Ask gamers of the current era what Donkey Kong looked like originally or have they ever played Galaga and they probably will scratch their heads in confusion. So-called retro games should have died out with gaming titles like Nier Automata and The Last of Us being released, but instead, something interesting occurred. Retro games have actually continued to be popular in the gaming world and have found new outlets for players to enjoy them. Thus, we find ourselves wondering this simple thing. Why Are Retro Themed Games Still Popular? Let’s see if we can do some investigative work and find out.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is the concept of remembering something from the past and reminiscing about it. Some gamers grew up during the days of Punch-Out!!, Tetris and Space Invaders while others grew up with Call of Duty and Battlefield. For those who are the former, retro themed games like Undertale or Minit bring them back to simpler days but equally remind them that there are clearly gaming advancements since the 80s. Retro themed games will always have a form of nostalgia to them making them perfect for those who linger in the classic gaming days.
Simple and fun
We mentioned briefly above that retro games were part of the simpler days of gaming and that isn’t an untrue statement. With the complexity of games like Assassin's Creed: Origins or Dark Souls III, some gamers just find newer age titles too complex for their liking. That’s why retro themed games like Lumines Remastered—which is akin to Tetris but with an emphasis on music—and Raging Justice appeal to old-school gamers. They only rely on a few buttons and can be played in a simpler format. They still are tough titles but they won’t ever be overly complex like the games we mentioned above.
Rekindling the past
While nostalgia is good, the gaming age has evolved leaps and bounds over what Atari or the NES could do. Thankfully, a lot of classic titles have found their way to the newer gaming market and have been updated to appeal to both the older gamers and the newer ones in turn. Titles like Megaman 9 or Street Fighter 20th Anniversary Edition bring the classics back to the forefront but in sharper detail and are accessible to those with newer consoles. These titles still have the old-school retro feel but don’t play as rough or look as dated as the older titles do.
Retro will always be cool
You ever hear a classic song from the 70s or 80s on the radio and find yourself bopping your head to the tune? That’s how retro gaming feels, with the bopping replaced by gripping your controller tightly on a tough level or jumping for joy seeing the word “Congraturation”—let’s see how many of you get that reference—appear on the screen. Retro themed games will always make us remember the greatness of retro games in general and will never be uncool. In fact, retro gaming even today is something to admire as these are the titles that allowed newer age games to even exist. Retro will always be cool to us here at Honey’s Anime and we’re sure many of you will agree.
Final Thoughts
Retro themed games will probably never stop being released now or in the near future. Yet, we are happy about that as it allows gamers to experience old-school gaming themes and might even help them explore the older titles that led to games becoming popular as a medium. We’ll wrap up this article with another question we hope you folks will answer: What are some of your favorite retro themed games or just retro titles in general? Let us know in the comment section below and for more articles like this one, be sure to keep coming back to our awesome site here at Honey’s Anime. Now, if you’ll excuse us, the Sega Genesis Classics collection is waiting for us to play.
Author: Aaron
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