Shakedown Hawaii

A game by VBlank Entertainment for PC, PS4, PS3, Vita, Switch, 3DS, Wii U, and Wii, originally released in 2019.

Shakedown Hawaii is the follow-up to Retro City Rampage, which was an open world actioner with NES-era visuals that was heavily influenced by the top-down entries in the Grand Theft Auto series, with loads of references to the 1980’s. Shakedown Hawaii ups the visual fidelity to the SNES era while offering a larger open world experience set in modern day, but without the extensive pop culture references… but plenty of references to outdated 80’s technology used by the primary protagonist who claims every new technology to be a fad. The game also features a heavy focus on economics to help the player rise from the ranks of washed-up businessman to Hawaii's top mogul.

You take on the role of three individuals who embark on a coordinated crime spree across Hawaii, roughing up business owners, stealing cars, profiteering, manipulating real estate prices, and pretty much any crime they can think of to scrape their way to the top. The game offers more than 100 missions, hundreds of properties and businesses to purchase, and a number of score-based challenges (in GTA terms, think rampages) where you rack up kills and deliver destruction to earn medals.

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 2019, 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, VBlank Entertainment, Vita

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

A game by Inti Creates and ArtPlay for PC, PS4, Vita, Switch, 3DS, and Xbox One, originally released in 2018.

There’s no arguing that Castlevania has left a lasting mark on the gaming landscape. The series introduced players to gothic environments filled with classic monsters, the regularly-resurrected Dracula as its main villain, and a lineage of whip-wielding heroes with stiff jumps to push back evil for another 100 years (assuming Drac could ever stay down for that long). The series continued to break its own rules by introducing light RPG elements in its second outing, followed by a prequel that offered multiple playable characters, and then a revisitation of the original story of Simon Belmont that introduced new gameplay mechanics… and that’s all before the series went on to establish the basics of the now-well-trodden metroidvania subgenre.

While there are innumerable games that have pulled their influences from the metroidvania era of Castlevania, far fewer have drawn inspirations from the early games in the series. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is one such game, delivering an experience that is so close to the early Castlevania games – Castlevania III in particular – that a few sprite swaps would make it impossible to separate it from the real thing; it looks and plays like a modern update to the classic series.

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 2018, 3DS, ArtPlay, Inti Creates, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One

Mighty Gunvolt Burst / Gal*Gunvolt Burst

A game by Inti Creates for Switch, 3DS, PS4, and PC, originally released in 2017, with the Gal*Gunvolt Burst version released in 2018.

Inti Creates followed up their retro-style Mighty Gunvolt with Mighty Gunvolt Burst / Gal*Gunvolt Burst, which once again features Gunvolt from Azure Striker Gunvolt and Beck from Mighty No. 9. There are several additional downloadable characters as well, including Ekoro and Kurona from Gal*Gun (Ekoro also appears in the original Mighty Gunvolt as a standard character, and is a standard character in the Gal*Gunvolt Burst version), Call and RAY from Mighty No. 9, and Joule and Copen from the Azure Striker Gunvolt series. Each character has his or her own playstyle, movement abilities, and weapons, although the levels themselves remain unchanged aside from a few story elements.

The game is not a canonical part of any of the aforementioned series, but rather takes place in a VR setting and acts as a retro throwback actioner heavily inspired by the Mega Man series. It’s a somewhat more substantial outing than its bite-sized predecessor, weighing in around two or three hours on a first attempt. Beck, Gunvolt, or whichever character you’ve downloaded have been sucked into a VR world and must defeat the eight robot masters… er, rather the eight robotic Mighty Numbers, in order to escape the simulation.

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 2017, 2018, 3DS, Inti Creates, PC, PS4, Switch

SteamWorld Dig 2

A game by Image & Form for PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Vita, and 3DS, originally released in 2017.

