The Best Vintage Retro-Style Games

Until recently, digital culture seemed to be a phenomenon aimed solely at the future. However, this is not the case: today’s electronic media are happy to turn to their past. The rapid development of technology has confirmed a sad truth: what seems most modern becomes obsolete the fastest. Electronic storage media deteriorate, and old programs stop running on new devices. At a certain point, a relatively large group of computer users emerged who did not want to put up with this.

The aesthetics of the old games – more primitive graphics, modest sound effects, an emphasis on simplicity, clear objectives and tasks rather than cinematic expression – are a breath of fresh air, which was so lacking for players in the era of commercialized games in the early 21st century. Most importantly, the production of these games was many times cheaper. As a result, the “first wave” of independent computer games that emerged in the late 2010s, which immediately threatened the position of high-budget games, drew their inspiration from retro aesthetics. It is worth noting that the slots described on the site https://designgild.in/ are also retro games. They copy the functionality of land-based slot machines.

Here you will see:

ADVERTISEMENT

• Bloodstained;
• Cuphead;
• Shovel Knight and others.

Golf Story

A classic RPG from the 1990s, Golf Story, tells the story of a young boy who dreams of becoming a professional golfer by all means. The player will have to complete numerous quests and errands, play mini-games and learn how to play golf. Golf Story contains several colourful and varied courses, plenty of good humour and classic golf with a view from above. The comedic story nicely dilutes the classic gameplay and presents a fun story. Fans of nostalgia will love Golf Story. 

Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon

The Kickstarter campaign of Koji Igarashi, one of the fathers of classic Castlevania, to fund the development of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, included a point to create a short 8-bit re-release of the classic game. Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon was not just a fun addition to the main game but a terrific retro project. The result is a large fan base, a speedrunner community, and a soon-to-be-released sequel. 

Unlike Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which is a modern variation on the theme of the classics, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a real retro-Castlevania with eight-bit graphics, high difficulty level and classic gameplay. Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon and its sequel is a must-play for all Castlevania fans.

The Messenger

The Ninja Gaiden series has received so many sequels, spin-offs and copies that it is only possible to remember them with Wikipedia. And it started far back in 1988 on the NES as a 2D action platformer. The Messenger takes the classic Ninja Gaiden series design and offers seamless, polished gameplay with a high level of difficulty, responsive controls and stunning retro style. 

Owlboy 

Adventure platformer about Owlboy with a coming-of-age story takes the player on a magical journey filled with good humour, hilarious characters, colourful locations, exciting gameplay and airborne pirates. The gameplay builds on the ability to carry items and various textures, forcing the player to combine the protagonist’s and his friends’ skills to defeat the pirates. 

The greatness of Owlboy lies not in the uniqueness of the gameplay or the nostalgia factor but in the magic. It combines music, visual style, storytelling, and gameplay. It only takes a few minutes in the game’s company to fall in love with Owlboy. 

Sonic Mania

When you look at the screenshots or clips of Sonic Mania, the first thing that comes to mind is “remaster”. But in practice – an entirely new game. It is almost impossible to distinguish Sonic Mania from the classic adventures of the blue hedgehog from SEGA. And it’s not just the visuals but also the quality of gameplay and high-class level design. Sonic Mania is not to be missed by the fans of Sonic games – 25 years after the original game’s release, SEGA has generally pleased the players with one of the best parts of the series. 

Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection

Capcom decided not to spare young players and released a sequel to one of the most challenging games ever in 2021. Unfortunately, playing Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection in 2021 is just as painful as it was 30 years ago in the original. The new part contains elements of progression, rogue-lite pumping and a choice of difficulty levels. Still, real men will naturally ignore such things and pass the game as the forefathers intended it! Maximum difficulty level, no upgrades, no checkpoints! You’re dead – delete your save and start over! 

Cuphead

While it is hard to call Cuphead “retro” in the usual videogame sense, it is also hard to find other terms to describe Cuphead’s stylistic approach. A unique action-platformer about battles with various bosses is made in the style of classic American animated movies of the 30s-40s. The polished gameplay, responsive controls, high difficulty level and utterly unique style, made Cuphead one of the best indie games of the past decade. 

Cave Story

Inspired by Metroid and Castlevania, the game from lone developer Daisuke Amaya became a cult sensation upon its initial release and won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of players. A few years later, a revised and updated Cave Story+ was released, which is playable today. The game is a cheerful and lively action platformer with quality gameplay, energetic music and a colourful but straightforward style. In addition, cave Story contains a couple of original mechanics and some weird humour that come as the cherry on the cake of high-quality gameplay. 

Shovel Knight

One of the best indie games of the 21st century, Shovel Knight’s series of adventures is in the action-platformer genre and contains everything a fan of retro-stylistic video games could want. Pixelated graphics, a complete soundtrack, high-speed gameplay with responsive controls, and tons of content. Shovel Knight will appeal to casual gamers, hardcore gamers, speedrunners, and everyone else – it’s almost impossible to complain about the game’s gameplay. Thanks to the variety of content in the game, finding something to your liking is not tricky. 

Undertale

Were you expecting something different? A unique, funny and original game. Describing the genre identity of Undertale alone is a challenging task. Before us, a kind of adventure of a child falling into a magical underworld that lives according to unusual laws. The player will have to go on a long journey filled with puzzles, unique characters and strange quests. Every step in Undertale brings pleasant surprises both from the narrative and the gameplay side. We could talk about Undertale for a long time, but it’s better to play it. A unique gaming experience is hard to imagine.