The trouble with period-specific homages, however, is that it is very easy for them to feel stunted compared to modern offerings. One of the ways Studio Koba is confronting that problem is by surprising players with an experience that goes beyond a period piece. Rather than merely taking players back to the 80s, they invite players to take part in a world were the aspirational aspects of the 80s are still ongoing and bolstered by modern development tools, techniques, and themes. In certain respects, Narita Boy represents the 1980s dreams of the future made real. This sort of alternate-universe thought experiment pervades the entirety of the game, extending to it’s unique, synthwave soundtrack.
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Before detailing how the game transcends its trappings, another question looms before Narita Boy. What is it about the 80s that holds such tremendous appeal, both to Studio Koba, and to gamers as a whole?
Themes With Timeless Appeal
When asked how Studio Koba would make 80s themes feel fresh and relevant while staying true to the time period, Fornieles had this to say:
This answer suggests the heroic themes present in 80s fiction—the outcast nerds and geeks reframed as heroes, the escape to other more exciting, adjacent realities—are the source of the period’s appeal. But rather than the main event, Narita Boy aims to use those 80s tropes as a starting point for a contemporary experience. What would an ’80s story’ look like in 2021? What has changed? What remains the same in both time frames?
Fornieles stated that not everything from that time period translated well to development. He acknowledged certain aspects of gameplay from the 80s couldn’t be incorporated into the game. But given some of the pitfalls of 80s video game design, those concessions to modernity are probably for the best.
Universality as a Means of Surprise
Studio Koba realizes that references alone cannot carry a story or a game, for that matter. Fornieles continued, explaining:
A narrative is nothing without an emotional core. The trappings of the 80s, ’the context,’ as Fornieles puts it, is almost a benevolent Trojan for the game’s universal themes. Rather than focusing on specific mechanical conventions, Studio Koba seeks to surprise players. Everything in the game is calculated to deliver a universal narrative that keeps the player hungry to know what happens next, with developments that will stick with players for a long time.
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A Good Nostalgia Trip
The phrase “nostalgia trip” is often invoked with ironic positivity or as an outright pejorative. And understandably so, as nostalgia can be weaponized easily, appealing to players sense of simpler times. In contrast, if a nostalgia trip is sufficiently “authentic,” it is blessed with the title of “period piece” instead and recognized as art. But there is a third path. An experience that gleefully reimagines the good parts of the past, and brings them to the present for others to experience. Nostalgia trips need not be inherently crass or shallow.
The distinction likely lies in translation. A good, 80s-inspired title will appeal to audiences who have only experienced the era secondhand, if at all. And Studio Koba’s emphasis on emotional storytelling that focuses on universal themes seems like a sound path to that kind of reflection.
Narita Boy is available now for Mac, Linux, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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