The Riki 8bit Game Collection offers more than just a single experience—it’s a collection of diverse adventures. It features five distinct games and accompanying music albums. In Kira Kira Star Night, you’ll gather stars while navigating a pixelated, dreamlike city. In Astro Ninja Man DX, you’ll defend against airborne threats by shooting upwards, reminiscent of classic arcade games from the 70s and 80s. Plus, the trilogy of albums—8bit Music Power, 8bit Music Power Final, and 8bit Music Power Encore—will leave a lasting impression, even after the console is turned off.
The game truly captures the essence of its aesthetic – both the modern “promotional” artwork and the retro-style in-game visuals are stunning. This is a result of Riki’s considerable artistic talent, with their name on the title reflecting how the art seamlessly ties the entire experience together. The gameplay is solid, though I found the avatar a bit more rigid and slippery to control than I’d prefer for a platformer that demands precision (the stars you need to collect are quite small). However, as a brief diversion, Kira Kira Star Night is definitely a game I don’t regret playing.
Above all, the Riki 8bit Game Collection offers a unique opportunity for some of the most iconic musicians in gaming to return to their 80s roots, craft new chiptune music, and extract every ounce of raw 8-bit energy from one of the most cherished eras in gaming history. The collection features nearly 40 brilliant composers, including Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, ActRaiser, The Revenge of Shinobi), Manami Matsumae (Mega Man), Manabu Namiki (Battle Garegga, DoDonPachi Resurrection, Mushihimesama), Soichi Terada (Ape Escape), and Junya Nakano (Final Fantasy X, Tobal), just to name a few!
Here are some other examples
Kira Kira Star Night! – A delightful, easy-to-play jumping action game where adorable characters hop around in search of stars. Energetic tunes from renowned composers add to the excitement! Choose from three playable characters as you explore. Composers featured include KUNIO, Takeaki Kunimoto, Yuriko Keino, Yuzo Koshiro, Nobuyuki Shioda, Tappy, Manabu Namiki, hally, Bun, Manami Matsumae, Takeshi Yokemura, Robokabuto, and Yasuhisa Watanabe.
Astro Ninja Man DX – Astro Ninja Man DX is a vertical-scrolling shooter where you start with a lone “ninja” running endlessly north and automatically firing. As you collect additional characters, you gain up to four allies who fire alongside you. It’s reminiscent of Galaga, where you can earn a second ship to shoot with after taking out a tractor-beam alien. The twist here is that your allies remain intact even if they’re hit. Only when your main, central character is struck do the allies start to disappear. This mechanic allows the game to become visually chaotic, creating an interesting challenge as you try to keep track of the crucial central character while managing what all your allies are shooting at.
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