Despite the urge to satisfy the mainstream market, filmmakers occasionally produce movies that attempt to honor an earlier generation. It's not just the omission of special effects but the way the story is presented, the acting style, camera angles, and so forth. While insignificant to the average viewer, these pictures are golden to the small group of moviegoers they were made for.

Retro Game Challenge was developed with a similar philosophy. The average FPS-obsessed gamer won't care about this game. They may not even understand its purpose. But for those who were kids in the ‘80s or early ‘90s and can remember the magic of the NES and SNES/Genesis, this is an inspired take on classic gaming.

A look at the Galaga-inspired Cosmic Gate.

Skipping Through Time

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to go back in time and play classic games with the skills I have now, or experience events (like previous E3s or Tokyo Game Shows) I wasn’t able to attend. The former plays out the same every time: I walk back into an arcade in 1995 and defeat every middle-aged Mortal Kombat 3 junkie who said, “Better luck next time” after each win. The latter doesn’t seem quite as exciting: aside from the spectacle or amusing booth designs, there wouldn’t be much point in visiting an old E3. All of the games are already released (or cancelled, in the worst case scenario), eliminating most of the excitement attached to annual game events.

Retro Game Challenge offers another scenario: after meeting up with Game Master Arino (a strange virtual character that is essentially a 3D head with a D-pad underneath), he decides to taunt the player by sending him back to the ‘80s when he was a young boy. To get back to modern times, you’ll have to complete four different challenges in eight different ‘80s-inspired games. “Inspired” meaning a Galaga clone (Cosmic Gate), a Dragon Quest clone (Guadia Quest), and a Shinobi/Ninja Gaiden clone (Haggle Man 3).

All the games – including two racers, two other Haggle Man titles and another space shooter – are full-fledged products. The challenges, which vary between simple (ex: get 100 kills) and fairly difficult (ex: defeat a boss in a specific way), could mislead some players into believing that they are nothing more than mini-games. But every game may be played separately and features several levels, ‘80s-caliber storytelling, low-end music and some very primitive animations that reinforce the message that you have gone back in time.

Rally King

The developers went the extra mile in creating fake game companies (who designed each game), release dates and instruction booklets, the last of which includes some hilarious information about keeping your games safe and in proper working condition. Remember: don’t dunk your cartridges in water!

Though the games and challenges are fun, it’s the overall package that makes Retro Game Challenge something special. Over the course of the adventure, you’ll make friends with a young boy who is unbelievably excited by the release of each game, the announcement of new challenges, and the publication of GameFan magazine (which is readable and pokes fun at a well known game journalist).

It’s the most nostalgic experience a player could have. When the young gamer proclaims that he can’t believe that after numerous delays Guadia Quest is finally here, when he talks about the prospects of 16-bit gaming (256 colors!? He can hardly believe it), or when he recalls the time he caught his mom playing his games, you’ll be taken back 10 or 20 years. It’s unfortunate that the younger crowd – those who grew up with PS2 or a more recent console – won’t have the same experience. They might relate to the general humor and nostalgia, but they won’t fully understand what this game is about, and what gaming was like with only 8-bits.

Star Prince

Crazy Eight

Since Retro Game Challenge includes eight different games, we should examine each individually or as a series.

Cosmic Gate: Galaga fans will be overjoyed by this clone which, if you were to slap on a different name, could fool most players into thinking it was a true Galaga sequel. The gameplay is nearly identical, minus the cutthroat difficulty of Namco’s iteration. Almost all of the weapons, enemy flight patterns and attack formations were taken from Galaga.

Star Prince: I’m not sure which space shooter Star Prince is based on, but it falls in line with the Ikaruga style of gameplay. There are lots of power-ups, big bosses and an overwhelming dose of enemy blasts that require the best evasive maneuver skills you can muster.

Guadia Quest: This Dragon Quest clone is a mixed bag. The dungeon design could drive you mad, thanks to a maze that is very hard to memorize. The story isn’t too deep, and the battles are very basic… But if you played role-playing games before Final Fantasy VII (or have an appreciation for older RPGs), there is some value in Guadia Quest.

Guadia Quest

Haggle Man Series: These games were designed to illustrate how a series may have evolved during the ‘80s. The first, which was said to have been released in 1985, is very basic. Playing as a ninja, you walk around short environments and attack enemies either by jumping on them, opening doors or throwing stars. The latter can only stun enemies; the first two can stun and kill them. This strange gameplay style just barely touches the platform genre but mostly comes off as a quirky action game that would have had a hard time surviving outside of Japan. The sequel is more of the same but more difficult: there are more enemies and the levels are a little more complex.

Haggle Man 3, released at the end of the decade, is where this fictitious series takes a huge leap forward, using elements of Shinobi/Ninja Gaiden to create an inspired and entertaining action game. Collect nuts (Haggle Man’s currency) by killing enemies and cash them in for weapon upgrades, extra lives and other bonuses. Great stuff. And the door nonsense? Gone.

Rally King Series: If Haggle Man shows the progression of game development, Rally King shows how the process can fall apart when cash cows are being milked. The first game is your typical top-down ‘80s racing game. It’s nothing special – but then again, racing games weren’t that great back then (hence the reason why the genre didn’t gain mass popularity until the ‘90s hit). Rally King SP, the sequel, is almost indistinguishable from the first. Sure, the courses are said to be more difficult (according to an in-game issue of GameFan magazine, of course!) and felt a little longer… But it’s not a game anyone would line up to play. This is more of a comedic addition than anything else.

Gameplay: 8.0
Retro Game Challenge pays homage to the ‘80s with relevant comedy and inspired gameplay. As a young man trapped in the ‘80s by Game Master Arino, you’ll revisit your own childhood by playing eight “classic” games.

Graphics: 6.0
Artistically, Retro Game Challenge looks good. The graphics fits within the '80s world it aimed to create. However, dated graphics are dated graphics regardless of their purpose, so don't count on being impressed by anything you see.

Sound: 7.9
NES-style sounds and music that are quite catchy, though not as much as the real 8-bit games we cherish most.

Difficulty: Medium
Nowhere near the difficulty of the games that inspired the Retro Game Challenge collection, but still fairly challenging.

Concept: 8.0
A brilliant step into gaming's past.

Overall: 8.0
If you remember the joy of 8-bit gaming, Retro Game Challenge is the must-own nostalgic gaming experience you'll ever have.