If there was one thing that really hit me at PAX this year, it’s how many new games seem to be taking their cues from the 16-bit era. It’s like the return to 8-bit gameplay phase that started 4-5 years ago with games likeMega Man 9,Grand Theftendo(now calledRetro City Rampage), andNew Super Mario Bros., has finally evolved to the next generation of retro. We’ve seen that evolution slowly phasing in with games likeShadow Complex,Mutant Mudds,Super Meat Boy,Donkey Kong Country Returns,Rayman Origins, andFez, but not it seems to be everywhere, from Japanese titles likeBlack Knight SwordandSonic 4 Episode II, to European games likeHell Yeah!andThey Bleed Pixels, to Western titles likeSword and Sworcery,Super Time Force,Dyad,Runner 2,Double Dragon: Neon,Penny Arcade: Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3, and nowGuacamelee.
It was while playingGucameleethat I first realized how big this 16 bit trend had gotten, as the game does absolutely nothing to disguise its love for SNES/Genesis era. Within 10 minutes of the PAX demo, you stumble upon a Chozo statue holding a glowing ball. Break the stature and you find a magical goat-man. This goat-man turns you into a chicken. Being a chicken has all the advantages of rolling into morph ball. It’s as if the games developers were saying “You’ve playedSuper Metorid. We’ve playedSuper Metroid. Let’s take that shared language and do whatever we want with it.” From there the game takes gameplay elements of 16 bit co-op beat’em ups likeFinal Fightand adventure titles likeA Link to the Past,all wrapped in an art style that recalls a day whenBatman: The Animated Serieswas a prime-time hit.
If this is the direction that gaming is headed in, I’m going to be a happy man.
