You can’t use a claim to fame as saying you lived near, and regularly visited the place that a game title is based on, but the moment I saw Narita Boy, I started reminiscing of the local shops and shrines – it’s not just an airport, y’know.
The debut title from Studio Koba with Team17 on publishing duties, it’s a side-scrolling techno-tale set in the 1980s. Narrative-driven and a love story, Narita Boy has players game within a game, battling bosses and solving puzzles.
As the protagonist, you are the wielder of the Techno-Sword, ‘a legendary weapon capable of defeating fearsome foes in melee or from afar as it instantly transforms into a shotgun or devastating laser beam’. Very cool.
You’re tasked with saving those of the Digital Kingdom from the invading Stallions that are a rogue code with ‘forced rule and subjugation’. With the help from the spiritual leader, Motherboard, we’ll look back at the classic arcade title, exploring the developer’s experiences of living in Japan and the connection with the Digital Kingdom. Perhaps Akiba makes an appearance?
Here are the key features in Narita Boy:
- Go back to the future: A homage to the eighties with a new spin on classic gameplay styles, Narita Boy takes players back in time for blast from the past
- You have the power!: The Techno-Sword can be used alongside mysterious magic so that players can carve and blast their way through enemies great and small
- Might as well jump: The classic 2D platformer will see players explore imaginative landscapes and navigate a plethora of pixel art environments
- Pixel-perfect story: Encounter weird and wonderful digitised characters on a journey to discover the secrets of the Digital Kingdom and its elusive creator
- Pump up the jam: Inspired by the glory days of analogue synthesizers, the pumping soundtrack turns back the clock for this techno-journey.
And a trailer, friends:
Narita Boy is coming in early 2021 and is currently available as a demo during the Steam Game Festival.
