5 Best Modern Games That Appear to Have Been Made Decades Ago

One of the best aspects of modern video games is the outright love many developers show for retro titles. As a retro gaming enthusiast, I am especially pleased to get my hands on a new 8-bit-style game that hearkens back to my childhood, when I’d blow on an NES cartridge to get it working, despite now knowing how detrimental that was to the game (I’d still do it, though). There are tons of excellent games that fit this mold, with more coming out every year. I took a look at some of the best ones and put them together, presented in no particular order, as they’re some of the greatest modern games that look like they were made decades earlier.

1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Despite its arcade-classic look from the early 1990s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge was released in 2022. It’s a classic ‘90s-era beat-’em-up made by Tribute Games, and it’s also one of the best TMNT games ever made. It sees the player as one of the Turtles or their allies fighting against Shredder and Krang in their attempt to take over New York City … you know, that old chestnut. It was a huge commercial and critical hit, selling more than 1 million copies within a week of release. Since its release, the devs have continued to update Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, adding DLC and more over the years.

2) Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight was released in 2014, but it has the look and feel of a classic Nintendo Entertainment System game. That’s entirely purposeful, as it’s meant to feature gameplay and graphics from the 8-bit era of gaming. It’s centered around the game’s titular hero, who uses a shovel to attack, dig, and bounce upon enemies and objects. It features several levels, boss fights, and everything you’d expect to find on an 8-bit cartridge. Shovel Knight was a huge success, both commercially and critically. Within a few years, more than 3 million copies were scooped up by eager gamers, leading to the development of a franchise and remake.

3) Prison City

In 2023, a game called Prison City arrived, fully embracing the retro vibe, as it’s set in the distant dystopian future of 1997, and developed by Retroware and Programancer. You have to give the devs props for creating a game in 2023 that’s set 26 years in the past as a “future” setting. Everything about Prison City is retro, from its setting to its music, pixelated graphics, and plot. It could have been made in the early 1980s, and it’s a ton of fun to play. Unfortunately, it’s not very well known, which is one of the reasons I wanted to highlight it here. If you love ‘80s retro side-scrolling action games, then you definitely should check it out on Steam, where you can download the demo for free or purchase a copy for $9.99.

4) Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is the oldest game on this list, as it was released in 2006, but I’m putting it here because it embraces ASCII graphics. Instead of using sprites as you’d expect from a ‘90s console game, it’s all about ASCII, which was more prevalent in the early 1980s when graphics capabilities were limited. It’s a procedurally generated world where the player controls a colony of dwarves, and it’s massive, resulting in a great deal of content added to it over the years. It’s incredibly complex and uses a great deal of emergent gameplay, requiring a steep learning curve to perfect, which is a large aspect of Dwarf Fortress’ appeal.

5) Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

There are plenty of Metroidvania games out there, many of which attempt to emulate the art and gameplay style of classic NES Castlevania games. One of the best is 2018’s Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, created and published by Inti Creates. The game is a retro-style homage to one of the NES’ best platformers, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, released in 1989. It has the same look and feel as the game and was developed over six months. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was funded via Kickstarter and has become a highly popular modern platformer, with updates added since its release.

What’s your favorite modern game with a true retro vibe? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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