SteamWorld Dig 2 picks up after the events of the original SteamWorld Dig. In the original game, players took on the role of Rusty, a steambot whose father passed away while working in his mine. Rusty takes over working the mine and finds that it is not only filled with valuable minerals but also mysterious artifacts which grant him new abilities. But time has passed and Rusty has not returned to the surface, so a young steambot named Dorothy goes looking for her friend.

The SteamWorld universe is comprised of SteamWorld Tower Defense, the SteamWorld Dig series, and Steamworld Heist, and these games follow an alternate timeline for Earth in which 19th century humanity creates simple steam-powered robots and mechanical computers to perform basic tasks. But the rise in technology eventually leads to humanity’s destruction, forcing the remaining survivors underground while steambots continue living on the world above, largely unaware of the ancient technology that exists beneath their feet.

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 2017, 3DS, Image & Form, Linux, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita

Bye-Bye Boxboy

A game by HAL Laboratory for 3DS, originally released in 2017.

Qbby and pals have returned for one more adventure in the Boxboy universe, this time entitled Bye-Bye Boxboy. This is the third game in the series, following Boxboy and Boxboxboy, each of which features Qbby using his box-extending powers to create shapes that allow him to navigate levels and solve environmental puzzles. As before, the visual design is quite minimal, with simple black and white backgrounds, boxy environments, and Qbby himself appearing as a box with legs. The story is also minimal, tasking Qbby to save a series of planets, but a new element is added in the form of Qbabies that introduce several new block types that significantly impact gameplay.

As in the previous games, Qbby has a low 1x jump and the ability to extend boxes outward from his body to create platforms, shields, and hooks, and these tools allow him to cross gaps, avoid being killed by electrical beams, and pull himself up to higher ledges. The length of these box chains is dictated by a counter that allows for shapes between three and eight blocks in length, but most levels limit this number to four or five blocks. In this regard, the game is more like the original Boxboy, which offered similar puzzle designs and restrictions, rather than Boxboxboy, which allowed players to create two smaller stacks of blocks.

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 2017, 3DS, HAL Laboratory, Nintendo

Blaster Master Zero

A game by Inti Creates for Switch, 3DS, and PC, originally released in 2017.

The original Blaster Master is something of a cult classic, standing out as a colorful metroidvania with unique mechanics that allow players to traverse the environment on foot or in a powerful tank called SOFIA 3rd. Players can freely enter and exit the tank, but attempting to move around the overworld on foot is dangerous, as enemies tower over the hero, and a single misstep can spell instant death (with limited lives and continues). However, players must leave the safety of the tank to move into underworld areas where they explore dungeons, shooting enemies, fighting bosses, and collecting upgrades for SOFIA. These upgrades allow the tank to fire more powerful projectiles, hover in the air, move underwater, and even climb walls, thus opening up new routes for exploration across a large world in a game that offers no map.


The game features a downright laughable story with a kid named Jason who has a pet frog named Fred. One day, Fred hops out of his terrarium and runs into the back yard, which just so happens to have a large crate containing radioactive material (as most houses do). Fred touches this crate and begins to grow to an enormous size before falling down a hole that leads to a labyrinthine underground tunnel system. Giving chase, Jason drops down the hole as well, and discovers a conveniently placed titanium tank and formfitting environment suit waiting for him at the bottom. He sets off on an adventure to find Fred, eventually killing a couple of giant frog creatures with no explanation as to whether Jason has blasted his pet froggie into a pile of oversized amphibian guts.

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 2017, 3DS, Inti Creates, PC, Switch

Ninja Smasher

A game by Q-Cumber Factory for 3DS, PC, and iOS, originally released for mobile in 2014, with an updated version released in 2016.

Ninja Smasher is an open world ninja action game with a simple premise: a bad guy has kidnapped the princess, and you must fight to rescue her. The kidnapping takes place during a playable introduction, which also acts as a tutorial, explaining the basic controls and movement abilities. The ninja fights his way toward the princess and eventually comes face-to-face with the red mustachioed goon who has taken her prisoner… but unfortunately, the baddie’s magic is too much for the squat martial artist, who is literally blown out of the castle gates.

