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The word “retro” has taken a lot of forms over the years, but in the video game space, it typically refers to titles that haven’t been around for a long time or were made in some of the earlier generations. For example, games in the 80s and 90s are “retro” because they were there in the “very early days” in the industry, and also because of how “old” they look compared to the video games we have today. Yet, even with that, we’re seeing more and more that retro games have a place in our industry, and there are plenty of ways to prove it.
What’s Old Is New Again
Let’s start with something that’s a bit obvious, but must be said: retro games can sometimes be the most fun games to play. After all, they were built in an age where making a bad game could be a literal death sentence, and some are so revered that even against certain titles of recent years, people will put the retro titles against them.
Another element to consider is that seeing updates and new entries in series that are considered “retro” is a thriving part of the video game industry today.
For example, there are plenty of video games from early generations that were side-scrolling beat-em ups. They were fun, simple to make, and incredibly popular. If you’ve paid attention, you’ll notice that multiple titles in that genre have come out over the last five years or so and have been incredibly successful.
Take Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The game paid tribute to the arcade and console classics of past eras, kept the visual style, and just improved the gameplay while also making it so six people could play at the same time! It was a huge hit because it worked well, played well, and had all the style and flair that retro games are known for.
Adding to this is that there are teams that truly revel in the “retro style” and want to make games to pay tribute to what’s come before. An excellent example of that is Yacht Club Games. They made the series based around Shovel Knight, which was created to be a tribute to 8-bit-style games of the past. A whole franchise was made because the first game was so successful, and they’ve made games since, including one that’ll debut soon, which was all about tapping into the retro gaming trend.
Undoubtedly, we’ll see more of these “what’s old is new” games going forward, but if you want truer examples of retro games being played, we can easily tell you where to look.
Easier To Get Retro Games Now
Easily one of the biggest problems with trying to play retro games is access. As in, gamers often got rid of the games they never wanted to play or put them up for sale at times to try and get a little extra cash. Don’t be mad if that was you; we all did it at one point or another. The problem is that, eventually, we want to play those games again…and we can’t.
Thankfully, video game developers have become quite aware that the “nostalgia factor” within the gaming community has never been more pronounced, and as a result of that, they’ve done numerous things to try and “scratch that itch.” One of them is trying to remaster or remake certain “retro classics” so that players can see them in a new light. However, this has been a bit…mixed in results over the years.
The way that many gamers have enjoyed getting their retro games is via collections or services that let them tap into the nostalgia that’s easily accessible.
One such collection was the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics! This came out of nowhere and literally made people scream in joy during the reveal at a Nintendo Direct. It’s seriously a meme now, which makes it even more hilarious. The collection brought in not only the iconic Marvel/Capcom clashes, but side games and titles that hadn’t been playable in a LONG time, if ever outside of certain countries! That’s a huge win for gamers because they now have access to MULTIPLE popular titles from the past without having to pay a lot of money for them.
Then, there are services like Nintendo Switch Online, which have uploaded multiple titles from NES, SNES, SEGA Genesis, Game Boy, and more over the years so that Nintendo gamers can dive into the nostalgia and see where things all started.
If we’re lucky, more collections and uploads like this will happen over time.
Making Something New To Keep Retro Franchises Going
Finally, and arguably most importantly in some respects, we need to acknowledge that video game developers haven’t “given up” on many retro franchises. There are plenty of series from the 80s and 90s that are going strong today, with no signs of slowing down. Mario is an excellent example of that.
What’s important to some, though, is that they breathe “new life” into older franchises so that nostalgia isn’t the only thing that gamers have to hold onto. For a good reference point for this notion, let’s look at a very recent game, Donkey Kong Bananza.
For Donkey Kong, you could easily argue that his franchise has been “rooted in retro stylings” since the SNES. Heck, Retro Studios, a perfectly named group, made two titles that played just like the SNES games, but with modern graphics and other improvements. Yet, Nintendo felt it was time for DK to break through and get some much-needed love and evolution. So, they made Donkey Kong Bananza, which gave DK a makeover, leaned into his strength and power to destroy everything, and even brought back Pauline, in her younger form, to showcase another case of growth in a retro character.
The title was a smash hit, pun intended, and people are calling it a “Game of the Year” contender.
As for other companies, like, say, Konami, they’re trying to do the same thing with their own titles and franchises, like with the Silent Hill F title, which seeks to be the first hit game for the franchise in quite some time.
Granted, not all of these “injections of life” will work; Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves highlighted that fact, but the attempt is still noted. It shows that developers want to keep retro games going both in their original forms and make something fresh from them for gamers to enjoy.
If that keeps happening, then these games will never truly die.
