Riki 8Bit Game Collection

Being a gentleman of a certain vintage, I have a nostalgic fondness for the 8bit era. Too poor to afford a NES on release, I was gifted a second hand Commodore 64 where games such as Cauldron II and Ninja Turtles (which I actually beat!) kept me electronically entertained. 

The Riki 8bit Game Collection has been released on NES cartridges and a few other formats over the years, and have always eluded me, even though I now have a working NES to play on. Happily Clear River Games has packaged the collection for the Switch, and in doing so has created possibly one of the best pick up and play titles of recent years.

The title itself is a little misleading - there are actually only two playable games here, with the other three titles being 8bit music players. But don't worry, there's still value to be had here.

Collect the stars with Kira Kira Starry Night

Let's begin with Kira Kira Star Night, a scrolling, jumping collect-em-all where stars fall in patterns. Your time is limited so each level requires the most pragmatic approach to hit your target before moving you on to the next level. Failure demands you start from the very beginning, so it's as well you have a save state to help you keep the progression going if you aren't aiming for a one-run perfect game. Controls are sharp and the character sprite is pretty adorable, with the backgrounds changing for each level and providing just enough colour to keep things interesting. It's surprisingly addictive, and if you enjoy arcade mini-games, this is a great time-sink with some cracking little tunes and charming between-level graphics to hold your interest.

Shoot everything! Astro Nija Man DX

Astro Ninja Man DX is a Space Invaders style game that has you repelling alien hordes by constantly firing projectiles into the sky. You can add additional ninja men to increase your firepower and even utilise a powerful beam attack to rip through enemies that are proving particularly hard to kill. Once you end up with a line of ninjas it actually makes your ability to dodge incoming fire that much harder, so you really have to think about your movement and position yourself accordingly. Like Kira Kira Star Night, it's a simple game with a nagging replay value that will see you fire up the Switch for "just one more go". Again, the soundtrack will be a bit marmite - heaven for 8bit chiptune fans, noise for anyone else.

8bit Music Power

This of course leads us nicely to the chiptunes titles - 8bit Music Power, 8bit Music Power Final and 8bit Music Power Encore. Each album contains at least 10 tracks of ear-worms that are poppy, pleasant and enjoyable, especially if- like me - you're of a certain vintage. You can do more than just listen too - each digital instrument can be turned on or off, so you can isolate and appreciate the way in which the music was constructed. The first album has a coin collecting mini game and different 8bit illustrations that can be accessed via the A/B button respectively, though I struggled to find these features on the others.

Every title has the benefit of Riki's gorgeous anime-style art in the widescreen margins, a lovely contrast to the 8bit graphics that let your imagination fill in the blanks left by the limitations of 8bit sprites. 

Experimenting, fiddling and playing make this a great nostalgic package for older players, while providing an effortless retro cool for younger folks who can appreciate the charm of older games. It's a great price for what's here, two highly addictive games and some very memorable tunes.

Seriously, I can't get Melancholy Star out of my head...