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

7

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Considered

9

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May 28, 2018

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7 Games Considered

7 Options Considered	Price	Platforms	Genre
-- Shovel Knight	$24.99	Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, Linux	Action, Platformer
-- Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number	$14.99	–	–
-- Nex Machina	$19.99	Windows, PlayStation 4	Shoot 'Em Up
-- Sonic Mania	$19.99	Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows	Platformer, Action
-- One More Dungeon	$7.99	Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch	First-Person Shooter, Roguelike, Dungeon Crawler

Shovel Knight

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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 is a blast to play. See More

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 that forces you to memorize all enemy placements just so you can beat a stage. In addition to dealing with the enemies, the timing of jumps or using special skills at the right moment adds to the frustration. Press the button too early or too late and you'll end up back at the start of a platforming section or worse, dead. See More

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 cash in on the nostalgia of older players because it’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone thanks to its polish. See More

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 playthrough, especially because it’s never forced on you. See More

Specs

Genre:Action, Platformer

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

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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, knives, katanas, shotguns, rifles, and many more. Before you know it, there will only be a sea of corpses left to keep you company. See More

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. See More

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 your subjective imagination to fill in the blanks. This creates a more disturbing and surreal experience, depending on how imaginative you are or how you feel about senseless slaughter. See More

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 bother with it, just enjoy the senseless slaughter. See More

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. Whichever it may be, it's always exhilarating to listen to. See More

Nex Machina

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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 field such as laser beams. There are also optional human NPCs to save who are usually taking damage by waves of enemies. Clearing the surrounding robots while dodging any nearby lasers to save these humans will award you with extra points to your score, so it's worth it to go after them whenever you can. As you defeat enemies, they'll sometimes drop power-up items, such as shields that will absorb damage that would normally kill you, and tools to increase the range of your bullets. Clearing a level with no deaths earns you a nice score boost at the end, encouraging you to run through the game as best as you can. It takes a lot of precision to dodge lasers while killing the enemies that come at you from all directions, but pulling it off is a rewarding, addicting experience. See More

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 of your lives, you're forced to use a continue, leaving you with only power-up. It'a a punishing system that makes you work harder with fewer tools after continuous deaths. See More

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 stationary tower that bombards you with other enemies that you're forced to prioritize instead. Each boss is a comprehensive test of the skills you've learned up to that point, encouraging you to make the best use of your power-ups and dodge timings. See More

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. See More

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 into the idea of what it would have been like to play any retro sci-fi game without the musical constraints on games in the 80s and 90s. See More

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 timing. With a challenging game like this, you don't need to worry about input lag getting in the way of more aggressive playstyles. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Shoot 'Em Up

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Sonic Mania

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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 into the air from a ramp, or rolling upwards around a pillar without losing traction. It simply gives you an exhilarating sense of speed that will keep you wanting more. See More

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 to chase a UFO. Fortunately, you can get used to this game after a few play sessions. See More

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 collectibles are positioned in a way to help you find them. All of this combined makes exploring each level really enjoyable. See More

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. Even after beating the game multiple times, it stays as fun as the first time. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Platformer, Action

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One More Dungeon

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Barebones gameplay but still quite fun for a few hours

One More Dungeon is a fairly basic first person dungeon crawler. Roaming around dungeons, picking up power ups, killing enemies, avoiding traps, and using a variety of different weapons. There's no looking up or down, so combat is pretty straightforward. Run up and hit a monster, or line up your ranged attack. Bosses have a few simple mechanics but nothing fancy. Dungeons are randomly generated so you'll never play the same one twice. See More

Top Con

There's no story

The only goal is to escape the various dungeons, and there's no kind of story to keep your attention. While this may be okay for some, those who prefer at least a basic story with their games might be disappointed. See More

Top Pro

Retro art style

The simple pixel art is full of charm for those that enjoy the bloated 8 bit style, and it takes a lot of it's inspiration from games such as the original Doom and Minecraft. The blocky textures, chunky pixels, and 2D enemies are a definite nod to old school gaming. It's a visual feast for retro lovers. See More

Top Con

You can't look up or down

There's no Y-axis which means you can't look up and down. This greatly reduces the immersion in the environment and your only perspective is limited to a straight on, first person view. See More

Top Pro

It gives you a fresh experience every run

The dungeons, items, and enemies are procedurally generated. This ensures the levels are truly random each and every time, with items, bosses, traps, and secret rooms scattered about in new places every run. You'll never play the same map twice. See More

