Posted on: July 19, 2023

CaptainCha0s76

Jeux: 169 Avis: 4

A different cyberspace tale.

Narita Boy is outside my typical area of enjoyment in games. I've played a lot of sidescrollers over the years, starting out with DOS-era titles like Jazz Jackrabbit and Alien Carnage, but I've never been able to enjoy them quite as much as semi- or full-3D games, especially FPSes, like Doom and Quake. But since I got it on giveaway and it came recommended by a friend, I gave it a shot. What I got was a surprisingly poignant story and what felt like an original take on the now well-trodden genres of 80s synthwave aesthetic and cyberspace isekai. Mechanically speaking, I can't say much for Narita Boy. As mentioned in other reviews, its controls are awkward and apparently un-remappable (I didn't actually think to try) and the I-frames on the dodge are, at best, unpredictable. But the game is short and briskly-paced, and ends well before these shortcomings have time to truly entrench themselves. The boss fights are for the most part forgiving, and in truth I had more issue with the shield-carrying normal enemies then any boss save that of the red code kingdom. Some people also found the heavy, blurry post-processing effects to be an issue. I myself played part of the game while wearing sunglasses, which, in retrospect, feels quite appropriate to the subject matter. What it does have is excellent atmosphere, pixel animations and soundtrack. In as far as action side-scrollers go, I would recommend Narita Boy before many other similar titles, despite its flaws. There is a spirit in its code I've not seen elsewhere- and I don't just mean the big bad sorcerer.

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Posted on: February 17, 2023

GammaF88

Possesseur vérifié

Jeux: 105 Avis: 16

Techno-spiritual action platforming

Narita Boy takes the neon, CRT 80's cyber aesthetic & turns it into a myth. In this world, a beige CRT monitor can be both cutting edge tech & a holy shrine. Johnny Heat the Trichroma Dude and The Evil Sorceror HIM are equally at place, here. A fantasy tale of knights & wizards mixes with Eastern ideas on consciousness & balance, in a world of hackers & floppy disks & the Power Glove. The atmosphere is great — the art, music, & sound come together to create a beautiful world that can be both awesome & silly in how excessively cool it is. Little details sell it for me: his little song & dance when entering a new area, the incomprehensible techno-religious prose spoken by every NPC, the way they wiggle all over the place in their animations. I got the game on giveaway and knew nothing going in, but as soon as the music kicked in I knew I'd have a good time. Some hopefully constructive criticism: I couldn't get the key bindings, and they can't be rebound. I had to use a controller, which helped, but it did nothing for the input delay, which was a constant source of frustration really hurting the game feel for me. 2nd, the game isn't a true Metroidvania: you can't return to previous areas with new abilities to unlock new areas. If you missed a secret the first time around, you're shit outta luck. 3rd issue was lack of feedback. Some boss fights drag on a bit too long, & with a beating heart as the only indicator it's hard to feel like I'm even making progress. It's also hard to tell how much damage power moves do and therefore judge when it's best to use them. Red Beard was a particular annoyance. Due to his position, he's immune to everything but basic aerial hits, & combined with the lack of feedback, it felt like chipping away at an invisible wall with a toothpick. His & his parrot's attacks don't sync up, so I found avoiding both to be inconsistent and frustrating. Still, Narita Boy is great and you should definitely play it. Glad a random promo introduced us.

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Posted on: May 5, 2023

rastilin

Possesseur vérifié

Jeux: 975 Avis: 17

The controls get in the way

The art direction is incredible, but it's also overly cluttered and the flashing and screen effects are very distracting. The game would benefit more if the effects were toned down so you could focus on the art, which really is very good. That actually summarizes the game well, there are good ideas, but it gets in it's own way a lot. Other reviewers have complained about the controls, they really are terrible, especially on mouse and keyboard setups. It doesn't help that the platforms are not easily visible and the game starts throwing trick jumps at you very early on. I gave up on it when I realized that the jumps would have been simple on any other game and the real enemy was just the lack of another QA pass. It has a lot of potential though, and could be good with another few patches to tone down the effects and update the controls.

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Posted on: September 23, 2024

BurgerOverlord

Possesseur vérifié

Jeux: 72 Avis: 39

A Techno-religious masterpiece

I am at a bit of a loss as to why this game has some of the savage reviews it does. I think Narita Boy [NB] is an excellent game. It has solid storytelling, compelling art style, great musical score and dare I say --great game play. NB layers two stories together, similar to a Greek play, the hero’s journey layered with a family tragedy/redemption meta-story; it was an unexpectedly touching narrative without trying too hard. The paleo-techno art style with religious overtones was striking and is the signature of NB. I have not taken as many screenshots from a single game before. I often wonder as to what was the mindset that made some of the scenes. The music is this synth/vapourwave genre, it is good it fits well thematically with game plots lines, and it is not for sale. NB gameplay is a solid platformer/metroidvainia, and it is executed well. Other reviews malign the controls which I feel are severely misplaced. The game plays smoothly with the button set ups. It would be better if you could re-key, but it is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. I recommend. On discount, you cannot lose 8/10.

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Posted on: December 1, 2022

Aequusnox

Possesseur vérifié

Jeux: 144 Avis: 25

Highly recommend

I frikkin loved it, in the beginning it might be a bit slow, but then it picks up and sucks you right in. A unique and great story that makes you want to know more as you progress foward in the game, sprinkled with some groovy synthwave music and smooth controls, with a variety of moves and enemies. Not too easy but not too hard either, a well balanced game. Had a blast, hope they continue it!

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