Retro Game Challenge

Fact: gamers love classic NES games. For many of us, Nintendo’s first console served as a gateway into the wonderful world of video games, and remains steeped in nostalgia even today.
 
So, what happens when a megalomaniacal game overlord plucks you from the present and tosses you headlong into that golden era of video games, the 1980s? This is what Retro Game Challenge supposes to accomplish.

The setup is simple (and ludicrous in a way that only a Japanese game can be): Loosely based on the obscure Japanese TV show Retro Game Master, the game takes the show’s host, Shinya Arino, and literally gives him the title he’s earned through the show—”game master.”

When the game begins, Arino, a floating head, dominates at video games. At least, he used to. Boggled by today’s modern games, the bitter Arino transports you back to the ’80s and forces you to complete old-school challenges in a series of games. Only by defeating Arino’s challenges will you be allowed to go home.

It’s probably the weirdest set-up for a retro collection of games (which are a dime a dozen these days) but it works.

Don’t be fooled by the game’s ridiculously generic box art, either. Retro Game Challenge offers a solid selection. They’re not licensed, since the game is as much a parody of gaming culture as it is a retro collection.

Still, the games offered here are just as well planned and thought out as those that they (lovingly) rip off.

Galaga, Ninja Gaiden, more obscure titles like MotoRace USA and Star Soldier—they’re all here, or least games created in their image are.

Once you’re trapped in the ’80s, it’s one challenge after another. Arino, who befriends you as a kid in ’80s (you’re transported to his house and use his console to play games), offers four challenges per game, making you flex your gaming prowess with tests of skill, timing or simply mechanical dexterity.

Challenges vary in difficulty from the very easy (perform “X” move three times in the game) to harder (beat “X” number of courses in under a certain time or without using a particular move).

Games that have been unlocked can also be free played at leisure—most of them are arcade-style, but there’s a decent variety of shooters, platformers, racers and, yes, even a 10-hour RPG.

When you’re not playing games you can also look at “Game Fan” magazine (based on real-life Gamefan, which has some cameos from well-known game journalists like EGM’s Dan “Shoe” Hsu and Play magazine’s Dave Halverson.)

The only real problem with Retro Game Challenge is that some of the games feel a little too similar, and pre-pubescent Arino is so enthusiastically naive it actually detracts from the experience a little. Nevertheless, Retro Game Challenge is a gem that will likely get overlooked—don’t pass it up.