock—like Sister Helga, Master T, Tsukikage, and Marco Neko—are great additions to the Free Play and Challenge modes, each with their own unique abilities and strategies. Master T is literally Zozo fused with Solange, Tsukikage is Ali-Baba but way faster, Sister Helga is Allegro fused with Solange,

The bandit

• Can become unforgivingly difficult if you're not prepared to grind and invest in your character's stats. This is an action-RPG, and you must build your character's stats via level ups and via equipment to maximize your damage and survivability.

• This difficulty is compounded by the challenging boss fights. Many bosses are designed to hit faster than you, and if you can't master the Burst stun-lock mechanic, they'll constantly parry or counter-attack your combos. Slow reflexes and hesitation will be severely punished... unless you go the Zozo route or the Allegro route and just spam magic/the shockwaves.

• The music isn't that varied. The soundtrack is limited, and tracks repeat often. Long play sessions can lead to musical fatigue, which is a shame given the game’s otherwise vibrant presentation.

• Allegro breaks the game. He has an ability that can instantly multiply his attack stat by two (e.g., 30 Attack becomes 60) for a short period. Built correctly, he becomes an unbeatable, self-healing, walking nuke capable of soloing almost any stage in under three minutes.

Conclusion

Code of Princess is a chaotic, unapologetic, and highly-stylized brawler. It embraces the crazy side-scrolling combat and deep character customization of its predecessors while delivering a genuinely funny and charming story.

Note: The EX version adds Master T, Helga, Marco Neko and Tsukikage to the story mode and streamlines the grinding but limits you to three bursts per stage. I didn't play it so I can't tell you if it is easier or harder.