The Kickstarter for Studio Koba’s inaugural title, Narita Boy, has just gone live. Like fellow pixel-based Kickstarter darling Hyper Light Drifter, Narita Boy looks like a perfect amount of style, weirdness, and killer soundtrack to make for an endlessly charming game. Taking place in the Digital Kingdom, you’ll play as the legendary hero, Narita Boy, the chosen one who is equipped with the Techno Sword, which was passed down by the Techno Fathers. Your foes are the fearsome Stallions, led by the Dark Warlock, HIM, and they’re here to steal the Trichroma and rock out in their metal band, The Metallions. Everything about the game screams awesome from the synthy 80s-drenched soundtrack to the fact that you can surf floppy disks and turn them into giant mech suits.
Gameplay-wise, Narita Boy looks like a retro pixel Metroidvania game by way of Sword and Sorcery. You’ll hack, slash, dodge, dash, and use digital magic to mess up the Stallions. And you’ll adventure all over the Digital Kingdom as you unravel the mysteries of the story, which looks intriguing too with sort of a Tron-but-way-cooler vibe going on.
Studio Koba and Kickstarter
The development team, Studio Koba, was started by Eduardo Fornieles, after working as a concept artist for Vane from Tokyo’s Friend & Foe Studio. Studio Koba’s self-stated goal is to provide “amazing pixel art games with strong emphasis in unique plots and deep storytelling,” and so far everything about Narita Boy looks set to accomplish that.
The Kickstarter campaign ends on March 26 and is already a fifth of the way towards meeting their goal. Some of the higher and more interesting pledges include physical comic books, a physical game box, a vinyl OST, and the option to have yourself pixelated by one of the team’s artists. Most importantly, if they meet their stretch goals, Narita Boy will be coming to PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and if they really meet their stretch goals, there will be expansions for the game. Get over to the Narita Boy Kickstarter now, and hit the Back This Project button.
