Because no physical sets are used in the attraction, the park management can change the film and theme of Guardian at any time. The "Wonder Mountain's Guardian" version of the attraction features eight characters. Stansien is the riders' guide who leads them through the mountain. Crazy Crabs are characterized as attractive but dangerous. Beasty Bats are recognizable by their oversized fangs compared to those of regular bats. Sneaky Spiders have the ability to ambush riders and their bites contain venom. Archers fight with bows and arrows, and can move around quickly. Wet Ones are reptilian creatures similar to fish but they can walk on land. These reptiles are most dangerous when they are in the water. Draconians protect Draconian City and carry swords and shields. Ormaar is the dragon that lives inside the mountain and confronts riders at the end of the ride. In the "Zombies 4D" version of the ride, a survivor of the zombie apocalypse replaces Stansien as the guide character; zombies are the enemy. Brady MacDonald from "Los Angeles Times" ranked Guardian as the ninth most anticipated new ride of 2014; Sarah Sekula from Fox News ranked the ride in the top nine. Jody Robbins from MSN ranked Guardian in the top 11 best new attractions in Canada. According to Triotech and Cedar Fair, the response from the public during the ride's opening weekend was positive. Children and parents interviewed by Adam Martin-Robbins from Yorkregion.com said they enjoyed the ride. Jeremy Schoolfiiled from the IAAPA said, "Cedar Fair seems to have figured out how to create a lavish dark ride on a regional theme park budget". During the 2014 season, attendance at Canada's Wonderland dropped one percent—a loss of approximately 36,000 visitors—compared to that of the 2013 season. The park's most recent increase in attendance was in 2012, the season Leviathan debuted, where there was a five percent increase. Wonder Mountain's Guardian did not place in the top 50 roller coasters in the world, nor was it in the top five new roller coasters in the Golden Ticket Awards for the 2014 season.