It’s 2021, yet it somehow still feels like we’re in the 1980s. 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. Unfortunately, nostalgia has often seemingly taken precedence over good storytelling, resulting in some rather questionable throwbacks (looking at you, Mr. Cline). 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.
Let’s be clear right from the start: Narita Boy is a great game. 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. 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). 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 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. 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.
Narita Boy wastes no time in easing you into its surprisingly complex world. 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. 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 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!”
On the flip side, there’s absolutely no doubt that the game could have made a few quality-of-life additions to the gameplay and structure to make things a little more digestible. For example, there’s absolutely no map to speak of, and while the environments are hardly as complex as your average Castlevania, for instance, there are quite a few doorways and passages for you to get lost in. When half the game entails collecting Techno-Keys and gaining access to new areas, a map – or at the very least some sort of guide – could make all the difference. In addition, the NPC dialogue is purposefully vague and obscure, which for the most part is great, but there are definitely a few moments where you wish a character would just say “go here, do this… off you pop!”
Where the game truly shines is in its excellent combat. Early on, you’ll pick up the Techno Sword, and from there you’re gradually introduced to more and more moves and abilities. Attacking enemies feels fluid and intuitive, and the dodge mechanic not only lets you avoid enemy attacks, but also places you behind the enemy, giving you a great opening to launch a counter-strike. In addition to standard melee attacks, you can also utilise the techno sword as a shotgun, unleashing major damage upon one enemy. Alternatively, you can hold down the ranged attack button and fire off a devastating beam of energy that will wipe out most enemies in one swoop. Naturally, this takes up precious bullets that slowly reload over time.
As you get further into the game, you’ll then gain access to ‘Wild Fire’ abilities, which come in red, yellow, and blue varieties. Activating these enshrouds Narita Boy in flames, boosting his attack damage against enemies of the same colour type. It comes with a massive trade-off, as your defence against these enemies also takes a big hit, so while there’s undoubtedly a temptation to run in with reckless abandon, you’ll need to be careful and keep your guard up at all times. Each Wild Fire ability also lets you call upon one of the three ‘Dudes of Trichoma’, who act as temporary familiars to aid you in battle. Using them requires a certain amount of energy, and are best saved for moments of desperation.
The range of enemies you’ll come across is vast, and each type has its own strength and weakness. Some simply shuffle along and flail their arms at you in a largely futile attempt to deal damage, while others can fire projectiles, explode on impact, or morph into even bigger, stronger versions of themselves. The game consistently introduces you to new enemy types, and not a single one feels like it’s overused. The boss battles in particular are truly epic; you’ll be going against everything from a dragon to a delightful French dandy, and these segments are backed up by truly awesome backdrops and sweeping, synth-heavy music.
There are plenty of surprises during your journey through the Digital Kingdom. We’d be remiss to spoil them here, but needless to say, you won’t spend the entire time walking on your own two feet. The pacing of the experience is masterful; you’re constantly moving from one fascinating location to the next, and if it weren’t for the occasional moment of frustration at the game’s vague instructions, it would be absolutely ruddy perfect. It’s all anchored by a surprisingly thoughtful tale, and the segments where you effectively relive The Creator’s memories are particularly impressive.
Ultimately, there’s little more we can say except just get Narita Boy downloaded ASAP. If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias or, God help you, the ongoing ‘80s fad, then you owe it to yourself to play this game. Its world-building and razor-sharp combat make it more than just “yet another ‘80s throwback’, and we can’t wait to see what the developers do with the concept in the future.
Conclusion
Narita Boy joins a plethora of entertainment franchises that pay homage to ‘80s culture. But where others have failed, Narita Boy transcends its inspiration with exceptional world building, a complex yet thoughtful narrative, and stunning combat gameplay. It occasionally feels a little too vague and abstract in its structure, and ultimately this holds it back from being a true masterpiece, but if you’re longing for a great Metroidvania title, then Narita Boy is absolutely what you’ve been waiting for.
Comments 38
Can't wait to get right into this tomorrow!
That CRT filter is too much (I assume that's why the shots here look like that). I'll need to look elsewhere for how it looks without that, I guess.
Why wouldn't you guys have a shot of it without it, considering you list it as a con and that there's an option to disable it?
I’ve had this on my wish list since seeing it on the Nintendo shop and definitely going to get it tomorrow 👍🏻😊
Pleased to see a positive review—have been waiting for this for years.
The Push Square review says it's not a Metroidvania, this review says it is...so, which is it? It looks interesting but I'm all Metroidvania'd out lol
Had not heard about this until now. Definitely looks up my alley. I'll just play on my old CRT tv with the filter turned off.
Imma sucker for metroidvanias and this game seems to be right my alley but those pictures speak to me more about bad quality than retro imagery. It is the game like that or are those pictures taken of an early build?
Looks sick.
That said, given the apparent linearity and lack of a map, is it really a Metroidvania? Still, I'll be the lookout.
I have to mention, though, this game looks a whole lot better in motion. The filter is a bit much, no doubt about it, especially in still images. But you can appreciate the design work a lot more in the trailer.
@Shadowthrone That’s a legitimate question. I’d like to see the difference too. Good call
I usually hate metroidvanias without a map, but if you say it's so good, why not?
