Author: Danny Neleman

While the leaves definitely haven’t started falling yet and it’s still a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius here in north-western Europe, Steam’s annual Autumn Sale is already in full swing. This means thousands upon thousands of games are currently fighting for a spot in your increasingly unmanageable backlog. We thought it would be useful to narrow things down a little for retro-inspired video game enthusiasts. For this list, we’re looking specifically for platformers, beat ’em ups, arcade racers, run ‘n guns, remakes, remasters and modern games that we’d happily call ‘Retrolike-proof’. All discounts listed were available during the Steam Autumn Sale…

The Psyvariar series may not rank as an absolute fan favorite within the shmup genre, but for the ‘bullet graze’ niche within, it is leading the way and inspiring other developers and franchises for sure. If you roam around Reddit threads focusing on shmups, the Psyvariar series is often considered one of the best all-rounders and an ideal gateway into the grazing subgenre. So, with quite a bit of anticipation, the third instalment came out back in May. The game has been out for the good end of half a year and, seeing the legacy and potential of this latest…

Blaze Entertainment has announced a significant delay for both TheC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld. Originally scheduled to launch on October 15, 2026, both systems will now arrive on April 22, 2027, with the delay affecting both the standard and collector’s editions. According to Blaze, issues were identified during production where the construction of the handhelds did not meet the company’s standards. While some of these issues could apparently have been addressed in time to still launch the systems this year, the company has instead opted for a delay of just over six months. “While we could address some issues…

With the Neo Geo AES+ playable at Tokyo Game Show, we’re finally learning more about what is actually going on underneath its familiar black shell. In a new video from Neo Ness, the team behind the system goes into some of the technical decisions behind the hardware, including why it uses custom ASICs rather than an FPGA, how original controllers are handled and why the old AV connector has received a useful upgrade. The details in this article are primarily based on Neo Ness’ interview at Tokyo Game Show. While several of the broader specifications have already been confirmed by…

German Garage Games has launched the Kickstarter campaign for Legionnaires, a new action game developed for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The project comes from father-and-son team Dennis and Noah Fleaman, with another familiar Dutch name joining the project: acclaimed comic artist Romano Molenaar, known for his work on Storm as well as comics for Marvel, DC and Top Cow, created the game’s box artwork. For us at Retrolike, there is another connection that makes this project particularly close to home. Dennis “Fleaman” is a long-time contributor to Retrolike.net and a valued member of our team. We have also been…

For outsiders to the Amiga scene, both now and back then, Apidya might not immediately ring a bell. But the 1992 game created by German developer Kaiko built up quite the cult following. The bar Kaiko set for itself was high: creating a shmup that could compete on all levels with the great arcade shooters of the time. The general consensus was that they succeeded. Apidya was welcomed with rave reviews, generally scoring somewhere between an 8 and a 9.5. 34 years after the original release, members of the original team have banded together to remake Apidya, including original programmer…

Spanish indie developer Dos Estrellas has revealed Estigia, a turn-based sliding puzzle game set deep within a decaying Greek underworld. Its most unusual feature might be what isn’t there: the entire game is designed without tutorials, dialogue or written menus, allowing it to be played without any form of translation. In Estigia, you play as a recently departed soul arriving in the Greek underworld without a coin to pay the ferryman. With the easy route across the Styx off the table, the soul has to make its own way through eleven regions before eventually reaching the court that will decide…

If there has ever been a game that you didn’t know you needed but definitely need to experience, it is Future Knight. It quietly flew under the radar, but knowing that the studio responsible is Studio Koba, it shouldn’t be a total shock that, at least, this game should be something unique. Studio Koba’s legacy is one stapled to the indie retro-like canon with Narita Boy and Haneda Girl. The Spanish Touch It is starting to become a trend that Spanish studios create such inherently ‘Japanese’ games that it is almost funny. A month ago, Spanish compatriots Undercoders dropped Denshattack!,…

Solo developer Baardmoeder has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Turbo Turbo, an arcade hybrid combining retro racing with on-rails shooting. The project grew out of an earlier prototype for a game based on the 1980s M.A.S.K. franchise that never made it past the pitch stage. Developer Sjors Jansen originally created a short M.A.S.K. game concept using the same technology behind his Incremental Retro Racing. After the proposed licensed game failed to materialise, Jansen reworked the idea into an original game and pushed the concept considerably further. The result is Turbo Turbo, described by Jansen as a fusion of Out Run…

If you’re a Sega fan with a soft spot for analog watches, you may want to set a reminder. As of August 5, there’s just one day left before Sega opens pre-orders for three officially licensed console-themed watches. The collection consists of three different models inspired by the Dreamcast, Sega Saturn and Mega Drive. Each watch features the respective console logo and incorporates elements of its controller layout into the dial. One curious detail is that, despite only being sold in the US and Canada, all three watches are based on the Japanese versions of the consoles rather than their…