It’s common for people to throw around the word “retro” when it comes to any video games that are characterised by pixelated graphics, chiptune music, arcade gameplay, and the like. Most of these would never actually run on older consoles since they are more complex and modern in other areas, but something like Shovel Knight is what we would call a pure retro game – it utilises all of the aforementioned elements and more to make it seem as though it’s truly from the 80s. Rock Boshers DX: Director’s Cut takes an even bigger step; developer Tikipod has fashioned the game as if it were designed for the obscure, decades-old ZX Spectrum – and the faithfulness of this love letter to retro gaming is evident in every corner. It may be amusing to think that this is crafted for Sony’s modern machines, but you would be wrong in assuming that the game doesn’t rock for what it is.
