Where the game truly shines is in its excellent combat. It can all feel a tad overwhelming at first, but as you make your way around, each narrative thread starts to fall into place, and you’ll find yourself thinking “ah, so that’s what that is!” There’s an abundance of seemingly nonsense names and phrases like ‘Son of Trichoma’, ‘Creator’s Tears’, and ‘Citadel of King *NumStr the Horseman’ (no, really). It drops you in with almost no build-up or introduction, and you’re left to explore the environment and meet its many weird and wonderful digital inhabitants. 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.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) 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 opencritic