Narita Boy Reviews
Narita Boy is a true work of art in every sense. Its spectacular pixelart leaves us speechless at every moment, added to a fairly elaborate lore that puts us fully into the digital realm. The combat is very dynamic and frenetic and will test us in many moments. Overall, a work of high level
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Did you use to spend your time playin' at the arcades? Did you enjoy the music of the 80s with synths and neon lights? Narita Boy is an ode to those afternoos playing at the arcades with your friends while you are listening the hits on the radio. Narita Boy is a side-scrolling mystical techno-tale game, with a metroidvania 2D esence and renew system of combat. If you play it, you'll come back to the eighties and you'll enjoy like a child.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Narita Boy is a feat of imagination, one of the most conceptually interesting games I’ve ever played. The retro world of the Digital Kingdom – its pixelart, design and art direction – are some of the most eye-catchingly beautiful ever committed to code. Its soundtrack is mesmerising, truly special synthwave. Narita Boy ends up more than the sum of its parts, going beyond the source code to deliver a game that should take its place alongside the greatest indies.
Narita Boy bets on a unique setting and on basic plataform concepts to create a pleasant adventure. The combat is exciting with agile movements and a good variety of situations, especially in the bosses. The highlight is the exotic and elaborate atmosphere inspired by the 1980s: the mythology of the Digital Kingdom is carefully crafted, and the pixel art look enchants with scenarios and scenes full of details complemented by a synthwave soundtrack. The simplicity of elements and the underutilization of mechanics is a little uncomfortable, but the atmosphere is able to compensate for these problems. In the end, Narita Boy is for those who wish to be transported to a different reality.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dive deep in this immersive 2D pixel-savvy world Studio Koba has created; just mind the controls.
By no means is Narita Boy a bad game, but it’s filled with way too many incoveniences that tarnish what could have easily been one of the best indie games of the year. It’s certainly enjoyable in its current state, not only as a stylish metroidvania game, but also as one hell of a synthwave treat to your ears. But its noticeable input lag, nonsensical plot, and most importantly, its overabundance of flashing lights got on my nerves pretty quickly.
Narita Boy is a linear action platformer. Narita Boy must recover the lost memories of the in-game “developer” to restore the Digital Kingdom to peace and harmony. Fight through hordes of enemies, meet interesting characters, and save the world in Narita Boy.
Narita Boy fully succeeds in being a great homage to pixel titles of the past yet brings so many great modern features with it.
Narita Boy is a remarkable adventure, mainly for its blessed and retro-futuristic graphic style, but Studio KOBA's lack of experience made the plot a little repetitive and tiring. Still, it's worth checking out Narita Boy, who should find his place among the successful independent games and receive a sequel in the years to come.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Narita Boy is a phenomenal game and one of the best games I've played in a long while. While it can often be a little too punishing and its platforming a little inconsistent, its incredible visuals, fluid combat and genuinely heartfelt narrative make up for it. It is a truly one of a kind experience and sets the bar rather high for those left to come.
Narita Boy has instant appeal with its gorgeous pixelated visuals and absolutely ‘80s-esque banging soundtrack. The ‘80s nostalgia, thankfully, isn’t all this game has to offer as the narrative is surprisingly emotive, and the lore of the Digital Kingdom is interesting, if not a little techno jargon-heavy. Swinging the Techno Sword and cutting through enemies is immensely satisfying and the challenge is spot on. Jumping mechanic aside, this is easily one of the most accomplished 2D pixelated action-platformers that I’ve played in recent years and I would highly recommend that you load up your Narita One console and become NARITA BOY!
Despite the lack of variety in gameplay, it's and engaging visual and narrative trip.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"Style over substance" is a reflexively-bandied phrase that's diminished in meaning over time. Although I partly agree to its usage here to highlight certain gameplay flaws, I don't think that should tarnish Narita Boy's immense successes. Studio Koba designed what they knew best – reverent 80s nostalgia, inspired techno-spirituality, beautiful 2D art, & more – with a sincerity rarely seen today.
A testament to handcrafted pixel-art perfection, Narita Boy pays tribute to the arcade classics of the ‘80s while also building on the foundation they laid.
Νarita Boy succeeds in offering a fun, short quest, ideal for those looking for a carefree and at the same time spectacular experience.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Narita Boy delivers in almost every facet and I thoroughly enjoyed my time facing down the Stallion threat. But while it’s positively dripping with 80s nostalgia and style, there’s a lot more to it than just a trip down memory lane – and the fun sword fighting and exploration into a spectacular universe is only the half of it.
Despite any perceived difficulties experienced in Narita Boy, all can be forgiven if you enjoy a world that immerses itself completely in the tech of a bygone era. There’s something to be said about racing against the digital wind on a CRT-horse in a pixelated world that looks like the SNES Star Wars game but feels like that infamous Battletoads level. If you know that exact vibe I’m talking about, you gotta check out Narita Boy. After all, the fate of the Digital Kingdom rests in your hands.
Narita Boy didn’t have to be very good. It was largely crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and once it was out it could have been like a lot of Kickstarter games, or it could have been a non-starter that got launched and fell flat, but the team at Studio Koba really pulled this one out. It’s not a life-changing experience nor is it some deeply spiritual journey, but I think it’a a fun retro game that understands that it’s still a modern release. This is the sort of project that makes big publishers take a team seriously, and whether they decide to partner with a publisher or stay indie, I suspect we’ll see more from Studio Koba coming down the pipeline…er, datastream.
Studio Koba calls their game ‘a poetic, subtle and beautiful handcrafted experience’, and honestly, it’s hard to disagree. What they have created here is a stunning platformer that you will enjoy every second of being in – and whilst I enjoyed my time playing it on the PS5, I feel like it’s a perfect game to boot up on your Nintendo Switch, cozy up in your favourite gaming spot, and get completely lost in. And with the full soundtrack available on Spotify, you can get that nostalgia hit even when you’re not near your console.
Undoubtedly, I thoroughly enjoyed my nearly 9 hours with Narita Boy. I loved the story and lived the experience eagerly despite all its flaws. Whether it was the soundtrack, visuals, story, gameplay, or a mix of all of them, Narita Boy has a magical charm that you can only experience first-hand. In short, Narita Boy is a near perfect experience and a serviceable game. It has so much style that it’s easy to think of its flaws no more than silly quirks.