It's all well and good to make a pixel art side-scroller and call it "retro", but the cream of the modern retro crop knows exactly how to make a game FEEL like it travelled in time from that era, even if it makes use of up-to-date graphics and gameplay to achieve that effect. After all, we often remember things being way better than they actually were, and a great retro developer understands that. As such, for this video we're listing ten games that we think best understand the retro vibe they were trying to evoke, and managed to wrap their players in a rose-tinted blanket of cosy nostalgia. Here are 10 Modern Games That Perfectly Capture the Retro Vibe!
VO: Peter Austin (@ThatPeterAustin)
Script: Simon Pike (@Sim198k)
Video Editor: Lean Bacalzo (@LeanBacalzo)
#SonicMania #Undertale #LegendOfGrimrock
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You've probably already noticed, but retro
gaming is quite a big thing nowadays. Gamers with cherished memories of video games of
yesteryear just love to spend their money on compilations or modern re-releases of classic
games, and like-minded developers create brand-new experiences with aesthetics and gameplay
designed to scratch that retro gaming itch. How many of them really nail it, though?
It's all well and good to make a pixel art side-scroller and call it retro, but the
cream of the
modern retro crop knows exactly how to make a game feel like it travelled in
time from that era, even if it makes use of up-to-date graphics and gameplay to achieve
that effect. After all, we often remember things being way better than they actually were,
and a great retro developer understands that. As such, for this video we're listing ten games that we think best understand the
retro vibe they were trying to evoke, and managed to wrap their players in a
rose-tinted blanket of cosy nosta
lgia. Oh, and if you're worried that the TripleJump crew
are perhaps too young to remember playing some of the games these titles are trying to emulate,
don't worry, because our writer is really, really old. In fact, I think he's already
gone to bed, so keep the noise down, yeah? I'm Peter from TripleJump, and here are 10 Modern
Games that Perfectly Capture the Retro Vibe. 10. Sonic Mania Sonic the Hedgehog's trajectory since his
Mega Drive glory days has had more ups and downs than Chemica
l Plant Zone Act 2,
but one of its biggest ups is undoubtedly 2017's Sonic Mania. This return to the
speedy hedgehog's 2D roots only exists thanks to Sonic's talented community of
fan developers, yet sold and reviewed better than most of the hedgehog's more recent
outings developed by Sonic Team themselves. This is probably because Sonic Mania offers
jilted Sonic fans the chance to once again explore detailed and dynamic 2D worlds at breakneck
speeds, many of which are remixed from previou
s Sonic titles. These re-imagined zones tend to
stick to the original formula for the first act, and then add new features for the second, such
as Oil Ocean's smog or Chemical Plant's springy fluids. This all results in a high-speed
experience that feels both old and new, helped along by an excellent soundtrack full of
pulsating remixes and fantastic original tunes. Oh, and best of all, it only features Sonic,
Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman in starring roles. No Shadows, Silvers, Bigs, Zavoks
or any
of those other superfluous cast members that have polluted the Sonic franchise since
its glory days. Wait, what's that armadillo doing there?!
9. The Messenger If there's one thing that embodies 80's and
90's console gaming, it's side-scrolling ninja action. The Western world had just started to
discover the coolness that is the fighting ninja, and whether you owned a Nintendo, a
Sega, or an Amiga, chances are that these black-clad dudes were plastered all
over your screen at
one point or another. In 2018, Devolver Digital published The Messenger,
a game that takes more than a few cues from classic NES trilogy, Ninja Gaiden. In it, players
take on the role of a ninja from a hidden village, who takes on the forces of the Demon King. The
gameplay and visuals echo the aforementioned Ninja Gaiden, but the developers made clever and
careful use of more modern development techniques to ensure that The Messenger is as good as
you remember those ninja games of old to be
. One such modern addition involves a
bit of time-bending trickery. Should our katana-wielding protagonist fall in
battle, he will be forced to exchange time shards with a mysterious demon, named Quarble,
who will rewind time and grant him another chance. The only complaint we have with The
Messenger is the demon’s name. Who the heck would call an all-powerful
demon with control over time itself “Quarble”? Sounds like the noise I make
when my lemonade goes down the wrong way. 8. Xeno Crisi
s Another mainstay of 80's and 90's action games is
aliens. Specifically aliens with elongated heads, dark, chitinous forms, and extending jaws, that
prey upon tooled-up marines with futuristic, automatic weapons and motion sensors. Basically,
everything wanted to be just like the movie, Aliens, and there are a host of classic titles to
back up that claim (and some modern ones, too). One recent release chose to take Aliens-inspired
visual ambience and layer it on top of gameplay that closel
y resembles Smash TV. Bitmap
Bureau's Xeno Crisis was released in 2019, and is a top-down, twin-stick shooter
with classic gameplay. Players choose one of two protagonists and
take on screen-sized arenas, mowing down alien abominations in fast-paced,
desperate firefights, where keeping light on your feet while constantly pumping that
trigger finger is the key to survival. Xeno Crisis doesn't just capture
that retro feeling by slapping an Aliens-inspired paint job on top of
top-down shoote
r gameplay, though. Nope, those heroes at Bitmap Bureau went the extra mile,
releasing an actual Mega Drive cartridge in 2019, complete with old-school Mega Drive packaging
and a chunky manual. Don't worry, though, if you don't have Sega's 16-bit beast lying around,
you can buy it digitally for PC and consoles. It wouldn't be very “retro”
of you though, would it?
