One that at its best, offers a splendid array of pixel art and color usage that ties nicely into the grander, encompassing ’80s setting. Studio Koba can’t be faulted for giving their Digital Kingdom a touch of awe and eery mystery about its vast plains and at one point, a grandiose city to end proceedings on.Īgain, it’s the kind of indulgence Narita Boy is fortunately granted. On a pure artistic stand-point, Narita Boy has it in itself to wow and impresses with its painstaking dedication.
Not least the finer detail with its pixel art and occasional character/model design.
One that for all its on-the-nose references to computers and lingo that can’t seem to go five minutes without mentioning the word “code” or its equivalent, still makes the journey worth it in brief spots of spectacle. And yes, there’s a spot of delight to share at the spectacle Studio Koba put before you with the team’s world design. There’s subtle puzzle-solving that doesn’t always spell it out for you, which is nice. Yes there are branching paths which may or may not lead to an optional collectible. Yes there’s back-tracking, yes there are items and upgrades to acquire that unlock new routes. Or perhaps to put it more bluntly, it’s not an entirely good or exciting Metroidvania. The sad truth being that beyond its visuals, its quainter, ambient approach to ’80s synthesizer music - likably-cheesy opening and closing themes aside - and a couple of tense boss encounters, there’s nothing here to proclaim as unique in its own right.įirst and foremost, Narita Boy isn’t a Metroidvania. But as it turns out, it’s only one of a handful of aspects Narita Boy has going for it. Not because it grants Studio Koba an open goal to secure their own stab at a somewhat comical, self-indulgent foray into action-adventure antics. That acknowledgment, that level of dignity - on how overblown and excessive current time’s obsession with ’80s culture has become - is much appreciated in a game like Narita Boy. Yet, thankfully, one that is at least aware of how dumb such an obsession may look to an outsider. Much like its primary ’80s visual style, the imagery posed feels more so a loving indulgence in that particular culture. There’s no surprising gameplay depth or some fourth-wall breaking, left-field turn players can expect from out this brief seven/eight hour title. Even if Studio Koba’s game-within-a-game set-up - the idea that just maybe we the player may in fact be controlling someone else controlling the titular Narita Boy - is admittedly all surface-level. Narita Boy somehow finds a way to make such fractured visuals not only tolerable, but in a way effective at what it’s meaning to portray here. All manner of fog, bloom and letterboxing too, just as guilty. And further a field, the artistically-misled perception that a move away from clarity somehow heightens an aesthetic. I’ve got to give it to Studio Koba and Narita Boy for using what might be one of the most despised forms of post-processing - and generally one not many people would go out of their way to ensure is existent in a game of their choosing - namely Chromatic Aberration.
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