Retro Meta Virtual Reality Game Pixel Ripped 1989
Everyone remembers the good old days of 80s gaming. Spending countless hours grinding your way to victory, or the newly created handheld device that took the world by storm. Portability and the ability to game? What a combination! Have you ever wanted to transport back in time to the days of your youth? Well a new virtual reality game for the PlayStation VR promises just that. Pixel Ripped 1989 is nostalgic for those who want to return to the 80s and relive the nostalgic days of your childhood.
Pixel Ripped 1989 has the player experiencing the game through the eyes of a young child, defeating bosses and monsters within a video game. Following the extremely meta “game within a game” style, the VR is used to have you play this experience on the actual console itself. In class, at home, in front of your television, and even in your own bedroom, you’ll be able to experience the classic feel and nostalgia of the 80s. With VR, this brings a full experience to the player. Rather than being in the game, as nearly all video games do, you are playing the game from the same outside perspective as you do in real life.
With colorful visuals, the game makes use of modern VR technology to quickly transition from that “pixel look” to a modern 3D vibrant render of characters and models. The entire playstyle and storyline are based on an average child growing up in the 80s obsessed with a handheld gaming craze. Jumping and battling through levels. Real world application is also seen apparent in Pixel Ripped 1989. The character is obsessed with the handheld, whether it’s through rain, snow, in class, or alone, the character is constantly on the handheld. This shows the true nostalgia that many of us had when we were children, constantly on our devices with no regard for the outside world. Truly a mesmerizing experience.
This VR game is different from many other VR games before it. This game is a true callback to the old times. Something no other game has experienced. Just the fact of playing the handheld inside a VR just sets the feeling for recollection.
The constant distraction of your teacher is humorous. The mini-game of keeping them distracted in order to keep playing your game is something many can relate to. Then suddenly transporting to an all pixelated world filled with dragons and monsters. The constant snap back from reality to the game is accomplished well in this title. Although short, Pixel Ripped 1989, enabled the user to experience many different scenarios, while keeping the core of the game the same. Pixel Ripped 1989 used multiple minigames in combination with the handheld system to bring a greater feeling of connection for the player. Starting from a simple platformer game, Pixel Ripped 1989 started to evolve into something greater, merging with the world around it. This core of platforming brings an immersive feel, with the correct amount of difficulty, the VR controls encompass this really well.
For example, in one mini-game, the child is attempting to play his game under his desk, risking the chance of receiving detention. You the player must keep distracting the teacher from noticing the child playing the game. This switch between playing, and distracting the teacher is very smooth, it mixes in the personality of the game with the real world. Another example would be the level where the player is shooting birds out of the sky. The child uses the handheld to shoot birds in the sky that on the player’s screen look surreal. This really tests the limits on the VR system, as it brings objects such as video game models and characters to life.
For a child in the growing gaming community in the 80s and 90s, the real world experiences hit the jackpot. The technology, school scenario, and outside environment feel exactly like the 80s and 90s. Aside from all the nostalgia, the core of the game is accomplished very well in this title. The different platformer levels bring enough challenge to continue engaging the player, as well as keeping them interested. A video game that is not challenging doesn’t keep the player engaged. Also, this core keeps the player focused in the main point, as the other tasks such as distracting the teacher may seem repetitive for the player. This old style branches out from the original platformer seen at the beginning of the game to vivid adventures to different worlds, or even shooters similar to duck hunt.
Overall Pixel Ripped 1989 accomplishes everything that it’s set out for. Brining nostalgia to the children of the past, and the engagement of old-school graphics and gameplay to the modern youth. Pixel Ripped 1989 mixes in different elements of old-school gaming with new technology to create a different experience that many different users and age groups can enjoy. This title is relatable to old-school gamers yearning for the experience of their pasts. We all have to grow up someday, but if you ever have the willingness to go back to the good old days, Pixel Ripped 1989 will fulfill those wishes.