Top Con

Melee weapons feel imbalanced to play with

The melee weapons seem to hit a little off center and to the right of where you're actually aiming. You can adjust for this with a little practice, but it just doesn't feel good to control. Also, the range on most melee weapons is so low that they're almost effectively useless since you have to be practically right on top of enemies. During the early game, you'll be too weak to be up close and personal with enemies, so the sheer difficulty discourages any kind of melee play. See More

Top Pro

Interesting ranged weapon play

Staves act as the ranged weapon to shoot projectiles at your foes, as well have some magical attributes like freezing, poisoning, and burning. Staff use is limited as ammo comes in the form of various crystals (fire, ice, and acid) which can be found scattered around the maps. Some staves, such as the Ice Beam Staff, only consume ice crystals. However others, like the Mirror Staff which causes your shots to bounce off walls, requires 1 crystal of each type to use. Some enemies are also weak to certain damage types like fire or acid, so you'll have to plan and manage your crystals appropriately if you want to do max damage with staves. Between the sheer variety of staffs and micromanaging your crystals to use each staff to it's full potential, everything comes together into a ranged weapon system that's both interesting and functional. See More

Top Con

Repetitive gameplay

The randomly generated maps are very similar to one another. In most cases, they require a bunch of backtracking due to bad layouts, meaning a lot of play time is spent walking instead of fighting. Enemies either blindly charge at you or sit at the same predetermined distance to shoot at you, without any kind of noticeable strategy behind their actions. Overall, the similar maps and predictable enemies just don't change things up enough from level to level to retain your interest for long. See More

Top Pro

You can customize the gameplay with Mutators for an added challenge

Every time you kill an enemy, you earn points which can be used to purchase Mutators. These Mutators are game options that change your experience a bit, and are a great way to try something new or add an extra layer of difficulty. Some examples of Mutators include starting the game with 1 hit point, reduced view distance, extra power ups, and extra enemies. There are quite a few to choose from, and you can activate 2 at a time which means you can mix and match them to find your perfect challenge. See More

Specs

Genre:First-Person Shooter, Roguelike, Dungeon Crawler

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Celeste

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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. Another is shrouded in darkness with the area only illuminated when you're in mid-jump. Regardless of the hazard at play, they all add an extra level of challenge to keep players on their toes, even if they're seasoned platforming veterans. See More

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 than fun. See More

Top Pro

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

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 and self-doubt along the way, which literally manifests into an alternative version of herself simply called "Part of Me". A part of ourselves many of us are all too familiar with. During the more challenging parts of the game, this other self will appear to taunt, belittle, and even chase Madeline around telling her she's not good enough, and she'll never reach the top. She'll be a constant source of doubt throughout the duration of the game. But, after every player death, failure, and missed jump, the game will gently remind the player to "Keep going. You've got this!" and "You're learning!" along with other inspiring messages that encourage you to push past the doubt, and keep trying until you beat each challenging level. See More

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 feel unfair at times. See More

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 unlock the "B side" of each level. This presents the player with a much more challenging version of the level, adding new jumps, traps, and dangers. These remixed levels are extremely difficult and will provide a challenge for even the most seasoned platforming veteran. So if you've beaten the base game, and crave even more of a challenge, you will be pleased with this feature. See More

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 than making you replay the entire level. See More

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. Jumping, bouncing, and climbing around the various levels just feels fluid and fun with all these extra goodies that are seemingly endless and continually add flavor into the platforming aspect. There's a lot of "oh, that's cool!" moments when playing and discovering something new for the first time such as using a group of diamonds to chain a jump that's not only fun to watch, but fun to perform. See More

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 enemies), extend the air dash (jump further), and even slow the whole game down in 10% intervals. This is a great addition that makes the game accessible for all skill levels, and it's completely optional so that players who want the full challenge don't have to use it. See More

Specs

Genre:Platformer

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Puyo Puyo Tetris

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Two strategic, classic games in one

This game combines the fun and strategy of Tetris and Puyo Puyo together. In Tetris, shapes drop from the top of the screen at varying speeds. You can rotate these shapes around to form lines at the bottom of the screen. When a line is formed, it clears out space on your screen, which allows you more room for more matches. Tetris is a beloved classic that has stood the test of time. Puyo Puyo is a color matching game. Colored pieces fall from the top of the screen onto a tile-based board. By matching four pieces of the same color in rows or columns, all the matched pieces will disappear (called "popping") which gives you more room for more matches. The real fun in Puyo Puyo comes from making strategic matches that cause large amounts of tiles on your screen to pop and cause a chain reaction of matches (called "chaining"). Whether it's the shape-matching of Tetris, or the color-matching of Puyo Puyo, both games offer a lot of room for strategy. Getting both games (not to mention the dozen different game modes) in one package is a great deal. See More

