Narita Boy — out now on PC, console

Team17 and Studio Koba have released Narita Boy, a neo-nostalgic ‘RetroVania’ love letter to the 1980s. The game is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. As the eponymous hero, Narita Boy whisks players to the Digital Kingdom to wield and master the trichroma Techno-Sword against the evil of HIM and the Stallions, rogue code that threaten the kingdom’s future. Featuring classic adventure gameplay and a narrative that unfolds the secrets and memories of the kingdom’s real-world creator, the game is a homage to digital times gone by, but not forgotten.

It also powers ‘Saving The Arcade World’, a campaign created by Team17 and Studio Koba to raise awareness of the need to preserve arcades and arcade games, in partnership with The Strong: National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, The National Videogame Museum in the UK, and Arcade Vintage: Museo del Videojuego in Spain. Over the past two months, royalties from sales of Saving The World, one of the tracks from the game’s original game soundtrack, have gone towards the campaign.

Eduardo Fornieles, founder of Studio Koba, says: “Narita Boy is here! He’s been with us for a long time now, especially since we first showed him to the world back in the Kickstarter campaign, and we’re thrilled that the rest of the world can experience the retrovania adventure at long last. It’s a real blast from the past, and we’re excited to see players young and old wield the Techno-Sword to save the Digital Kingdom. It’s a passion project built on our love for the media from our youth, so it’s very emotional to see the project come to fruition like this.”

Andy Kearney, senior producer at Team17, says: “Working with Studio Koba to bring Narita Boy to life has been incredibly rewarding – development has whizzed past in a flash of neon and synthwave to be honest! We’re so happy with the adventure we’ve created, and all that’s left to do is put it in the hands of players so they can experience the same sci-fi journey we’ve all been on. The support we’ve seen has been incredible, and we’re happy to show off the finished product finally.”

Team 17 provided the following information on the game’s features:

• Go back to the future: A homage to the eighties with a new spin on classic gameplay styles, the game takes players back in time for a blast from the past
• You have the power!: The Techno-Sword can be used alongside mysterious magic so that players can carve and blast their way through enemies great and small
• Might as well jump: The classic 2D platformer will see players explore imaginative landscapes and navigate a plethora of pixel art environments
• Pixel-perfect story: Encounter weird and wonderful digitised characters on a journey to discover the secrets of the Digital Kingdom and its elusive creator
• Pump up the jam: Inspired by the glory days of analogue synthesizers, the pumping soundtrack turns back the clock for this techno-journey.

Further information on the Saving The Arcade World is available from www.team17.com; share your arcade memories on social media with #SavingTheArcadeWorld.

To keep up to date with the latest information on Narita Boy, follow the studio on Twitter and Instagram, and join them on Discord.