There’s nothing wrong with a good homage game. Paying respect to the franchises which defined our childhood, or indeed helped to shape the framework of the gaming industry, is a noble pursuit after all. Shovel Knight pulled this off beautifully, as did Yooka-Laylee‘s frantic hat-tipping to the N64 stable of collectathons. (In fact, so many hats were tipped in the making of that game you could open a haberdashery – or have the devs brought before a judge for littering.) Every so often, however, you get an indie game so indebted to one from yesteryear that you have to double take – nay, genuinely squint – to notice the difference. Such is the case with upcoming GameBoy throwback Glory Hunters. Just take a look, and tell me what springs to mind:
Yeah, it’s fairly plain to see that Glory Hunters draws more than a tad from the classic era of handheld Zelda, including such hits as Link’s Awakening and the Oracle adventures. Far from being a shameless knockoff, though, this cosmetic similarity is very much intentional; and the game puts a few spins of its own on the formula. The coolest part? As NintendoLife reports, this thing is coming to the GameBoy itself. Physically. As a cartridge. In 2022. Sometimes, the world is a’ight.
Going for the Glory Hunters
Per the report, Glory Hunters is smothered in “that iconic green-on-green monochrome GameBoy colour palette.” But, there’s a dopamine-riddled twist: “you progress through the game by earning achievements.” Yep. No mystical instruments, gems or what have you. Gotta pop them cheevos and up your gamerscore to continue through the story. Suddenly, an entire generation of Xbox 360 fans feel vindicated.
“With over a thousand achievements, 20+ hours of gameplay, a non-linear story, and a huge map that’s aiming to be the biggest one in a GameBoy game, Glory Hunters is the perfect companion for many long, night-time car rides,” concludes the description. Or, in my case, cowering beneath my duvet at 11PM praying my folks in the next room aren’t awoken by me idiotically knocking the volume up to max.
If all of this sounds gravy to you, you’d best pitch in. Monetarily. Yep, it’s another one of them there Kickstarters (always a catch, eh?). It begins, with a goal of just shy of $40,000, “on 10th April, 2022, with a release window of 2023 for the physical GameBoy game,” but you’ll also be able to grab it “on PC, and play it on the Analogue Pocket, as well as other platforms to be confirmed.” Nice to know the folks who haven’t held onto their battered old GameBoys all this time are being catered to.
As is usual for this kind of crowdfunding malarkey, there’ll be a premium collector’s edition, “which will include an art book, a physical OST, and more.” Up to you if it’s worth splashing out the dough for something that doesn’t technically exist yet.
How about you? Are you feeling the inexorable tides of nostalgia washing over you? Does this err a bit too indulgently on the Zelda side for your tastes? Let us know!
Via, NintendoLife.
