Welcome to the August 2021 retro games update, happy to announce some new physical releases for our favorite counsels. That said I am definitely seeing a substantial increase in the price of new physical releases on Kickstarter. Though i want to support my community I am concerned the increase is due more to cashing in then increases in the cost of goods. It has definitely caused me to cut back on the projects I support and the number of purchases I can make. Everyone’s circumstances are different so I will continue to write about new projects and support those who love these old games as much as I do.
The Adventures of Panzer — NES 8-Bit
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/panzer/the-adventures-of-panzer
PLEDGE GOAL MET — 6 DAYS TO GO AS OF 23-AUG-2021
This month brings three new games to my favorite beloved NES console. The first is an action platformer. The games creator is David Nemeth from Victoria, Canada. On the Kickstarter page it describes fighting monsters and mini-bosses over 5 levels. The project is already funded and offers levels with physical copies. For about $63 USD plus shipping you can get your usual complete in box with grey cart and for about $98 USD plus shipping you can get a limited gold cart. The game was made with NESMaker and in my opinion it shows. It looks like it is usually a log of pre-loaded assets and basic level design so not sure it commands the price. But if it looks fun or you just want to support indie devs then this may be worth a look.
Roniu’s Tale — NES 8-Bit
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/megacatstudios/ronius-tale-for-the-nes
PLEDGE GOAL MET — 23 DAYS TO GO AS OF 23-AUG-2021
The second NES game is being published by Mega Cat Studios, who have brought as other new retro titles like Tanzer, Coffee Crisis, and Little Medusa. Roniu’s Tale is a puzzle game with crumbling floor blocks, cute monsters and the objective of getting the key to unlock the door to the next level. There are 47 levels and 3 bosses. Mega Cat has a reputation for producing polished games, so if you enjoy puzzle games you may want to pick this up. The pledge level to receive a complete in box cart is $60 USD plus shipping. This seems to be the going rate for a new in box copy of a retro game, so up to you if you think the cost is fair.
Turtle Paint — NES 8-Bit
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/turtletimemedia/turtle-paint-a-new-coloring-program-for-the-nes
PLEDGE GOAL MET — 14 DAYS TO GO AS OF 23-AUG-2021
The final NES game this month is not a game but a paint program like Dinosaur Paint. The creator provides a cool comparison grid of Dinosaur Point and Turtle paint. Based on the comparison this seems more capable if you like applying your artistic talents on the old toaster. Maybe Mike Matai will get a copy, he has done some really cool stuff on Mario Paint. A complete copy will run you $52 USD plus shipping and the limited splash paint version will run $120 USD. Which is crazy to me but it may take a lot of extra time to paint the cartridges. Either way I am just happy to see new projects for the NES continue popping up on Kickstarter and other publishers.
Infinity — Game Boy Color 8-Bit
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/incube8games/infinity-a-game-boy-color-tactical-rpg-back-after-20-years
PLEDGE GOAL MET — 24 DAYS TO GO AS OF 23-AUG-2021
This last one is exciting, I love my RPGs in all flavors and this is a tactical RPG. Infinity is actually a game that was in development late in the GBCs lifecycle. Because the market was already favoring the Gameboy Advance they decided to cancel the project and leave the game unfinished. The project includes developers from the original team. I would say this game is on the high end and may price out some retro gaming enthusiasts. A complete in box goes for $71 USD plus shipping.
That concludes our update for August 2021, there is nothing of note from Good Ol’ Games or Steam. Excited to see multiple physical release projects under development and coming to our favorite retro consoles. I hope that there are enough people with the passion for retro gaming and means to support these projects. Besides the cost there is risk that rewards are not guaranteed. I have invested in a couple Kickstarter projects recently but they are not expected to deliver until next year so I will report back. That said I have invested in projects from Watermelon Games that still have not delivered. I thought with the release of Paprium and content creators getting their pre-orders, that it was a positive sign I would receive my pre-orders for Pier Solar Anniversary and Paprium. However, I have not received anything to date and Fonzi has fallen off the map again. The moral of the story being don’t commit money to projects that you need to pay rent or put food on the table.