What is old is new
Replaying old games can be fun, but what if nostaglia was paired with new experiences?
Sometimes in stressful situations, we like to go back and binge on the familiar. That boxed set of Friends or Doctor Who episodes might soothe our troubled spirits, but when it comes to games, sometimes the classics are hard to go back to.
Sure some titles will hold up to the end of time(looking at you Link to the Past), but other times games end up looking and playing differently than you remember. The truth is we as gamers have come to expect certain quality of life improvements like checkpoints and savepoints, and while some pixel art is timeless, it’s hard to go back to textureless polygons.
Some gaming memories are beautiful, but best left in the past. These three games coming out soon will scratch that nostalgia itch while still giving a new experience and catering to modern sensibilities.
Deadeus
It seems like a quiet miracle that we are still getting new games for Game Boy in 2021. Deadeus is a BRAND NEW top-down adventure centered around a small boy who has a prophetic nightmare telling him everyone will die in 3 days.
Play this if you’re craving a darker adventure in the style of Pokemon or Earthbound with a mystery similar to Mask of Majora behind it all. The small village holds many secrets, and different events happen on different days in different places, allowing for 11 different endings. Feel free to watch our first day playthrough below.
Developed using Chris Maltby’s GB Studio engine, and featuring music by Stuart Busby, Deadeus is a cartridge available in an original box including a manual and can be acquired here.
Kitsune Tails
I feel like the Tanuki Suit in a certain plumber game escaped from the world imagined in Kitsune Tails. These bright colorful levels and all the different suits really trigger my nostalgia for the bygone era of the 8 and 16-bit era of platformers, while intriguing me with new possibilities.
Run, jump and dash across five worlds inspired by Japanese mythology as Yuzu, a young and inexperienced member of the fox people called kitsune serving as a divine messenger of the goddess Inari. Follow her destiny and prove even a half-kitsune with a human father can master adorable elemental outfits bestowing powerful abilities including ground pound attacks, running on water, shooting fireballs, and freezing enemies solid.
Earn even more special abilities by finding hidden outfits or stealing them from monsters. Ride a giant boot, become an invincible rainbow fox, or use an antique samurai spear to scale walls. Fend off unfriendly ghosts with the warm light of paper lanterns in search of secret doors. Retrace Yuzu’s footsteps through earlier areas with newfound powers to find optional story content and unlock the best ending.
A Kickstarter campaign for Kitsune Tails will run in mid 2021 ahead of its release on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 as well as Windows PC and Linux via Steam and itch.io
30XX
This game certainly has the soul of a certain blue robot hero from the past, but has evolved to modern sensibilities. 30XX has beautiful hi-bit pixel art and an energetic chiptune soundtrack we could only dream of in the early days of consoles. Alongside the classic roguelike Arcade Mode and permadeath-free Mega Mode campaign, 30XX empowers fans to design the levels of their dreams with Maker Mode.
Popular player-made creations will be vetted by Batterystaple Games and other adventurers will have the option to shuffle these gauntlets into their journeys, helping keep the experience fresh and new for millennia to come.
30XX will be available Feb. 17, 2021 on Steam Early Access.
