If you are looking for a pixelated arcade-action game that reminds you of the 1980s but was published in 2023? Well then you must try this new game, Trophy! As you play the hero, Trophy, a metal-style-looking robot whose goal is to help bring peace back to the planet Gearus 9. Of course, this isn’t going to be a simple task! There are plenty of enemies, large bosses, and obstacles that will cause difficulty every step of the way, but with Trophy’s weapons and upgrades, there is going to be no stopping you!
Traveling Back In Time To The 8-Bit Era
From the very start, the game had me moved by the brilliant graphics and music, which just brought me back to the time of playing the NES or even the classic Gameboy. It was so simple back then to play a game, no strange 3D worlds to roam, just a one-way path from start to finish. The design is way easier to comprehend and look at, removing the pain of getting headaches or vertigo and providing just simple entertaining action, the way I like it!
I couldn’t find it easy to put the game down because each of the levels was not as easy to accomplish and had me spending some time trying to figure out the right way to get past each section. As the game is made up of one world with a boss level to play. So when I get playing, and I’m sure many may feel this way or not, I just can’t stop till I can complete the world or level I’m replaying over and over. What really intrigues me about this game is that it really reminds me of the classic action platformer games of the 8-bit era. It’s also just as equally difficult and requires time to think of a way to proceed.
Thankfully, there are passwords to save your spot if you happen to use all the lives you are given at the start or acquire while playing. The similarity is exactly like playing an old classic game, with a short lifespan you have to play. Even though I’m not a fan of limited gameplay because the lives are short, at least the passwords help make the game feel a bit easier to know you won’t worry about ever passing a portion of the game and can continue where you left off. Of course, have a piece of paper nearby so you can remember to write them down.
Another feature I love about this game is that you really don’t have to worry about accessing a different level in the game. There are 9, but the game allows you access to the 8 levels to play in any order. No worries if you can’t win one level right away, just move to another and go back to the other later. It’s pretty nice and changes the gameplay up, so you don’t have to keep failing over the same area until you want to go back to it.
Now for some negative features in the game, this includes the bosses, smaller enemies in the levels, and the level’s design. For me, when playing the bosses and the smaller enemies in the level made it feel impossible sometimes to win the game because of the way they were programmed. The speed of most moving objects and enemies, plus the location of the platforms to jump onto next don’t make a perfectly easy combination to get through. Especially, with the limited screen space and design of the area you are entering, they have a higher chance of destroying you.
Plus, add in a few glitches, where enemies tend to vanish on the screen, which can be difficult to watch out for because their attacks could also make it harder. Additionally, I do have one more negative feeling towards the game, when I’m trying to squat down, Trophy doesn’t squat! He can only stand, so to get the smaller enemies that are lower to the ground, well it’s a bit difficult to do, including bending down to avoid missiles and other things coming our way. Sadly, there is no way to get around this and it also makes the game difficult to win.
Final Thoughts
Trophy has been fun to play and try to beat even with a few issues I came upon. I would love to see a few changes occur, but the game is totally relatable to a classic 8-bit style game, transporting me back to the 1980s. I honestly can say that how the game is designed, may feel slightly like a beta game, but I guess that can totally add to the challenge effect and why it’s considered homebrewed. So there are indeed plenty of obstacles that will keep the player trying to figure out how to move forward.
