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What are the best modern games that would be familiar to a retro gamer on PS4?

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5 Games Considered

5 Options ConsideredPricePlatformsGenre
Shovel Knight
Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, LinuxAction, Platformer
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
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Nex Machina
Windows, PlayStation 4Shoot 'Em Up
Sonic Mania
Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, WindowsPlatformer, Action
Celeste
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Linux, macOSPlatformer
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Shovel Knight

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Ryan
Top Pro

A unique experience

•••
Shovel Knight has 2D pixel art, a simple gameplay, and a retro feel. It stands out in an era dominated by 3D titles with super detailed graphics and convoluted gameplay because of its influences from classics like Zelda, Castlevania, Duck Tales, and even Super Mario Bros. It’s not just trying to ca...
Ryan
Top Pro

Feels great to play

•••
Shovel Knight has very colorful pixelated graphics, a decent chiptune soundtrack, excellent 8-bit sound effects, and the controls feel really fluid and responsive. So whether you’re just running through a castle, shoveling away at gems in a tunnel, or even jumping on a dragon’s head, Shovel Knight...
Ryan
Top Pro

Pretty fun risk versus reward system

•••
In each stage, there are multiple checkpoints you can revive at if you die. The twist is that you can destroy the checkpoints for extra treasure. Doing this also means you’ll have to start from the beginning of the stage if you die. It’s a pretty cool way to increase difficulty and add tension to a...
Kristaps
Ryan
Top Con

Can be frustrating

•••
While Shovel Knight captures a lot of SNES era’s good parts, it also brings back some of the bad parts. It's mostly the hidden enemies that attack you as soon as you approach their hiding spots, causing you to take needless damage or even die. This adds a really tedious trial and error aspect t...
Specs
Genre:Action, Platformer
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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

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Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Exciting fast-paced action

•••
Hotline Miami 2 is about brutally murdering mobsters in their safe-houses. You can plan out your path before entering a safe-house but once the action starts, it never slows down. You'll run down hallways and through rooms, killing mobsters with any weapon within reach, including baseball bats,...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Great art style for added immersion

•••
Hotline Miami 2 has a very simple, colorful, and pixelated art style, which it uses to great effect for immersion. The bare minimum pixels were used to create the colorful environments, characters, and animations, so you never can make out the details. These pile up in your head, constantly using y...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Excellent soundtrack

•••
The soundtrack perfectly fits the grimy and psychedelic atmosphere of Hotline Miami 2. Most of the songs fall within the electronic, synthwave, and outrun genres. Sometimes there are high-tempo songs matching the on-screen action, other times there are eerie songs in a really bizarre story scene. W...
Izem Lavrenti
Top Con

Can be really frustrating

•••
When you die in Hotline Miami 2, you have to restart the level/section. Because most enemies can take you out in one hit, a momentary lapse in attention can be fatal. This can be especially frustrating in long levels since dying near the end means you'll lose about 30 minutes of progress.
Izem Lavrenti
Top Con

Confusing story

•••
The story takes place before and after Hotline Miami 1, so it's never really clear when or why anything is happening. This is made worse by the fact that there are 12 protagonists, causing you to switch viewpoints a lot. If you ever feel like you're not keeping up with the story, don't...
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Nex Machina

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Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Difficult yet rewarding gameplay

•••
Nex Machina's bullet hell gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, with dozens of robotic enemies rushing at you while you use every skill at your disposal to survive and increase your score. Not only do you have to avoid enemies, but you also have to use your ability to dodge hazards on the fie...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Boss battles truly test your skills

•••
At the end of each level are difficult boss fights that crank out bullets and beams in all directions that you have to dodge while dealing damage at the same time. The bosses are all different in design, such as a giant ape that lumbers around the field and throws obstacles at you, to a more statio...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Great synthwave soundtrack

•••
Complimenting Nex Machina's speedy, chaotic gameplay, the soundtrack matches the sci-fi setting with hard-hitting, energetic synths and modulations. The electronic beats are catchy and fun to listen to while blasting through the game's metallic levels and robotic enemies. The tracks fit in...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Responsive controls

•••
Since you only have a short window to dodge hazardous laser beams on the field and maneuver your character around swarms of enemies, it's great that the controls are tight and accurate. You can pull off dodges and risky swerves to save a human NPC with ease as long as you master the angles and...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Deaths can be too punishing at times

