Developer: FrankenGraphics, Toggle Switch
Publisher: 8Bit Legit LLC
Platforms: Switch, Xbox One
Tested on: Switch
Project Blue – Review
Do you want retro? We got you with this one! Do you like Mega Man? Easy peasy, this game is for you. Do you like hard levels and nail-biting action? Don’t you worry, for this game has got it all. It has been quite a while since we had to go beyond our gaming skills and grind the levels until we reached what we wanted to… just to see we had to do it all over again because we died (a lot) in the same room and monsters. It almost seemed impossible to do. So let us take you on our journey through this game.
Story
This game is quite something else. Not only is it overloaded with the Mega Man vibes, it is tricky as hell and you might not be prepared for what’s coming in the next room. Since you have escaped from a top-secret research laboratory, as Blue, you have to make your way through a whirlwind of dangerous traps and rooms filled with other deadly experiments before reaching freedom. Much like the games that go with the same idea, Project Blue is one of those games where you need to learn through experience with a lot of trials and a lot of error.
To be very honest with you, you don’t get a skill tree. You have to stick with what you have, which is basically, not a lot. You can only run, jump and shoot. Unfortunately, we didn’t forget any other things you could do, so the game is disappointingly simple. We weren’t expecting a 3D Cinema Surround with 4D effects, but playing this game was simple and there is a lot to do before we could call it a great game. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad game. It is very much a retro experience directed towards fans of NES-style games.
For instance, we needed to keep in mind that this game isn’t just your run-of-the-mill game like you have thousands of them. This game is a bit more special, for it is the release on modern gaming installations whilst still keeping it real and true to the era in which it was born. Games in the ’80s weren’t all that long and this game isn’t either. A full dive in the game showed us that it’s about 30 to 35 minutes long. That does make a little more sense as to why it was so hard for us to complete a level… and it did explain why we kept on dying.
Graphics
This game is as retro as it comes and it’s all the better for it, honestly. For someone with a casual love of retro games such as Project Blue, we could see the value of a project as this. The developers for this game thankfully didn’t try to aim for the moon but instead chose to focus on a nostalgic approach. Who doesn’t like the old 8-bit games? Playing this game made us feel like we were young again. For us, it was just a game to play, but we can understand the love and attraction it will have on collectors of this genre. If we had to ask collectors or lovers of this type of game, we certainly would have been flooded, with positive feedback. The graphics for this are, with the capabilities of the NES in mind, just exactly the same as you would expect. Luckily, that isn’t a bad thing. It is wonderful to see that a game can keep its charms after almost 20-something years. That doesn’t happen a lot anymore and we do believe that this makes the release, on the Switch, a bit more charming.
Sound
With great power comes great responsibility and with 8 Bit games comes 8 Bit music! This game is filled to the brim with these chiptunes. While they weren’t really anything significant, they do paint a proper picture of the NES experience. Every room is built differently and every other situation calls for a different sound. Project Blue has over 20 different tracks, ready to be played at every new setting and level. While the overall scores for these levels don’t stand out on their own, the soundtrack does complete the game. While the levels have all matching sounds, the best one remains, according to us, the OST of the title screen or the theme song for this game. It does set the mood and prepares you, without a catchy training montage like the ’80s, for the journey of a lifetime.
Gameplay
Project Blue is a retro adventure platformer, in which you must guide Blue, the main character of the game, to the sweet freedom he deserves. Equipped with only a jump and a basic projectile shot, you need to navigate tricky platforming challenges and a variety of machines and hazards set to stop you, or even kill you.
When you start up the game, you go to the title screen… and you’re left alone on your new adventure. The game starts fairly easily but quickly rises in difficulty, with saws, turrets, and heat-seeking orbs all working towards your demise. At the end of every area is a boss battle, but most of these play out similarly. If you lose all three of your lives, you have unlimited continues to jump back into the action. Sadly, there’s no save system at all. So don’t turn off the game or you will lose everything you have worked for. We would have preferred if the developers opted for an emulator-like approach with save states. Players could then still decide if they wanted to use this tool to help them get to the end of the game, or if they wanted to go for the diehard experience with no saves.
The platforming and single-screen rooms are pretty enjoyable. Three difficulty options add to the challenge, but the normal setting is pretty hard on its own. We did try the hardest setting, and while we were extra careful not to die anytime soon, we found ourselves thrown back to the very beginning every time we died.
Conclusion
While at first, we all agreed that this isn’t a typical game due to its heritage, it did grow on us. We do believe that this game is a nice touch of nostalgia and it does deserve some credit here. Not every game can make us think back to the golden days of gaming. While, in all honesty, the game wasn’t exactly our cup of tea, as we have been pampered with so many interesting modern releases, we do see the charm in these old-school titles and for what they are, they are interesting and enjoyable. If you’re a fan of tough-as-nails retro games, we suggest looking into this one.
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