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swordianmaster Nov. 16th, 2017 05:00 pm)
swordianmaster Nov. 16th, 2017 05:00 pm)I admit, 4-bit was before my time; even if I had a second generation machine, it was a Colecovision, which always touted how much better it was, graphically, than its contemporaries the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. And yes, the ZX Spectrum was an 8-bit computer, but it was one from the early 80s, not the later years of the decade.
I don't have nostalgia for single-color sprites on a plain black background, is what I'm saying. (This is one place wherexyzzysqrl and I seem to differ.)
Even despite that, Princess Remedy (the first one - a free game on Steam) is nice. It plays up that ZX Spectrum/Commodore aesthetic to the utmost degree, but it's never really intrusive as it does so. Sprites are distinctive (if monochrome), controls are 90% responsive (there's an input delay on one thing but nothing else, leading to me having repeated misfires due to changing my direction to run away), and the music is that 8-bit square wave bleep bloop.
It's a micro-shmup, which is to say that you run around and talk to people like in an RPG, but then those people are sad or have a stubbed toe or got delivered some sick burns and you have to go into a random shmup battle and shoot their unhappiness with Sailor Moon magic. It also does that "retro nostalgia" thing where it commits to the nostalgia maybe a smidge too hard and things suffer for it - gameplay can feel claustrophobic and even grinding my face against a guide for a second playthrough I still only ended up with 79/80 hearts.
It's short - about an hour to clear - and at the end you can choose to marry whoever you please as long as you're able to talk to them. Yes, that includes treasure chests. This is one of those games where it's all for fun.
It's free, it's short, I may try the (almost but not quite free) sequel some time. It was nice, and a decent way to kill a morning.
I don't have nostalgia for single-color sprites on a plain black background, is what I'm saying. (This is one place where
xyzzysqrl and I seem to differ.)Even despite that, Princess Remedy (the first one - a free game on Steam) is nice. It plays up that ZX Spectrum/Commodore aesthetic to the utmost degree, but it's never really intrusive as it does so. Sprites are distinctive (if monochrome), controls are 90% responsive (there's an input delay on one thing but nothing else, leading to me having repeated misfires due to changing my direction to run away), and the music is that 8-bit square wave bleep bloop.
It's a micro-shmup, which is to say that you run around and talk to people like in an RPG, but then those people are sad or have a stubbed toe or got delivered some sick burns and you have to go into a random shmup battle and shoot their unhappiness with Sailor Moon magic. It also does that "retro nostalgia" thing where it commits to the nostalgia maybe a smidge too hard and things suffer for it - gameplay can feel claustrophobic and even grinding my face against a guide for a second playthrough I still only ended up with 79/80 hearts.
It's short - about an hour to clear - and at the end you can choose to marry whoever you please as long as you're able to talk to them. Yes, that includes treasure chests. This is one of those games where it's all for fun.
It's free, it's short, I may try the (almost but not quite free) sequel some time. It was nice, and a decent way to kill a morning.
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