198X, an upcoming game by a Swedish studio and team of international pixel artists, isn’t just set in the 80s. It’s visiting most of the decade’s biggest genres in the one game, from arcade driving to beat-em-ups to JRPGs.
The project is up on Kickstarter — I know, I know — but I’m digging the art so much I thought I’d share anyway.
See?
Anyway, here’s a look at the various genres being represented, with art provided by people from as far afield as France and Japan:
The game is about a kid visiting a suburban arcade, so these five genre homages aren’t just passing nods, they’re the core of the game, and you have to play through each of them.
They’re hoping (yes, yes, Kickstarter) to have it out in early 2019 on PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Switch.
Comments
10 responses to “198X Is Every 80s Game In One”
That actually looks gorgeous and hits me right in the nostalgia button.
Will back.
Indeed. Really interested in this.
That’s some sweet pixel art.
I see ultra-realistic graphics….i’m cold. I see awesome pixel art like this, my imagination goes wild. It’s almost counter-intuitive.
a e s t h e t i c
Let’s hope they don’t get a cease and desist from the original artists or studios.
That header gif is a pretty shameless rip of this gif pixel art that was previously posted on Kotaku: https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/11/the-loneliness-of-japan-in-retro-style-gifs/
The framing, the pose, the animation.. I mean, I get that this game is a cheeky nod to all things retro, but this is ripping off the artwork of a current artist.
It’s made by the same artist, Motocros Saito is one of the pixel artists working on 198X
Ooops, probably should have looked for myself. I’ll deflate my outrage.
I’d warn to be careful. There was a Kickstarter for a game called Confederate Express many years ago. Had some damn fine artwork enticing many (myself included) to back it. Game was pitched as a squad based, turn based RPG set in a post apocalyptic world.
Game got the backing it needed and then some. Then the guy running it disappeared, taking the money with him. We didn’t hear from him again until 5 years later. He did finish the game, but he’d run out of money and what we got wasn’t a squad based, RPG. Bore little resemblance to what was pitched. So be careful always.