I had an opportunity to spend the last weekend exploring new and upcoming games at PAX South 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Although it can be difficult for a game to stand out among the masses, Super Retro Maker managed to do just that. Located within the PAX Rising section, which showcases games developed by smaller dev teams, Super Retro Maker was created by Digital Dominion and currently has a TBA release date.
HOWEVER, do not let the lack of a confirmed release date stop you from keeping this on your radar, especially if you love retro gaming. Super Retro Maker will allow players to design and play stages that will take you back to the 1980’s. If making levels doesn’t interest you as much, or if you’re looking for variety, there are also hundreds of handcrafted stages, all of which are accompanied by an authentic 8-bit NES soundtrack.
The dozens of playable characters and levels are all inspired by games we know and love. This includes Metroid, Castlevania, Strider, Contra, Legend of Zelda, Ninja Gaiden, Megaman, Bionic Commando, and more. The demo I played at PAX South was incredibly polished already and transitioned me through several familiar worlds and characters. Going from Metroid to Megaman to Castlevania seamlessly was nothing short of spectacular. This isn’t to say that Super Retro Maker has the licenses, however. While the gameplay, levels and characters are all reminiscent of these games, they seemed to have made just enough changes to get by. Let’s hope, anyway.
According to the developers at the show, Digital Dominion is planning a Kickstarter campaign this Spring and Super Retro Maker will have a late 2018 release. Based on what I saw, and played, this is a game I’m excited to support and get my hands on again. You can find out more on their website and add the game to your Steam wishlist. And, of course, we’ll keep you posted on the game’s progress as well!
