Looking for a classic gaming experience, but don’t want to have to dust off your old consoles? Here’s a list of modern titles that will provide you with a retrotastic experience.
Picture acquired from gadgetsteria.com
Wizardry -> The Dark Spire (DS)
First-person dungeon crawlers are truly gamer’s games. Their unapologetic difficulty discourages all but the most resilient players, while their minimalist graphics are a major turnoff to graphics hounds. Still, the genre once ruled the world, captivating our imagination, causing an uptick in spiral notebook sales (for making maps), and destroying our sleep cycles. There were many first-person dungeon crawlers, but few reached the cultural significance of the Wizardry series.
On the left is Wizardry 1 (1981). On the right is The Dark Spire (2008 JP/2009 NA), using the wireframe visual option.
So where’s an old-school first-person dungeon crawler fan supposed to go? The Etrian Odyssey series does a great job of resurrecting the map-making portion of dungeon crawlers, but for a really authentic experience, one needs to look no further than The Dark Spire. The story is nothing you haven’t heard before: climb a tower, vanquish the bad guys, save the day. There’s a little more to it, but that about sums up the relevant bits.
Between the steep learning curve, high difficulty, and even an old-school wireframe option, The Dark Spire provides an experience nearly identical to what you would have found in the early 80s. It’s a great throwback to a time when games destroyed your soul, instead of coddling you on the way to the end screen.
The Legend of Zelda -> 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
Upon its release, The Legend of Zelda represented a big step forward in top-down gaming. Combining an epic tale of good versus evil with exploration and a wide variety of items, it was in a league of its own upon release. In the years since then, many similar games have seen the light of day. Curious where you can find a modern yet retro-style take on the original Legend of Zelda formula? 3D Dot Game Heroes is your answer!
On the left is The Legend of Zelda (1986 JP/1987 NA). On the right is 3D Dot Game Heroes (2009 JP/2010 NA).
The kingdom of Dotnia was once in 2D, but the King of the Land decided that sprites were outdated. With this decision made, he caused the world to shift into 3D while still maintaining its pixelated style, resulting in a world built by small blocks. Aside from this humorous bit, the storyline mirrors A Link to the Past almost exactly: A bad guy has stolen six magic orbs, which has thrown Dotnia into chaos. It’s up to the Hero (a descendant of a legendary Hero who saved the land from a similar fate) to defeat the bad guy and restore order to the kingdom.
3D Dot Game Heroes doesn’t try to hide its influences; rather, it celebrates them by simultaneously lampooning and paying homage to the games that came before it. The gameplay style, the sense of adventure and discovery, quaint little towns in between dark and scary dungeons…everything that made Zelda great is represented here, even the high (but still quite conquerable) difficulty. 3D Dot Game Heroes provides plenty of fun for all gamers, but if you grew up playing the original Legend of Zelda or A Link to the Past, you’ll have an especially good time with it.
Chrono Trigger -> Radiant Historia (DS)
Chrono Trigger is a game loved the world over, having embedded itself firmly in the childhood memories of an entire generation. You would think it almost impossible for a modern game to offer up a similar experience, but Radiant Historia comes real close. Seemingly made with Chrono Trigger fans in mind, Radiant Historia combines how time travel affects an intriguing storyline while also offering up a non-standard turn-based battle system. The 2D sprites and attention to individual characters help further the comparison.
On the left is Chrono Trigger (1995). On the right is Radiant Historia (2010 JP/2011 NA).
Stocke (the main character) comes in possession of a book known as the White Chronicle. Guided by two ethereal beings, Stocke has to traverse the hallways of time in an attempt to fix history, which has been thrown askew by someone in possession of the Black Chronicle, a book which offers powers similar to the White Chronicle. Despite the constant time travel, the narrative is still relatively easy to follow, with a couple of traditional twists thrown in for good measure.
Now, don’t let me get your hopes up too much; if Chrono Trigger is one of your major childhood games, Radiant Historia certainly isn’t going to replace it. However, it will be a nice addition to your memories, offering up something akin to an encore. Radiant Historia is easily one of the best RPGs in the past decade, and I consider it to be a must-own title for all DS owners.
Super Metroid -> Shadow Complex (Xbox)
Super Metroid represents the best a 2D Metroid game has to offer, perfectly balancing exploration with frantic combat. Side-scrollers have enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, but if you’re looking for something as close to the Super Metroid experience as possible, Shadow Complex is all you need.
On the left is Super Metroid (1994). On the right is Shadow Complex (2009).
In Shadow Complex, the main character (voiced by Nolan North) has to try to stop the Restoration, a group whose long-term goal is to incite civil war in the United States. From a story standpoint, Shadow Complex doesn’t have much in common with Super Metroid. However, when talking about gameplay, Super Metroid’s influence becomes clear. The way the combat feels, the kind of exploration you have to do, and even the map system will bring back nostalgic memories associated with Samus’ SNES debut.
The similarities don’t end there. Even the experience of playing through Shadow Complex is similar to playing through Super Metroid. The happy chemical it releases in your brain provides you with the same sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as Super Metroid. Every time you discover a new area or a new weapon, you feel like you’ve conquered a mountain…a mountain that can blow things up.
Mega Man -> Mega Man 9 (Wii, PS3, Xbox, Mobile)
In my opinion, the Mega Man series really hit its stride when the series switched over to the Mega Man X format. Still, there’s no denying the importance of the original Mega Man series, which raised the bar for platformers. Looking for a new but still classic Mega Man experience? You can’t beat Mega Man 9!
On the left is Mega Man (1987). On the right is Mega Man 9 (2008).
Everything about Mega Man 9 was designed to make it look like it was released on the NES. The audio, the visuals, the controls, and even the box art all look like something straight out of the 80s. Even better, it still feels like the original Mega Man. There haven’t been any kind of crazy developments or additions, and there aren’t any out of place changes to the formula. This looks and plays like a classic Mega Man title through and through. It was so successful that a similarly designed sequel was released, Mega Man 10. Here’s to hoping we haven’t seen the last of these modern-retro Mega Man titles.
Wrap-up
As shown above, there’s a lot of choices out there for gamers looking for a nostalgia blast while still playing modern titles. Not only do they help bring back a ton of great memories, but they also allow younger gamers to enjoy retro game design wrapped up in a modern package they can appreciate. What are some of your favorite modern games based on retro classics?
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