Narita Boy wastes no time in easing you into its surprisingly complex world. HIM deploys its minions known as Stallions throughout the world, and it’s your job to obtain the legendary Techno Sword, take down the hordes of corrupt enemies, and restore The Creator’s memories. The overarching narrative sees you take on the role of Narita Boy, who must traverse the Digital Kingdom within a video game to battle the forces of HIM, a virus that has stolen the memories of The Creator, the game’s, uh… creator. For newcomers of the Metroidvania genre, Narita Boy isn’t the most accommodating title to start with, but it’s certainly one that rewards patience and exploration. The pixelated visuals feel retro and yet distinctly modern at the same time, with beautiful animations, bold environment design, and an optional CRT filter that enhances the overall tone of the game (though can occasionally feel a bit too much). It’s an action-oriented Metroidvania that absolutely leans into a heavy ‘80s, Tron-like aesthetic, but never lets it overshadow the world or its characters. Let’s be clear right from the start: Narita Boy is a great game. Thankfully though, with so many ‘80s-themed books, movies, and games to choose from recently, it’s gotten incredibly easy to filter out the great from the poor. Unfortunately, nostalgia has often seemingly taken precedence over good storytelling, resulting in some rather questionable throwbacks (looking at you, Mr. We’re at a point in time where those who were born or grew up in the ‘80s are now expressing their love for the decade through the arts, resulting in cultural behemoths like Stranger Things and Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. It’s 2021, yet it somehow still feels like we’re in the 1980s. Narita Boy has style and substance in equal measure, and is a massively impressive first game from Studio Koba.Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) There’s no doubt the unique world the game has created is intoxicating, and although some might be put off by its retro aesthetics – the filter effect that distorts the picture edges is definitely a love it or hate it thing for example – there’s no doubt it helps elevates the experience above other Metroidvanias. The only issue on this score is the slightly strange and sparse checkpointing. Suffice to say there’s rarely a dull moment in Narita Boy, and it’s never frustratingly difficult – a quality a game with such an old school style might have been tempted to inherit from those controller smashing titles of yore.
There are also wrinkles added to the core gameplay that are very welcome, including transforming into a stag and morphing with – well we won’t ruin it. You’ll need that kind of power to take down the many massive bosses you’ll face though, and you’re drip-fed a range of new abilities to make the combat less of a chore. This includes the techno sword, which you get early on and is possibly a tad overpowered – but is hugely fun because of that. There are additions to the formula that make things feel fresh however. There’s platforming, puzzling, and exploration all present and correct – with keys you find unlocking previously inaccessible areas. It’s an inspired creation that never feels tired or over familiar.Ī Metroidvania where you play as a computer obsessed boy sucked into a world called the Digital Kingdom, you are the titular Narita Boy – and have to solve the ongoing war caused by nefarious renegade programme HIM. Narita Boy has an aesthetic inspired by a number of sources – Akira, Stalker, and too many 8-bit titles to count – but it somehow manages to feel unique.Įven more pleasing is that the presentation is matched by the gameplay.