Gal Guardians: Demon Purge

Gal Guardians: Demon Purge is a 2023 platform video game developed and published by Inti Creates. It is a spinoff of Gal Gun.

Gameplay
Two characters from Gal Gun, Shinobu and Maya, become trapped in a castle similar to Castlevania. Players must guide them to freedom by traversing the castle. Gal Guardians: Demon Purge is a side-scrolling platform game. Shinobu is a ranged attacker, and Maya is a melee fighter. If one dies, players can continue playing by having the other reach her. The game is saved at checkpoints. It supports cooperative multiplayer.

Development
The title was originally Grim Guardians: Demon Purge, but this was changed in March 2023 after a dispute over the trademarked term "Grimguard". Inti Creates released it for Windows, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Switch on February 23, 2023.

Reception
Gal Guardians: Demon Purge received positive reviews on all platforms except for the PlayStation 5, which received mixed reviews. Although Digitally Downloaded said it is not innovative, they said fans of the early Castlevania games would enjoy it, an assessment echoed by Hardcore Gamer. Nintendo Life called it "a solid, playable adventure" and said it is almost, but not quite, as good as Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Nintendo World Report praised its retro gameplay, though they said it can feel a bit repetitive by the end.