![]() In Retro City Rampage DX for Switch, there’s always something to do, and the re-playability value is excellent. Yes, it goes heavy on the retro and yes, you can spend a good chunk of it playing “Spot the ’80s reference!”. But beneath all that, it’s actually really addictive. Every mission seems to lead naturally into the next, and it doesn’t hurt in this regard that as soon as you’ve finished one mission, there are literally flashing arrows directing you to your next stop. That makes it incredibly hard to ever put the game down, and more often than not, this meant that I’d find myself playing for far longer than I’d originally intended. That said, what really hooked me this time around was everything you could do between missions. You wouldn’t think that an 8-bit game could be that expansive, but…well, it is. Retro City Rampage DX’s city is huge, with all kinds of neat side missions and distinct districts to explore. ![]() Even more importantly, though, it’s a well-populated city, which means that not only is there always the possibility of discovering more, there’s also plenty of opportunity to indulge your inner psychopath and drive around like a maniac. In fact, it’s practically encouraged, in a way that would never fly in more realistic (or, at least, more graphically advanced) games like GTA or Saints Row: you get points for the number of pedestrians you can mow down one after another. Retro City Rampage DX is a worthwhile addition to the 3DS library, and is definitely the superior version. ![]() It’s horribly amoral, but it’s also pretty fun, particularly once you factor in the fact that your vehicles are always significantly more powerful than the cops who will instantly jump out of the cars and start chasing you, guns drawn. Whilst it does offer a noteworthy challenge at times, it is on the whole fair, and is greatly aided by the increase in checkpoints. Of course, it could be argued that all this non-stop action is just there to distract you from a lack of substance. And while I don’t think I’d phrase it quite so harshly, I wouldn’t not say that, either. Retro City Rampage DX Developer: VBlank Entertainment More Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PSP, Switch, Vita, Xbox 360 Publisher. Retro City Rampage DX is designed to be a fun, winking nod to ’80s action movies and games, but I don’t get the sense that said winking is intended to go any deeper than “LOL ’80s!”.īut that’s okay. Some games are designed to make you think, and some are just designed to be enjoyed. Retro City Rampage DX knows which side of that divide it falls on, it never pretends to be more than that, and it’s got enough non-stop action that it’s able to pull that off with ease.The last ten years of indie games have been all about reconnecting with a simpler, more focused era of the medium. Retro City Rampage DX does a bit of that - "Retro" is in the title as a bit of a heavy hint - but it also brings some of the more streamlined gameplay elements and storytelling from modern games into the format. Retro City Rampage hit Steam in 2014 to excellent reviews, and now it's available on the Play Store for five bucks with no in-app purchases. Outlast, Door Kickers, and Retro City Rampage DX are a couple of the games in the latest Humble Bundle. ![]() The game is essentially a "de-make" of Grand Theft Auto, with a go-anywhere, do-anything format and a top-down perspective. Carolyn Petit dreams in 8 bit as she reviews Retro City Rampage. (Distances are measured in "px" instead of feet - nice touch.) Twin-stick gameplay makes it feel more like a shooter than anything else, but the on-foot and vehicle sections have a startling amount of variety. Players will recognize segments inspired by Metroid, Metal Gear, and Contra, to say nothing of the multiple cameos from indie darlings like Super Meat Boy and BIT.TRIP. The first mission has fairly overt references to Duck Hunt, Super Mario, Bill & Ted, and Back to the Future, among others. ![]()
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