The classic never sets. Technological progress has not completely eliminated the love for what was and that brought video games on everyone's lips. In the eighties, the games rooms in which it was possible with a token (seee, uno) to have fun entire afternoons with the classic cabinetry genres: shoot’em up, beat’em up, platform, sparatutto sui binari and many others.
The indie scene is not deaf to the call of nostalgics and, therefore, with little money, but many ideas, often the smaller development studios are able to propose new formulas by fishing and extrapolating from the classic. Many other times, however, developers simply want pay homage to arcade games that have done so much good to the industry.
In this retrogaming article, we want to offer you seven modern video games that pay homage to arcade games.
7 video games that pay homage to arcades
198X
A tribute to the Eighties and to the games for cabin cruisers of the clear and direct era. 198X tells the story of Kid who, oppressed by an uninspiring life, can only feel truly alive when he walks into an arcade. The title is divided into five chapters, each featuring an arcade game with a fictional title, but inspired by real arcade games. We can try our hand, for example, in Beating Heart, a beat'em up to Streets of Rage, break all records in Out of the Void, a side scrolling shooter, or escape the maze of the RPG Kill Screen. A title with a strong nostalgic impact, which you can read about our review to know more.
Available: PC
Nex Machine
The alertness of the kids running around in the arcades was put to the test by the shoot'em up, a shooter in which, usually, a spaceship was piloted in a space / sci-fi setting in an attempt to make its way through hordes of large spaceships and small ones that fired hundreds of bright bullets at us with an unpredictable trajectory to make us explode. Few lives available, as per tradition, trained eye and firm hand on the joystick. Nex Machina is a 2017 title that pays homage to this type of video game, offering a twin stick shooter adventure full of emotions, even if perhaps a little short.
Available: PC, PS4
Katana Zero
Published by Devolver Digital, Katana Zero puts us in the shoes of a guy dressed as a ninja who kills targets on behalf of his psychologist (who in turn would need a psychologist), making space between dozens and dozens of well-armed enemies with only the his katana and the ability to slow down time. The mechanics are similar to those of Hotline Miami with one basic rule that is the same for all: with one hit you kill, with one hit you are dead. The sources of inspiration are the Shinobi-style “ninja game” platformers, even if the tribute to arcade games is more denoted by the deliberately retro 80s aesthetics, the music and a general mood that takes us to those years.
Available: PC, Nintendo Switch
Mother Russia Bleeds
One of the baddest games there is. Mother Russia Bleeds does not skimp on bloody and politically incorrect scenes, bringing the player into a political-social context made of injustices, repression and drugs, a lot of drugs with nefarious effects but necessary for the protagonists to give themselves strength and heal every wound. The design of the game published by Devolver, is one of a kind, a punch in the stomach in the truest sense of the word. The gameplay instead is the classic one of a cabinet beat'em up, in the style of Double Dragon and Final Fight.
Available: PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Blazing Chrome
The earth is under the domination of machines, the population has been subjected and is close to extinction, but few daredevil and fierce heroes seek redemption by facing the iron rulers. Blazing Chrome shows its arcade-like nature in a shameless way, through scrolling shooter mechanics very similar to those of Contra and thanks to an aesthetic that recalls without too much effort the mythical series of Metal Slug. A recently released game, it is a clear and round homage to arcade cabinet titles.
Available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Without Delay Ex
Another tribute to shoot'em ups, Sine Mora Ex is a fast-paced title where standing still for a second means embracing death. A bullet hell beautiful to look at, fun to play and with a level of challenge worthy of its name that catapults you into the 80s with a snap of your fingers. The source of inspiration is Gradius, but he also draws heavily on games of the same genre such as Salamander and R-Type. Sine Mora Ex has two modes, a story and an arcade and the latter is the most faithful to arcade games.
Available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge is a side scrolling action game in which the player controls Trace, a scientist who, after suffering a paralyzing injury, wakes up in an ancient and high-tech world. The game focuses on action and exploration and features over 60 items and power-ups. The gameplay draws heavily on classic games like Metroid, Contra, Blaster Master, and Bionic Commando. Axiom Verge was developed entirely by a single person, the American independent developer Thomas Happ who, in our opinion, spent a lot of time in the arcade.
Available: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch.
This is our selection of modern video games that pay homage to arcade games in a more or less direct way. Tell us in the comments which of these you have played and which other titles have made you travel on a time machine, up to the legendary 80s.