With the gates locked and no way to open them, the ninja sets off on an adventure to grow his strength and learn new abilities to help him take the princess back. At the outset, the player is free to move to the left or the right, although the path to the left dead-ends at a cave that appears to require additional abilities to navigate. Moving to the right, the player eventually encounters a cave that leads to a standalone dungeon area, and completing this earns him the ability to double jump, opening up much of the world for exploration.

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 2014, 2016, 3DS, iOS, PC, PUMO, Q-Cumber Factory

River City: Tokyo Rumble

A game by Natsume for 3DS, originally released in Japan in 2013, and released in the US in 2016.

River City: Tokyo Rumble is a proper entry in the Kunio-kun series, which dates back more than 30 years. The first entry in the series was an arcade game entitled Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (Hot Blooded Tough Guy Kunio), which came to Western arcades as Renegade, with some changes to the setting and storyline. The game was also ported to a number of home computers and consoles, notably an NES port which was Technōs Japan’s first home console release.

The next entry in the series was a spinoff, which arrived the form of Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu, otherwise known as the cult classic Super Dodge Ball, which sees Kunio and pals facing off against a number of dodgeball champions from around the world. This game also got its start in the arcade before being ported to consoles and computers. Next up was Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the first Kunio-kun game developed specifically for a home console release, which was known in the US as River City Ransom.

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 2013, 2016, 3DS, Arc System Works, Natsume

Boxboy / Boxboxboy

Games by HAL Laboratory for 3DS, originally released in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Boxboy and Boxboxboy – which are technically named BOXBOY! and BOXBOXBOY! – are a pair of puzzle platformers starring a little square fellow named Qbby. There’s not much to the little guy, as he is made up of a rounded box with two legs and two eyes and nothing else, although he does exude a bit of personality in his smooth movements and cute idle animations. The games are presented with similarly minimal visuals consisting of simple black and white designs with occasional grey highlights in the original game, and with the addition of bits of green in the sequel.

There’s also not much to the story, which involves the player unlocking a series of doors across a largely featureless corridor and overcoming the challenges within, which clears paths that allow him to reach the next set of doors. At certain points, the player interacts with some mysterious machinery that triggers wordless cutscenes, revealing a square planet being restored and the occasional rescue of one of Qbby’s friends.

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 2015, 2016, 3DS, HAL Laboratory, Nintendo

Xeodrifter

A game by Renegade Kid for PC, PS4, Vita, Switch, Wii U, and 3DS, originally released in 2014.

Xeodrifter is a short action-adventure game that falls squarely into the metroidvania category, and its design is heavily influenced by that of Super Metroid. In the opening scene, a spaceship collides with an asteroid, sending it spinning out of control and damaging its warp core in the process. Fortunately, there are four planets nearby, and sensors indicate that they may possess the necessary materials to execute a repair.

The player is free to move to any of the planets in the vicinity by maneuvering the ship to the desired planet and pressing the DOCK button. At this point, the view transitions to the interior of the ship, which sees an astronaut standing at a control panel. To his left is a save station and a teleporter that allows him to transfer to the surface.

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 2014, 3DS, PC, PS4, Renegade Kid, Switch, Vita, Wii U

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse

A game by WayForward for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Wii U, and 3DS, originally released in 2014.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse stars Shantae, a purple haired heroine with a storied past… Shantae got her start in a self-titled adventure on the Game Boy Color in 2002, but despite the critical praise it received, the game arrived late in the system’s lifespan and only saw moderate success. WayForward struggled for many years to bring Shantae back, with plans to deliver a retail sequel on the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS, but they were ultimately unable to find a publisher for these projects.

Finally, in 2010, WayForward released a downloadable sequel in the form of Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, which sees Shantae facing off against her nemesis, Risky Boots, after her defeat in the first game. However, defeating Risky a second time came at a price, as Shantae lost her magic and was changed from a half-genie into a human.