Why all the hate for Ready Player One? Why did you feel you had to include that in this review?
Not my type of game, but if people like it, I'm happy for them ^3^
@Shadowthrone We did: the shot of the deer labelled 'Ancient Path' does not include the filter.
I have been watching this one. I will definitely get this.
@Shadowthrone
They did the same thing with FIGHT 'N RAGE.
Hopefully we'll get a physical release.
"Unfortunately, nostalgia has often seemingly taken precedence over good storytelling, resulting in some rather questionable throwbacks (looking at you, Mr. Cline)."
Yes, yes, yes - THIS. I'm a child of the '80s and maintain that his book is garbage. A poorly-written mish-mash of interminable cultural references with a side of ham-fisted political statements tossed in. The whole thing is just forced and the characters all try to "out-80s" each other. The movie is a smidge better, although I suspect his actual motives for writing it was a film adaptation. You know, to make piles of money - the very thing he rails against in the book.
This dropping onto gamepass effectively means I get 2 months for free as I would have picked this up.
Switch definitely needs some form of subscription service - even if it's a basic one just for these little indy games.
Sounds great will get this, just wish devs would learn how to do crt scanline filters properly. They are way to over done resulting in eye strain, I usually turn them off unfortunately. They need to check out mame or the retron 5 and see how to do filters the right way.
Day one xbox gamepass👍
This has literally nothing to do with the 80s, in fact it's the most 2010s thing I've ever seem.
Yeah this one I am buying.
I agree with everything in this review except that I've opted to play it on Xbox Game Pass after having already bought it on my Switch. The in-game text is so small, and the font so awful, that I can't read it in handheld mode. I've yet to figure out why Switch devs don't compensate for handheld play with font resizing.
This looks entirely amazing to be honest. But on the other hand, that lack of map is really killing it for me. I appreciate the not having a map up front and center thing, but let the player choose if they want to use it or not. Make the thing available if you want it. That’s sort of a must-have if you ask me. Not including it seems lazy, not a cheeky design intention or whatever.
Still, I’m interested because I like the way this looks and I love Metroidvanias but that map lack is really preventing me from pulling the trigger.
...but is it really a Metroidvania?
Interesting. IGN's video review says the combat is mediocre; that it doesn't have much depth and the enemies feel samey. Think I'll wait for more reviews.
those screenshots are terrible, trailer looked alright
No map is a killer, but as a massive Tron nerd I'll be all over this.
Looks great. But who needs a Metroidvania without a map? Too painful for me - might be my bad orientation.
As long there's no map - there's no buy. And if they patch one in some day I fear the game is out of sight out of mind...
The animation may be good, but wow, those graphics are ugly! Just because you're doing an '80's parody does not mean you should torture us with archaic graphics from that time period (or even earlier).
In addition to that, the obscure structure (no map, seriously?!) and storytelling methods (being vague is a bad thing, purposeful or not) are deal breakers, so I'll pass.
this looks incredible, I cannot wait to play this
What is the difficulty on this? I worry that the focus on excellent combat means that it's on the challenging side. I was unable to finish Hollow Knight because I don't have the time to develop the necessary skills (and I'm not very good at games). If this is challenging like Hollow Knight I should avoid it.
For all the intellectually challenged people asking 'ugh, if it doesnt have a map, is it really a metroidvania' - reminder that Metroid 2 had no map whatsoever and is literally a 'metroidvania' and a masterpiece at that
Maybe the map is with us the whole time and we just don’t realize it. 😉
@beatrice @bloodninja
I've been playing it on gamepass and I would say it's a Metroidvania-lite. There is some searching and backtracking, and there are progression and traversal hidden by new moved/mechanics, but it's minimal and fairly linear (so far).
@chromaticdracula @coxula
And though having a map would be nice, it's worked (thematically) as the player character is 'lost' in this digital world.
@marurun I think I made it much further into Hollow Knight than you, but bounced off the endgame too. I wouldn't say this is particularly difficult, and is generous with combat related checkpoints. I think I'm ~halfway through the game, so can update if that changes.
EDIT: After beating the game on GamePass can confirm it's good. I would say, however, it shouldn't be called a MetroidVania because it prevents you from backtracking to certain areas after you progress.
@shazbot Thank you!!
I'm an 80s kid but I'm not much the Tron-head, so that part doesn't really move me. The Metroidvania part does, but no map? Eh.
And for some reason I'm not digging the art direction. I'll keep this on my long radar regardless. Maybe after a sale and map patch, but won't hold my breath.
This game looks like it has a lot of charm, and was probably made with love.
That said, I grew up in the 80s (and 90s), but I was all about Dragon's Lair and Neo Geo games; and I was into them because they looked like well drawn cartoons. And on that note: why do all these Switch games *(and Vita games, and PC games similar to this) with retro nostalgia as their selling point have to be such overly pixelated works of 8-bit vomit? I mean hell, many Flash games that I played in the 90s and early 2000s looked fantastic, with graphics resembling well-drawn, beautifully colored cartoons and very little to no pixelation. Just like with the calarts style in American animation, it seems that intentionally making creative works look ugly is in style. Western entertainment has regressed in many ways, and Atari-style graphics are one of them.
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