Radiant: Guardians of Light throws down the gauntlet with old-fashioned beat ’em up action

• Radiant: Guardians of Light offers fast-paced RPG brawling on mobile
• Arriving in a few months, it offers both offline solo and coop play
• Create your own equipment, wield powerful magic and even jump into a new roguelite mode

Nowadays, the auto-battler genre has become something of a cornerstone of mobile. Often paired with AFK rewards, it takes all the legwork out of playing daily, right? Well, yes, but haven’t we lost something in the process? Radiant: Guardians of Light seems to think so.

Coming to iOS and Android this April, it might be a bit much to say Radiant: Guardians of Light is a direct response to the popularity of auto-battlers. But its storefront listing certainly isn’t shy in calling those out, positing its mixture of exciting beat-’em-up RPG action as a direct contrast to games that ‘play themselves’.

And in truth, there’s certainly a lot to like with just a glance at Radiant: Guardians of Light. With offline singleplayer, you take on the role of a lone adventurer battling your way through a castle infested with monsters, aiming to (naturally) save the world in the process.

Light it up

Gameplay-wise, Radiant certainly isn’t slacking, as you’ll not only wield powerful magic but also create your own equipment to take on challenging bosses. There’s more than a shade of Castle Crashers about it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But there is something of a reflection of modern tastes, with the inclusion of a new roguelite mode to boot.

Of course, while it does advertise itself as a single-player experience, that doesn’t mean it’s exclusively so. And if you fancy jumping into battle with the help of a friend, that Castle Crashers influence is clear with the inclusion of co-op play using gamepads.

Still, Radiant: Guardians of Light isn’t the only single-player-focused fantasy brawler on mobile. You can find even more of them to whet your appetite by digging into our list of the best RPGs on Android to see what they have on offer!