Comments
1:27 Sonic Mania 2:56 The Messenger 4:21 Xeno Crisis 5:55 Horizon Chase Turbo 7:26 Blazing Chrome 8:58 Undertale 10:28 Ion Fury 11:56 Aggelos 13:19 Legend of Grimrock 14:50 Thimbleweed Park
The best thing about Legend of Grimrock was being able to use photos from your computer as character portraits, so you could literally "be anybody or anything"
Retro City Rampage, ShakeDown Hawaii, the Mami Hotline games, TMNT Shredder's Revenge and Streets of Rage 4 are also top tier retro games that capture the feeling of the 80's and 90's retro gaming scene imo.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon really brings back that ClassicVania feel and the sequel Curse of the Moon 2 is second only to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. For a game that's only around because it's a stretch goal, I like it even more than the main Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night series.
Note that Iron Fury runs on the BUILD engine just like Duke Nuk'em 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior.
My buddy and I recently got hooked on BroForce. It's a Contra-like game that turns 80's & 90's action movie nostalgia up to 11!
The messenger is a 10/10 for me. Been humming that soundtrack for a few years now!
Ah Legend of Grimrock, dev Petri Häkkinen patched accessibility features in a day IIRC, after a short exchange happened in one of its blog posts leading up to release. And that's pretty awesome🤙
Shovel Knight and Cyber Shadow would be my picks for the list.
When I think of Legend of Grimrock, I think of Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder.
Why is this the first time I've heard of Legend of Grimrock? That looks great!
I'm looking forward to trying the Legend of Grimrock. Thanks for the video!
“And Number 1, Unmetal, a comedic tribute to the original Metal Gear’s-“ Oh.
Considering the fact that "Sonic Mania" is featured on the list, another retro-style game that deserves a mention would be "Freedom Planet", since it was originally created as a Sonic fan game before it was made into something new and original while still containing similar gameplay as the 2D-style Sonic games while also having elements from other 16-bit titles such as "Mega Man X" and "Gunstar Heroes". Not only that, but the game was even released before "Sonic Mania" by three years during a time in which everyone was longing for a new Sonic game that features the 2D-style gameplay that some fans preferred over the 3D titles in recent years.
The main inspiration for Horizon Chase turbo was actually the SNES game Top Gear. (Or Top Racer if you want to get american about this). For some unknown reason, that game was HUGE here in Brazil. A must have for every SNES owner. The developers even got the original soundtrack composer of Top Gear to create the soundtrack for Horizon Chase. And the tunes are almost identical. Pretty neat.
Personally, I'd also add Infernax to this list. It's just as amazing and nostalgic as it is difficult. Still, it's a must play.
The best part about Horizon Chase Turbo is they got the same composer of the old school games (Top Gear, Lotus) to return to game composing for the soundtrack.
Ion Fury is good, but I’d have definitely picked Dusk as an fps entry.
Legend of Grimrock is one of my favorite games of all time. Played through it multiple times. Unfortunately the sequel never clicked with me for some reason
Have to agree on "Legend Of Grimrock", if you remember playing Dungeon Master/Chaos Strikes Back by "FTL" then you will REALLY enjoy this game and it's follow up. There is a MOD for the game that turns it into Dungeon Master :) Fun games for Retro 16bit gamers :)