This new sequel picks up where the last game left off, with Shantae living her life as a human. However, a new evil is rising…

Long ago, the Pirate Master was defeated by the last of the world’s genies, but a new source of evil has been found, and the Pirate Master hopes to use it to rise once again. As it turns out, Risky Boots once served under the Pirate Master’s flag, and her crew are now being controlled by this new dark magic.

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 2014, 3DS, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, WayForward, Wii U

Elliot Quest

A game by Ansimuz Games for PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, Wii U, 3DS, and Ouya, originally released in 2014.

Elliot Quest stars a young man named Elliot who must travel across an expansive island filled with dangers and treasures in order to seek the help of the Guardians. After his wife Cara disappears, Elliot finds himself growing weaker and eventually decides to commit suicide by leaping off a cliff, only to learn that he is incapable of dying. As it turns out, a demon is consuming Elliot’s life force, and if he doesn’t put a stop to it, he will become a demon himself.

The world consists of a large overworld map dotted with villages, caves, and ruins, which appear in a variety of visual themes. The world map is navigated from an overhead perspective, while the landmark locations take the form of sidescrolling environments. Most of these consist of small areas to explore, but there are several large dungeons as well, and more than a dozen bosses to fight. In addition, enemies roam certain parts of the overworld, and touching one transports the player into a small enemy-filled area with exits on either side.

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 2014, 3DS, Ansimuz Games, Linux, Mac, OUYA, PC, Switch, Wii U

Mighty Gunvolt

A game by Inti Creates for 3DS and PC, originally released in 2014.

Mighty Gunvolt is an 8-bit style action game that was released alongside Azure Striker Gunvolt. The game stars three playable characters: Gunvolt from Azure Striker Gunvolt, Ekoro from Gal*Gun, and Beck from Mighty No. 9, all of which were developed in whole or in part by Inti Creates. At the time of the game’s release, Mighty No. 9 was still under development, so it also acted as an introduction to that upcoming title as well.

The connection to Mighty No. 9 is also notable due to the fact that it was under development in conjunction with Comcept, headed by Keiji Inafune, who was one of the creators of the Mega Man series. Mighty No. 9 shares a number of design similarities with the Mega Man series, and Beck’s appearance and abilities in Mighty Gunvolt are very reminiscent of those of the Blue Bomber.

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 2014, 3DS, Inti Creates, PC

Azure Striker Gunvolt

A game by Inti Creates for 3DS and PC, originally released in 2014.

Azure Striker Gunvolt stars the titular Gunvolt who is on a mission to silence “The Muse” for an organization called Quill. The game begins with Gunvolt tied to a chair and being tortured by a guy with some sort of electrical whip… which wasn’t a grand idea, given Gunvolt’s electricity manipulation powers. Gunvolt was just waiting for the guy to soliloquize for a bit and give away the true location of The Muse, at which point he makes his escape and fights his way to her in the game’s first mission.

But when he meets her, Gunvolt realizes The Muse is just a young girl, named Joule, who is being used by an evil organization called the Sumeragi Group. Despite this, Quill orders that Gunvolt kill her, but he decides to rescue her instead, and leaves the Quill organization to set out on his own, taking freelance work while offering protection to Joule. Of course, intrigue abounds, and Gunvolt’s string of odd jobs eventually leads him back to the Sumeragi again.

Azure Striker Gunvolt’s developer, Inti Creates, is also the developer behind the bulk of the latter-day Mega Man games, including the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10, Mega Man ZX, and Mega Man ZX Advent. There are a number of design similarities between this game and the ZX series in particular, including a blue-clad hero, the aesthetics of the game world, basic environmental navigation, and the use of the touch screen to activate special abilities. Despite these similarities, however, the gameplay in Azure Striker Gunvolt is quite different from the Mega Man series… and from shooters in general.

