I don’t think I’ve ever referred to something vague as “charming,” yet that’s exactly what Narita Boy is. There’s certainly an underlying emotional narrative, but progressing through the game itself is so “out there” that I couldn’t help but want to uncover more of the Digital Kingdom and the life of The Creator. The 80s aesthetic makes the experience that much better, allowing me to revel in my own sense of nostalgia while playing.

Narita Boy is a spectacularly hand crafted experience that starts slowly to become a powerful and funny ride through a cathode-ray tube television from the 80s.

Fantasy, science fiction and electronic music mingle in this 80's neon drenched adventure. The visuals are striking, and the presentation is top notch. On the other hand, gameplay and exploration fall more on the serviceable side and that is a little disappointing because with more care put into them, Narita Boy could be a classic.

Narita Boy is a surprise. Maybe it's not a masterpiece, but it's a case of being good in things that we don't expect to be there.

While you were partying, Narita Boy studied the techno-blade. Impossibly good pixel art is locked behind bad-but-gets-better platforming and okay-but-gets-cool hack n' slashing.

Narita Boy is a game that takes such a strong influence from so many past works, it can often feel a bit derivative. However, that doesn’t stop the game from being enjoyable, as there’s plenty of unique challenges to overcome as well as some solid lore-building. It’s gorgeous visual design and soundtrack will be enough to entice anyone familiar with 80s pop culture, and could prove irresistible to those that have a fondness for the era.

If only there was substance to match the undeniable style. [Issue#357, p.123]