Retro City Rampage - A Well Made Parody of all Things 80s

I really wasn't sure what to make of Retro City Rampage before I bought it. I knew it was definitely going to go for the "retro tribute" genre that we've seen pop up a lot these past few years with indie games. Which has started to get stale for me in these past few months just from watching a lot of the submissions on Steam Greenlight. From the outside this game will remind you of old Grand Theft Auto. Nothing's wrong with that but the last thing I'd want to play is an old GTA clone when Rockstar offers the original for almost free.

However, RCR embraces it's retro roots in a really unique way. Everything from the user interface to graphics and has chock full of movie references. But don't think this game sells itself short just because it's a parody (which it itself states at the beginning). It's a surprisingly well developed parody. You'll find unmistakable references to everything from TV, movies and games but the developers do get a little witty in their delivery as they also blatantly poke fun at the gaming, indie and pirating industry. All of which are casually integrated into the story.

As for the story, it's nothing deep. You play a criminal who's looking to make some cash in a city called Theftropolis and end up traveling back in time. The plot is pretty much ripped from several 80's (Back to the Future, Bill and Ted)  films and stitched together into a funny hybrid. You do some odd jobs, get to know a couple of the locals some of whom you'll recognize visually but have a slightly altered name (Dr. Von Buttnick for example looks like Sonic's Dr. Robotnik's evil buff twin) and go on a search for the missing parts to repair your time machine.

If you aren't much into the story that's okay as there's many things to do to waste time in Theftropolis City 20XX. There are kill spree mini-games littered throughout the city, an arcade to play several retro styled indie classics and the random open world sand box violence that games are known for. What I find myself doing often is playing Bit.Trip.Runner in the in-game arcade. It's a little more forgiving than the original but just as much fun.

Gameplay: (^__^) - I genuinely enjoyed my time in Theftroplois. Everything from running down people in cars to chilling out in the arcade. The story missions were also full of humor and irony. This game is a parody but the developer took it serious enough to be enjoyable for a couple hours more than most parody games.

Graphics: (-__-) - While I have no qualms about playing top down 8 bit games it's still an 8 bit game so what you see is what you get. But a nice touch was being able to play on different in-game monitors. I remember when you had to get up and turn a knob on the TV to change the channel. Crazy times.

Controls: (^__^) - Fully mappable controls make things a bit easier. Also controller support. So if you're a keyboard junkie or a gamepad kid you shouldn't have any trouble with the controls for this game. Tailor it to how you want to play.

Overall: (^__^) - I know when I hear the word "parody" I set the game bar low. However, this game isn't to be underestimated. You'll get a good full game well worth it's $15 price tag. There's enough variety that can keep even the most picky gamer occupied for quite some time.

Find Retro City Rampage on Steam, Direct DRM Free