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 2014, 3DS, Inti Creates, PC

Shovel Knight / Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

A game by Yacht Club Games for PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox One, Switch, Wii U, and 3DS, originally released in 2014, with the Treasure Trove version released in 2015.

Shovel Knight is an action platformer starring an armored hero with an unlikely weapon: the shovel blade. The eponymous Shovel Knight was once part of a duo, travelling and fighting alongside his companion, Shield Knight, but she was lost to a great and terrible magic in the Tower of Fate. With Shield Knight gone, Shovel Knight sets out on his own and leaves his valiant ways behind. But without these legendary heroes to stand in her way, the Enchantress rises to power, using the Tower of Fate to usher in a new reign of destruction. Aiding her in this dubious endeavor is a band of ne’er-do-wells called the Order of No Quarter. Shovel Knight decides that he can’t stand by while the world is taken by evil, and so he dashes into the fray once more to prove that shovelry is not dead!

The cerulean champion has a higher-than-average 2.5x variable jump, which he uses to jump high into the air and bring down shovelly death from above. By jumping and pressing DOWN, Shovel Knight aims his spade downward, allowing him to strike enemies below and bounce upward as a result. This technique may be used to reach higher platforms, or to bounce repeatedly on an enemy’s head until it is destroyed. Unlike Scrooge McDuck’s cane in DuckTales, however, the shovel does not protect the knight from dangers like spikes, which will kill him instantly.

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 2014, 2015, 3DS, Linux, Mac, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, Yacht Club Games

1001 Spikes

A game by 8bits Fanatics and Nicalis for PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Switch, and 3DS, originally released in 2014.

1001 Spikes is an abbreviation of Aban Hawkins & the 1001 Spikes. Including the subtitle, the full name is technically Aban Hawkins & the 1001 Spikes: The Temple of the Dead Mourns the Living, if you aren’t into the whole brevity thing. The game acts a pseudo sequel and enhanced remake of Aban Hawkins & the 1000 Spikes originally released on Xbox Live Indie Games in 2011 by 8bits Fanatics. For 1001 Spikes, Nicalis revisited the game and fleshed out the overall experience, adding a bit more than a single spike with a new storyline and cutscenes, a new introductory tutorial area, several multiplayer modes, enhanced visuals, and some extra tough single player challenges following the completion of the main game, making this the definitive version of the Aban Hawkins adventure.

The new story tells the tale of Aban Hawkins whose father, the famous archaeologist Jim Hawkins, recently disappeared while exploring the Antarctic. Years before, Jim Hawkins decided to leave his entire fortune to Aban’s sister Tina, leaving the impetuous Aban with nothing… in the hopes that he would become a “real man” and earn a fortune of his own.

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 2014, 3DS, 8bits Fanatics, Linux, Mac, Nicalis, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U

Mutant Mudds Deluxe / Mutant Mudds

A game by Renegade Kid for PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, 3DS, and iOS, originally released in 2012, with the Deluxe version released in 2013.

Mutant Mudds Deluxe is an enhanced version of Mutant Mudds. The game is a fairly straightforward platformer meant to harken back to the days of 8- and 16-bit gaming, featuring bright colors, low resolution, and cartoony enemy designs. You take on the role of Max, a video game loving kid – with a video game loving grannie – who finds his world turned upside-down when a meteor crashes down, bringing with it an army of Mutant Mudds.

Fortunately, Max has just the thing to deal with this muddy menace, a water gun that he can use to splatter his foes into a dirty brown spray. His weapon of choice has a limited range but unlimited ammo, allowing him to squirt his enemies into oblivion, as long as said enemies are to his left or right, as there is no way to target enemies above, below, or at an angle.

In addition, Max has a limited-use jetpack (also water powered) that lets him hover for a short time and cross small gaps, with a meter in the lower left showing how much energy remains. The jetpack recharges instantly when Max touches the ground, allowing him to jump and hover as much as needed. The player can also cancel the jetpack while in midair, but cannot re-engage it again until he returns to solid ground. In early levels, a basic understanding of the jetpack mechanics will suffice, but later levels and challenge areas require mastery of its use.