•••
In Nex Machina, you'll die after a single hit from an enemy, causing you to drop one of your power-ups, like your ability to dash three times in a row or increased weapon spread. You'll then have to return to the spot where you died to collect the power-up that you dropped. If you lose all...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

The game is very short

•••
Your first playthrough will only take about an hour or two, which may not be worth it. There are plenty of new paths and secrets hidden across the levels, so a completionist playthrough will take about five or six hours.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
Genre:Shoot 'Em Up
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Sonic Mania

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Kristaps
Top Pro

Enjoyable and fast platforming gameplay

•••
Sonic Mania is all about running, jumping, and rolling through levels while avoiding obstacles, bumping robots, and collecting rings along the way. What's even better is that you can move at great speeds while doing it, allowing you to perform exciting feats. This can be launching yourself high...
Kristaps
Top Pro

Excellent level design

•••
Sonic Mania has 12 levels, each with unique themes, enemies, and gimmicks. This includes a giant sandstone temple filled with water, presenting the danger of drowning, and even a giant chemical plant filled with jelly that can be used as a trampoline. There are also a multitude of secrets and the c...
Kristaps
Top Pro

Great replay value

•••
While a single playthrough may take you around 5 hours, Sonic Mania has enough content to keep you going for dozens of hours. This is achieved with a combination of addictive gameplay, tons of collectibles, bonus stages, extra modes, and 3 unique characters that make the levels play differently. Ev...
Kristaps
Top Con

Can be somewhat difficult to beginners

•••
If you're new to platform games or gaming in general, Sonic Mania can feel fairly tricky. Both the levels and the boss fights require accurate jumps and/or split second timing to beat them, which may take more more than a few tries. This is especially the case in the bonus levels where you have...
Specs
Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive
Genre:Platformer, Action
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Celeste

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Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Great variation in level mechanics to keep players on their toes

•••
Each level features its own environmental hazard, which means players will have to adjust their strategies from time to time. One level is filled with winds that shift, sometimes assisting you across wide gaps and at other times stopping your progression forward or causing you to miss jumps. Anoth...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

The theme of overcoming anxiety and depression is tied into the gameplay

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The game reinforces the attitude of never giving up, even in the face of a seemingly impossible challenge or self-doubt, and does this by tying this heartfelt theme into the gameplay itself. As Madeline sets out to scale to the top of the mountain, she will encounter a lot of depression, anxiety...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

"B side" collectibles for those who crave a deeper challenge

•••
In each level, there is a single hidden cassette tape, often in a hard to reach area. The platforms in these areas move to the beat of the level's soundtrack, and have to be correctly navigated to reach the tape. Similar to how old school cassettes tapes had two sides, collecting this tape will...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Frequent checkpoints keep the game moving along

•••
Checkpoints are encountered quite often, so when you inevitably die, you won't have to replay a huge portion of the level. This helps to keep the frustration to a minimum when tackling a particularly tricky section of a level, and lets you practice the part that's giving you trouble rather...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

The platforming consistently adds new movement mechanics

•••
The platforming definitely isn't stale and consistently adds new movement mechanics to keep things feeling fresh throughout your run. Glowing red orbs will send you flying in a certain direction, jump pads will blast you high into the air, and diamonds will give you an extra dash in mid air. Ju...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Optional assist mode for players who aren't good with platforming

•••
For those who may not be so good at the platforming aspect of the game, Celeste offers an assist mode which allows players of all skill levels to experience the game in full. During gameplay, there are a few on-demand options available to do things such as become invincible (avoid spike traps and e...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

You'll die a lot

•••
Although dying in this game helps to reinforce the game's overall theme of never giving up in the face of a challenge, this can be a turn off to some players. Missing the same jumps and landing on the same spike traps constantly can only happen so many times before it becomes frustrating more t...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Wind mechanic can be unfair

•••
During one level, there is wind that pushes and blows you around, but it doesn't always work in your favor. It may send you hurtling off a steep drop right into a spike trap or ruin your carefully timed midair dash. It's very random which way it'll decide to move you, and can therefore...
Specs
Genre:Platformer
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8 Community Recommendations

Yoshiyuki
Kristaps
Ryan
Izem Lavrenti
Endi Sukaj
Callixtus
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