Game at the Seattle Retro Gaming Expo 2016

The Seattle Retro Gaming Expo was small, but that did not stop it from having some great games to play.

Office Smash

The game was a simplified samurai tale of daring do. You were just fired, and need to collect your stuff. In the way are former co workers and office security. What can you do but attack them as if this was some sort of Samurai warrior attacking the castle. The items to collect are references to movies and games about office life.

The gameplay is simple looking, but the best tricks are a little more advanced. You can jump, and attack from different spots. At one point I was hit out of the office, and had to charge back in sword ready for the attack. The looks are simplified blocks and squares for character, but each one is distinct and easy to figure out. Their looks describe their attack very well.

I enjoyed the idea, and the aesthetic of the game, and look forward to seeing what else they come up with.

Storms EO5

I liked this game so much, I went back to play it several times. The idea is simple. You control a gun wielding side shooting maniac with various weapons set ups. Who you choose out will let you use different weapons. You shoot in the direction the mouse is pointing, and move with the WASD keys.

Your goal is to kill your enemies, and not be killed. The team is a group of students that have been working on this game as a final project. The designer I spoke with said they hope to release it soon.

Four Sided Fantasy

The gameplay was based on a moment in the game VVVVVV. This should give you an idea of the creative and imaginative style this game shows. You are trying to maneuver through the land by using a strange new ability. I can’t explain it too much, but it is an intriguing idea, and deserves to be watched.

Untitled Front Mission Clone

If you know about the series Front Mission, then this game sounds awesome already. Giant mechs duke it out in a turn based squad game. You can find new items, weapons, body parts and more. This one can be multiplayer from a single controller, and also multiple computers.

The game itself was pretty new, even the running animations hadn’t been improved yet. They had gotten it working enough to show it off to Indie fans. I enjoyed it, even at the beginning stages it was at, but I happen to be a Front Mission fan.

Sword ‘N Board

The game is an obvious reference to the top down Zelda like games of yesteryear. They have items to collect, weapons to forge, and dungeons to traverse. The game is now on Steam for about $5, and will increase in price as more and more dungeons are added.

The story is about a young boy who plays a lot of videogames, and loses his Mom. He returns home one day to find that his console and games are gone. He works to reclaim the game, and his memories of playing with his Mom.

Aesthetics are interesting because most of the characters are 8 bit in style, like the monsters, and there are parts that look like cardboard. For example his sword isn’t really a sword. It is playing off his imagination and dealing with his own personal problems at the same time.

Star Mazer DSP

Star Mazer is a point and click adventure shmup. That sounds weird, and if you have met the creator it would suddenly be explained. The game is what he wanted to make since he was a kid.

That game is taking forever to make, so they are making a SHMUP type game from the original idea. You play seven or so characters in space ships trying to get through a blockade. If you die, you change characters. Each character is a new weapon type, and thus a new play style. I died pretty easily with the first two guys, but slowly got better as the weapons changed. While reading the website, it seems the characters are different every time you play, as are the enemy patterns. This means an endless supply of dying a lot.

The graphics are fun, and the different style of weapons means you have to learn to play differently with each new life. I enjoyed it, and look forward to it coming out.

Golden Axe Sequel

I played this game a little at NWPAS, and fully played it at SRGE. The graphics are nice, as are the enemies, and new ideas. I had a fire breathing mantis, and an electric manticore as mounts. The amount of characters has vastly increased, and each one has their own super attack.

With infinite lives it was pretty easy to beat, and kind of boring at times. They simply increase the big bads at points and keep you moving.

Revolution X starring Aerosmith

I didn’t think to grab a picture, but its the shooting game for the arcade. Your super weapon is CD’s and even Golden CD’s, and you get the choose which level you will do next. It’s all very 90’s action style and dumb fun. I beat it, but did not get any where near the highscore placed by the guy I was playing with.

Faerie Quest

The game is still a bit new, so a lot of the animations are missing in the game. The main character doesn’t have a running or jumping animation, so the creators had a sparkle effect to show as she moves back and forth.

The game was designed to be played in multiple ways, and even with different skills. So you won’t find all of the secrets in a single play. You can launch weapons, move fast, or even summon shrubs or items to help you move forward.

I was told the game would be in a better build at PAX West, so I will try to show a pic of it from that event.

Retro Freak and Master Flute

There are multiple things on display here. The first is the Retro Freak multi console system. It plays Nintendo, Famicom, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, various handhelds, and even Turbo Grafx games. It’s a game dump style system, so it can snag the game from the cart, and put it into an SD card with save states and other things. You can play all of the controllers on it, and even enjoy games from several nations. By far it is superior to the Retron 5, but is only for sale in Japan.

Master Flute is not the real name of the game. In fact, I am not certain I know the real name. It was never released in the US, and someone translated the game to be ported to fans. This table moved it to an SNES cart, and also made a new label. This was the guy that showed how to change graphics on Super Mario Bros.

The game is a lot of fun, pleasant to look at, and full of puzzles. You do not play an action character. Instead, you are a minstrel with a guitar like device. It can stun or make enemies disappear. As you move forward, you find ways to transform yourself, or your assistant to make it through various spots. The entire thing is amazing, and I really wanted to snag a copy. Now if only I could remember what it was called.

New 8 Bit Heroes

Two fans of old school games decided to make their own using all of the tools from the Mod community. You really can change or build entire games now. The game is an RPG style game where you search dungeons, and find new weapons and ideas.

They are also making a documentary about making the game. There are interviews with the big names in the mod scene. It looks at how nostalgia and ingenuity has built up a really cool community. I for one hope to play the game, and watch the movie.

Nerd Wood

It’s not really a game, but the idea is really cool. Josh Edwards carves cool things like Ghostbusters traps for fans. There was a lot of cool stuff to check out, and you should.

Nintendo Playstation

You have likely read articles and heard about the discovery of this console. Usually it is behind glass, and never touched by users. At the SRGE, you could play it, and even watch the CD load a game.

There are no actual games for the system, so all you can do is watch the CD bios being loaded, or play a Super Famicom game. The games all played just like it was a real Super Famicom.

There are retro scenes where people are trying to make games for the console, but none of them have been released yet.

Conclusion

If you want to check out more pictures, check out my collection on facebook. It really was a small show, but the games were plentiful, and I was quite happy with them.