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 2012, 2013, 3DS, iOS, PC, PS3, PS4, Renegade Kid, Switch, Wii U

SteamWorld Dig

A game by Image & Form for PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, Vita, 3DS, Switch, and Wii U, originally released in 2013.

In SteamWorld Dig, you take on the role of Rusty, a steambot whose father – a miner – has recently passed away and left behind a mine filled with valuable treasures and ancient mysteries. You roll into a robot-populated Wild West town and assume operation of the mine, discovering your father’s body in the first few minutes of the game. From there, you begin digging for yourself, armed with only your father’s pickaxe and a few minutes of fuel for your lantern.

At the start of the game, Rusty isn’t a terribly capable miner. He can use his pickaxe to dig into adjacent dirt in four directions while standing on the ground, and he has a 1x jump. In addition, he can wall slide and wall jump, and repeated jumps allow him to scale vertical shafts… a skill which is very necessary, as the only way to sell accumulated ore and purchase upgrades is to return to the surface.

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 2013, 3DS, Image & Form, Linux, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One

Völgarr the Viking

A game by Crazy Viking Studios for PC, Xbox One, PS4, Vita, Switch, Wii U, and 3DS, originally released in 2013.

Völgarr the Viking tells the tale of a Viking who is brought back to life by Odin to defeat the evil that has spread across Midgard. It seems that a dwarf named Fáfnir was so greedy that he eventually transformed into a dragon. No longer satisfied with his hoard of treasure, he began wreaking havoc across the land and built a magically protected tower that even the gods could not enter. Odin sees the plight of Midgard and decides to resurrect Völgarr, a great warrior who died after defeating hundreds of enemies laying siege to his homeland. Völgarr must defeat Fáfnir and his minions, and restore peace to Midgard.

It is fitting that Völgarr’s tale begins with his resurrection, given how generously death is rendered upon him. The game is inspired by classic arcade titles like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Rastan, where a well-earned death encouraged the player to drop in an additional quarter to continue. The game’s opening area even duplicates the layout of Rastan – including club swinging enemies, flying enemies (bees instead of bats), and a breakable block leading to a lower area – and adds an additional nod with a familiar-looking corpse. Like the games that came before it, Völgarr the Viking offers simple controls, tight design that puts these mechanics to the test, and nearly insurmountable odds that require the player to use every tool available to him in order to survive.

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 2013, 3DS, Adult Swim Games, Crazy Viking Studios, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One

Maldita Castilla / Maldita Castilla EX: Cursed Castilla / Cursed Castilla EX

A game by Locomalito for PC, PS4, Vita, Xbox One, Switch, 3DS, iOS, and OUYA, originally released in 2012, with the EX version released in 2016.

Maldita Castilla is a game that harkens back to a number of mid-80’s action games, most notably Ghosts ‘n Goblins. Here, the player takes on the role of Don Ramiro as he travels the lands of Tolomera in 11th century Spain, defeating the evil creatures that have ravaged the land, on a quest to unseat the great evil that has taken over the kingdom of Castile.

The game is meant to emulate classic arcade games, and it even starts up with a RAM check, ROM check, and test pattern grid, just like an arcade machine being booted up, and it features scanlines and a minor curving effect on the corners of the screen. The game’s soundtrack and effects – created by Gryzor87 – are also modeled after the throaty FM synth found in so many arcade titles and Sega Genesis games.

As in Ghosts ‘n Goblins, your primary abilities are to jump and toss whatever weapon you have in your possession, as indicated by a box at the top of the screen. You can toss your projectiles to the left or right, straight up, or downward while jumping. You can also duck to avoid enemy attacks and toss projectiles at enemies positioned lower to the ground. Projectiles are unlimited in supply, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

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 2012, 2016, 3DS, iOS, Locomalito, OUYA, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One