While official game development for consoles eventually ends in a lifecycle, that doesn’t stop some passionate fans from creating their own games for that hardware. Game creator RIKI developed a few projects that can run original Famicom hardware, and those games are now available for the current generation in the RIKI 8bit GAME Collection.
Developer City Connection brings RIKI’s projects to the Nintendo Switch in a compelling and nostalgic collection. RIKI 8bit GAME Collection includes Kira Kira Star Night!, Astro Man Ninja DX, 8bit Music Power, 8bit Music Power Final, and 8bit Music Power Encore. With the help of the publisher Clear Water Games, this collection has also been brought to the west, giving me the opportunity to see what each title brings to the table.
Kira Kira Star Night!
Kira Kira Star Night! is one of the games you’ll likely be playing first in the RIKI 8bit GAME Collection. It’s a straightforward arcade game with the simple goal of running and jumping through levels to collect stars, but it’s still fun to play. The game has two levels to complete, with each having nine stages. There are three unlockable characters as well.
All you need to do to unlock a character is complete a level. Each character has a unique playstyle, and you start out with Kirara, who has a regular and high jump. New-chan is next, and she has a double jump. After her, it’s Bit-chan, and she floats after jumping. Knight-kun is the last unlockable character, who isn’t playable and just acts as a second character who collects stars with you.
To finish a stage, you need to collect a certain number of stars, and that total increases the more you play. However, it doesn’t take long to finish all stages at a level—roughly 10 to 20 minutes. The arcade nature of it does add some replay value, and I found myself picking it up while having downtime between work and errands.
Kira Kira Star Night! also has a great look and sound. The pixel art is vibrant and reminiscent of 8-bit games of the past, and the chiptune soundtrack adds to the aesthetic. While this is meant to be played in short bursts, the aesthetic and sound will keep you wanting to play more.
Astro Man Ninja DX
Astro Man Ninja DX is shoot ‘em up that feels right out of the decade it’s replicating. In short, it’s a reasonably simple shump. You move left to right and shoot up at oncoming projectiles and enemies. You get hit once and you’re done, but there is a power-up to help with that. One powerup gives you another character, and you can have up to five at once, increasing your attacks and how many hits you can take.
I played Astro Man Ninja DX the most out of this collection. The core gameplay loop is immediately addicting and feels satisfying, and I’m trying to optimize runs and get/keep five characters as quickly as possible. Boss and enemy patterns are still in my mind, and the game is also very beginner-friendly for anyone wanting to try the genre. It’s easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys shumps or wants to get into them for the first time.
Like everything else in this collection, Astro Man Ninja DX looks and sounds excellent. The art nails the aesthetic of everything this package is going for, and it elevates the game as well. All the music does, too. I can’t emphasize how much the soundtrack adds to the experience.
8bit Music Power
RIKI 8bit GAME Collection includes 8bit Music Power, 8bit Music Power Final, and 8bit Music Power Encore, which make up a collection of chiptune albums featuring many famous video game composers. These composers include Soichi Terada (Ape Escape), Junya Nakano (Final Fantasy X), and Manami Matsumae (Mega Man). With over 40 tracks across all albums, you have plenty of music to listen to and interact with.
Each album has slightly interactable elements, such as backgrounds, small games, or even the audio tracks of the music as well. You can disable or enable different elements/sounds on each song that chiptune enthusiasts will enjoy. These albums appear to be big in the homebrew scene and are playable on original hardware, too. While it feels like a novelty to me, I can’t deny it’s cool to see, and anyone who enjoys the genre can get a kick out of it. Interacting with these on a Switch doesn’t feel the same, but it’s still cool to see this hardware used for something different.
While I had fun with the interactive elements, do the albums hold up? Of course they do. When you have this many famous composers collaborating, the end result is guaranteed to be special. I was more into the chiptune scene in high school, but this collection brought me back for a bit. Like all albums, some tracks are better than others, but all are very fun to listen to. The music is a strong selling point for RIKI 8bit GAME Collection in general.
Quite a GAME Collection
In total, the RIKI 8bit GAME Collection has two games and three albums. The games are fun if short, although I put a reasonable amount of time into Astro Man Ninja DX. There is a lot of content here, and the full North American release is primed toward retro enthusiasts. Despite that, I recommend giving the games a shot, regardless of your preference. The collection is also just that, with a main menu where you can pick what game or album to play. I understand if some people are left wanting more, though.
The collection has extra options for save states and information you may need for the game. While there are some interactive elements for the albums, you’ll just be listening for the most part. While I said I enjoyed the novelty earlier, I also have to admit that I just wanted the albums on a CD or my phone after a while. I still enjoyed them, but I can see some people not thinking it’s worth it.
Nonetheless, RIKI 8bit GAME Collection is a fine collection of games and music. Retro enthusiasts may get the most out of the collection, but I can still recommend this to anyone who enjoys arcade games. It’s a neat package that could have more, but what’s here is great.
Disclaimer: Clear River Games provided Final Weapon with a Nintendo Switch copy of RIKI 8bit GAME Collection for review purposes.
