The retro gaming genre seems to be coming back with a vengeance. There are game revivals with high definition enhancements as well as those that just simply retain its 8-bit vintage look. For Vblank Enterinament’s game designer, Brian Provinciano, the latter path is what he chose to take for his ambitious game Retro City Rampage, which he has spent many years to work on. With the game paying homage to the good old Nintendo years of the 80s and 90s, will it be able to win gamers over?
Right off the start, Retro City Rampage has an appearance of an 8-bit game, which is the intent of the game design. Specifically, the characters, objects and background have a pixilated appearance with limited variety of colors. Looking at how much detail that has been incorporated into Retro City Rampage, it is evident that a lot of diligent work being placed in this game is paying off. Players who are able to appreciate the vintage will get a kick out of this presentation.  The music and sound effects also have a retro style incorporated thereby remaining faithful to the designer’s efforts in providing a classic experience.
The game looks and plays out very much like the first Grand Theft Auto with the top-down perspective. As well, you’ll be driving and shooting away like there’s no tomorrow. As a matter of fact, some of the missions involve getting behind the wheel and creating explosions. You have a variety of weapons to choose from, including your typical gun and flamethrower. There are even guitars that you can pick up and use to hurt people! Additionally, you can get into cars that have weapons themselves too. Causing havoc and mayhem in a city has never gotten more enjoyable. The incorporation of variety here is so effective that it manages to keep the game fresh and diverse.
Retro City Rampage does have even more to do with a number of mini games available when you get into certain places. For example, enter into an arcade and you’ll be able to play a few games that have cameo appearances from a few games, including Super Meat Boy. These mini games are a lot of fun and allow players to divert their experience into something a bit different from the main story. Hence, Retro City Rampage is pretty lengthy in terms of content, especially when you also include some of the collectibles waiting to be discovered.
The Story Mode itself will keep you preoccupied for a long while. There are more than 60 missions to keep your eyes glued to the screen with its retro craziness. But if you want to have a change in gameplay slightly, then you can engage in arcade challenge mode where there’s even more content involved. Finally, there’s the free play mode where you start off with a lot of money, and I’m saying like close to a billion dollars here, as well as gain immediate access to many weapons. So if you’re wanting to cheat, this is your chance with this fun mode!
Basically, Retro City Rampage is all about paying tribute to the 80s and 90s. Those who grew up in this era will find that the game’s charm stems from the numerous references to such games like Back to the Future, Metal Gear, and Contra. Such attempt demonstrates the game’s sense of humor as well as its appreciation of the word, classic. Younger gamers may not necessarily understand these references, but this just gives Retro City Rampage the opportunity to provide a little education to them. Regardless, there are quite a few moments that will bring a big smile to your face.
Gamers who want to relive the good old 8-bit era but also have some fresh, new content should look no further as Retro City Rampage is here to the rescue. Currently, the game is available in the Playstation Network for $14.99 which gets you both the Playstation 3 and Vita versions. So you get your money’s worth here. There’s a lot of content filled with charm and humor that players of all ages will be able to appreciate. Just pick up this action-packed game and you’ll learn the true appreciation of both retro and rampage.