Top Con

Has some balance issues

When you go head to head with another player, one of you will be playing Tetris and one will be playing Puyo Puyo. Not only does each game feature different mechanics, but there are some overpowered tactics (on both sides) which can send way too many trash pieces onto your opponent's board. Some more tuning is definitely needed. See More

Top Pro

Tons of game modes

There are training modes that teach you how to play, a story mode where you can watch an adventure play out, and even a free mode where you choose the rules. Some interesting multiplayer modes include: a mode where your boards swap at random, a mode where you both play the same game, and a mode where one player plays Tetris while the other plays Puyo Puyo. In total, there are six challenge modes, five arcade modes, three lesson modes, and also an adventure mode with a hundred stages. Regardless of your play style, you'll easily be able to find an exciting mode that suits your tastes. See More

Top Con

Unfair matchmaking in online mode

There is no organized skill ladder, and all online matches are completely random. This can lead to some very unfair games at times, especially when skilled, experienced players are matched up against new players. See More

Top Pro

Great online experience

The online community for this game is very friendly and welcoming of new players. Finding quick matches with others is also quick and easy due to the rather large pool of players who actively play this game. See More

Top Con

Tetris is slowed down

In order to be balanced with the speed of Puyo Puyo, the Tetris game has lots of artificial delays in pieces dropping which prevents you from playing as quick as you are capable. This can be frustrating to some, especially experienced Tetris players. See More

Top Pro

Fast and frantic competitive play

The smooth mix of Tetris versus Puyo Puyo really lends itself well to competitive play. Getting matches on your side and sending your friend trash pieces (while they do the same to you) is a great way to blend the two games into some frantic head to head action. Scrambling to outplay your friends is made even more interesting by the fact that you're playing two completely separate games side by side. In some modes, your boards will even swap at random meaning you'll have to pay attention to the action on both boards at the same time. See More

Top Con

Story mode will not appeal to all

The characters in the story mode are from the Puyo Puyo anime. Unless you're a fan of the show and its characters, you probably won't get much entertainment out of it. See More

Top Pro

Very interesting gameplay premise

Putting the shape-matching nature of Tetris head to head with the color-matching style of Puyo Puyo sounds weird, but it works. One player will be playing Tetris, while the other is playing Puyo Puyo. The goal is to make as many matches as fast as you can, which will send trash pieces to your friend's board. The seamless blend of two different games combined with over a dozen different modes results in matches that play out in extremely interesting and creative ways. See More

Top Pro

Level skip for tricky puzzles

A handy level skip keeps adventure mode fun without being frustrating. If you're ever stuck on a certain level for way too long, you can just skip over it and keep progressing to watch the story play out. See More

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9 Community Recommendations

Request recommendations from the community

Contributor for 5 months

3.2K

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394K

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One More Dungeon

Recommended 2 months ago

You can customize the gameplay with Mutators for an added challenge

Interesting ranged weapon play

It gives you a fresh experience every run

Retro art style

Barebones gameplay but still quite fun for a few hours

Repetitive gameplay

Melee weapons feel imbalanced to play with

You can't look up or down

There's no story

Contributor for 5 months

3.2K

Total
Recs.

394K

Total
Karma

Recommended 3 months ago

Difficult yet rewarding gameplay

Responsive controls

Great synthwave soundtrack

Boss battles truly test your skills

The game is very short

Deaths can be too punishing at times

Contributor for 5 months

3.2K

Total
Recs.

394K

Total
Karma

Recommended 3 months ago

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

Great variation in level mechanics to keep players on their toes

The platforming consistently adds new movement mechanics

Frequent checkpoints keep the game moving along

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

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

Wind mechanic can be unfair

You'll die a lot

Contributor for a year

1.4K

Total
Recs.

154K

Total
Karma

Recommended 5 months ago

Can be somewhat difficult to beginners

Excellent level design

Great replay value

Enjoyable and fast platforming gameplay

Contributor for a year

1.4K

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154K

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Recommended 6 months ago

Feels great to play

A unique experience

Can be frustrating

Contributor for 3 years

2.1K

Total
Recs.

1M

Total
Karma

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Recommended 7 months ago

Endi hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 4 years

2.6K

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39K

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Recommended 7 months ago

Callixtus hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 4 years

3.1K

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309K

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Recommended 7 months ago

Ryan hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 4 years

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184K

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Recommended 7 months ago

Izem hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

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