Modern "retro" games. The comeback of new retro

[Xeogred]

Yeah some of the genres for this stuff are an instant no sale for me. Things like 20XX look really appealing to me at a glance, but the moment I see roguelike or co-op/online, I'm not touching it.

I also don't know about you guys, but I often look at some of this stuff and think... I could just be playing some "new" actual retro games I haven't gotten around to yet instead. It's a weird balancing act. But I am certainly happy with these trends, I'm just really picky with them.

[Segata]

Wonder Boy Dragon's Trap
Undertale
Astebreed
Ghost Blade HD
Darius Burst CS
Assault Suit Leynos
Earth's Dawn
Matterfall
Resogun
Nex Machina
Child of Light
Wild Guns Reloaded


These are just some absolute musts for retro feel in a modern era. There is more I will get to when I get back and go in more detail.

[Exhuminator]

I also don't know about you guys, but I often look at some of this stuff and think... I could just be playing some "new" actual retro games I haven't gotten around to yet instead. It's a weird balancing act.

Yeah, the best neo-retro games add in touches of modern sensibility to go with the nostalgic aesthetics/design.

[Erik_Twice]

I can vouch for Freedom Planet, it's a fantastic game. It can go head-on with the Mega Drive Sonic games. Were it not for the fact that levels get less interesting as one progresses, I would say it's better than them, actually. The main reason is higher variety of enemies, it truly has an effect on the game.

Cuphead is beautifull, but has very simple enemy patterns and dull level design. It's interesting because at first glance it seems like it avoids the usual Europlatformer issues but when you think about it a bit more you start noticing the same old problems. Most notably, it's hard to parse on-screen information and there are lot of attacks where the enemy suddenly covers the screen. It's not as bad as in other games, but the design issue is still there.

[Sarge]

Weirdly, I enjoyed Pier Solar. It does bog down at points, and the graphics are a bit too busy for their own good. But overall, it's a fun time. Just make sure you buy the elemental guards; they're the best accessories in the game, bar none. Cheap, to boot, so no excuses!

Of course, I also managed to enjoy Black Sigil, so that might say more about me than anything.

[BoneSnapDeez]

This thread is making me realize that I have a much stricter definition of "modern retro" than the lot of you. To me, it's recently-developed games that at first glance - or first sampling - could trick someone into thinking they were 20+ years old. Chiptunes, pixel graphics, and so on. So, to give some examples, games like Black Sigil, Witch & Hero, Bloody Vampire, Shovel Knight, Ninja Smasher!, Helen's Mysterious Castle, Odallus, VVVVVV, and so on...... Plus legit homebrews like The Legends of Owlia, Pier Solar, and a bunch of excellent AtariAge titles.

The likes of Cuphead and Resogun are super slick with modern day aesthetics - they just happen to belong to genres that peaked in popularity years ago. I don't get that retro vibe from stuff like that at all.

Yeah some of the genres for this stuff are an instant no sale for me. Things like 20XX look really appealing to me at a glance, but the moment I see roguelike or co-op/online, I'm not touching it.

Yeah, same. I was THIS close to wishlisting it till I really read into the description. Sigh.

[Xeogred]

I'm with you there Bone on being a bit stricter about it.

Shantae is a weird one, but nothing about the Pirate's Curse felt like a 32bit platformer or anything to me. It definitely felt newer and more modern than that. But it's got the pixel art in a way... so it's kind of a tricky one.

Something like Hollow Knight though, I wouldn't label retro. But Axiom Verge? Heck yes. And I can see myself liking Hollow Knight... but let's just say I've already beaten Axiom Verge.

It really is about the aesthetics for me. Anything going for a legit authentic looking 8/16bit experience and it definitely has my interest. Anyways, not to be too silly about it. In the words of Koji Igarashi 2D WILL NEVER DIE!

Here's my current little "Retro" category I have for my Steam backlog:

Alwa's Awakening
Armored Hunter Gunhoud EX
Castle in the Darkness
Cosmic Star Heroine
Jet Gunner
Mighty Gunvolt
Pharaoh Rebirth+
Rosenkreuzstilette

[Exhuminator]

Yeah but 20XX is co-op! I'd love to co-op that with somebody.

[Sarge]

Castle in the Darkness
Pharaoh Rebirth+

Both of these games are boss. Well worth playing.

For my "retro", I mostly consider the gameplay aspect for whether I consider it for the category or not. While some wear it on their sleeves, with full-on pixel graphics and sounds that could have come from that era, I also count games that continue those styles of gameplay (primarily 2D) with a fresh coat of paint.

Just thought of another one, too: Hyper Light Drifter. It took me a bit to cotton to it, but it's a lot of fun.

[Segata]

If it gives me that same kind of joy,gameplay that feels and reminds me of retro games then I count it as the "modern retro"