Retro City Rampage is one of those indie titles that will take anyone over 30 on a trip down memory lane. Nostalgia is a funny thing, we remember things from our youth with great reverence and Retro City Rampage takes all those things and brings them back to the front of our minds.

Retro City Rampage was first released on Steam,PS3 and Vita on the 9th October 2012 and was subsequently released on Xbox 360 and Wii U on the 2nd January 2013. I initially purchased the game on steam during the Xmas sales for £3 and then on Xbox Live for 800MSP.

The title plays great on both platforms, using the arrow keys on my laptop to navigate actually feels easier to me than using the thumbstick on the xbox controller.  The graphical design is similar to the original Grand Theft Auto titles being a top down view of a pixelated city, the art style is ingenious and really takes me back to those old arcade games of the 80′s.

You are a hired thug known only as “Player,” and throughout the game 80′s references are chucked at you in every direction.  The title begins with you being hurtled through time after stealing Bill and Teds phone booth in front of a shop. You then meet Doc Choc who will let you use his DeLorean time machine if you can track down the missing parts and help repair it.

During your quest, you frequently cross paths with your former employer, A.T. Corp., which holds a monopoly on nearly every industry in Theftropolis, from the media to software development. The biggest thorn in your side is the company’s lead scientist, Dr. Von Buttnik, who rides around in a wrecking ball-swinging pod. (Sound familiar)

The story is very well written and as you progress you will meet many other 80′s characters and references including the A Team and the Batman of which you will also control their respected vehicles. The designer seems to have a soft spot for Saved by the Bell as you spend an awful lot of time in the school and meeting the various characters. Other references include the Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Contra and many more. The game also pays tribute to “cheesy” one-liners, television shows and pop culture, as well as cameos including Phil Fish (creator of FEZ)

This is a game not to be missed especially if you grew up in the 80′s and early 90′s, the world is extremely well designed and fun to be in and with all that retro goodness what could be better?

9/10