The good feelings that Narita Boy’s cover letter conveyed are more than justified: Studio Koba’s game is love from the first game . Pure pixelated action that crystallizes a thousand and one influences born in video games, anime, Japanese culture, the aesthetics of the 80s and 90s or science fiction. A classic video game, yes, but also something else: Narita Boy is art in motion .
The debut feature of the Barcelonians from Studio Koba , led by Eduardo Fornieles , picks up the witness of the leading independent video game leaders, taking note of their successes. And, in the process, he finds his own tone and identity and unfolds it from the opening bars. Not only in the artistic, but also in its superb way of standing out as a game experience as a whole.
Because if in the playable we will feel comfortable, like at home , as soon as we set foot in the Digital Kingdom -the world of Narita Boy- , Studio Koba manages to transmit a sensation through the established formula of the classic side scrolling action very unusual: in Narita Boy we will be like that Kevin Flynn who has just arrived in Tron or a Neo who begins to understand what the Matrix is.
Of course, command in hand our skills are more in tune with Ryu Hayabusa . And, for example, these 40 minutes of glorious Barcelona pixel art.
Narita Boy, our hero, takes over the reins of the game and unfolds his true character as soon as he unleashes the brand new techno-sword of the Digital Kingdom like King Arthur. A powerful blade capable of launching missiles and, in its own way, that master key with which you will open and conquer new levels while clearing each screen of enemies and threats.
And what’s better: the way he does it is a joy . Its animations and repertoire of movements are smooth as silk, and its playability is not far behind.
The secret to achieving this milestone? Despite the fact that Narita Boy himself, our protagonist, has an exquisitely minimalist design, the quality and pampering of the pixel art that the game radiates is very exceptional. Which wins whole points with a very careful setting that is inspired both by the great references of European science fiction comics and the essential classics Made in Japan from NES and SNES.
Achievements that are achieved through careful artisan aesthetics , elaborated pixel by pixel, in which all assets (more than a thousand according to Studio Koba) and each level (more than three hundred) have been created individually. A double-extra of talent to give life and grace to a very careful retro-futuristic style.
As a result, we are facing a title that, despite having been announced in 2017, has been simmered to offer a finish that is as successful as it is surprising . Resoundingly refusing to go unnoticed in a 2021 in which 4K and ray tracing aspire to be the new standard in video games.
Establishing with energy that there are still alternatives when it comes to surprising the player in the artistic. And, in the process, leading by example. And, for a sample, each and every one of the images that you will see in this text have been extracted from our own gameplay.
Narita Boy: from the legends of King Arthur to Ready Player One at the stroke of techno-sword
We are in the 80s and the phenomenon of the moment is, of course, a revolutionary video console: the Narita One . The reason for its success, on the one hand, is the great mystery that surrounds the person in charge of the little machine: a programming genius known as The Creator.
On the other hand, the true driver of the phenomenon is the console’s star video game: Narita Boy . A well-known science fiction and fantasy video game whose cartridges fly off the shelves as they are served. An experience that has already obsessed half the world.
However, something murky is brewing in the code of the game itself. An entity known as HIM has emerged from the Digital Kingdom and, from there, has begun to erase The Creator’s work and legacy.
A threat that puts the very existence of the digital world and, by extension, its inhabitants at risk. Forcing Motherboard , the game’s supervisor program, to activate a desperate emergency protocol: the Narita Boy protocol.
As players transported to the Digital Kingdom, our mission will essentially be to brandish the techno-sword, save the work of The Creator and, as far as possible, continue in one piece.
However, the game code itself hides more than meets the eye. Including coded surprises, high-caliber threats and enemies, brilliant nods to popular culture, and the odd twist.
Because the amount of influences that converge on Narita Boy is exquisitely overwhelming. The locals from Studio Koba borrow brushstrokes from works as diverse as Ready Player One , Tron , He-Man, Star Wars (here the Force is known as the Trichrome ), the legend of King Arthur, Castlevania or Another World, among many others. With as much impudence as success.
Covering the whole with a retro aesthetic that is palpable at all times. From a very successful tube television effect that marvels at the aesthetics of each level such as its spectacular original soundtrack, to the delight of synthwave fans, courtesy of Salvador Fornieles , who embraces and knows how to conquer the player from the screen itself Of start.
Crowning itself with aesthetics and animations that seek to set a new chair in a true golden age for pixel art lovers. Convincing the senses and, finally, falling in love with what is playable.
Achieving, with the sum of all the above, some superb and very positive impressions in our first contact prior to its imminent acid test: its highly anticipated launch in practically all systems.
2021: the year the Narita Boy protocol will (finally) go live
Although Narita Boy has everything to win for its launch, its entry on the scene was already groundbreaking: the presentation of the project on Kickstarter, back in 2017, convinced more than five thousand sponsors and each new advance shown managed to capture more and best interest around him. Which, logically, made the wait seem eternal.
Once having dealt cuts with the techno-sword, it becomes clear that Narita Boy is one of those games with a signature, geek spirit and perfectionist character. One of those works that takes its own time to take shape. Not only to meet the expectations generated, but to correspond with the original vision.
And while Studio Koba himself signed on cement that Narita Boy would arrive in 2019, the reality is that the passage of time until a real launch window was announced – its departure is scheduled for early 2021 – has not grown our expectations in the project . Above all, after the good taste in our mouths that this first aperitif has left us.
Putting your feet back on the ground. We still have a lot to do about Narita Boy . Aspects such as its duration, its progression system or the way to maintain the balance between challenge and discovery will be the ones that really define its depth beyond the initial impact.
Of course, there is something that has become absolutely clear to us after playing the Narita Boy advance more times than necessary: at Studio Koba there is plenty of talent to sign a masterpiece.
In the absence of a more specific date, Narita Boy will be available in early 2021 on PS4, Xbox ONE and Nintendo Switch, as well as PC, Mac and Linux. And while Team17 and Studio Koba haven’t put a price tag on it, this strong candidate for playable artwork will be played through the launch Game Pass. Eliminating at a stroke any excuse for not giving him a more than deserved opportunity.
- Platforms: Steam (PC, Mac, Linux,), PS4, Xbox ONE and Nintendo Switch
- Multiplayer: No
- Developer: Studio Koba
- Company: Studio Koba and Team17
- Price: Included at the launch in Game Pass. To be determined in the rest of the systems.
- Release: First half of 2021
