Get ready to go on a massive nostalgia trip: Super Win the Game is attempting to replicate the experience of playing classic NES video games.
The first thing you’ll notice is how much the game replicates playing on a television from 1985. Developer J. Kyle Pittman actually purchased an old television off eBay, just to ensure everything looked right. Don’t take the art style for granted: the game is being shown off on a computer monitor. All those effects have been painstakingly recreated.
It’s a little jarring at first—it’s been so long since we’ve played a game with scan lines running across the screen. Colors are more muted, with browns being more emphasized. This is done to emulate NTSC televisions. Just like Mega Man, the screen scroll is also here. When your character moves from one screen to the next, the game stops as the entire screen scrolls over. This is because the NES would need some time to load the game. The attention to detail really is astounding.
We were able to get hands-on with the game at the Rooster Teeth Expo. It’s a mix of Castlevania, Zelda II, and Metroid, with a dash of Final Fantasy. However, Super Win the Game doesn’t rely on the pedigree of those games by making dated references. It’s a game with its own vision and voice, and demands experimentation. It’s rather forgiving, allowing you to fail and respawn with no consequence. This gives players the ability to really find the hidden passage and find out what happens if you fall through a specific lava pit.
Super Win the Game is set to release on Steam this October.
Screengrab via J. Kyle Pittman/YouTube