The world moves faster than ever in 2025, with cultural trends shifting at an accelerating pace. In these times of rapid change, nostalgia can offer a comforting escape. While nostalgia sometimes offers a rose-tinted vision of the past, it also preserves elements worth holding onto and celebrating.

Video games are no strangers to looking backward for inspiration, and for good reason. For many gamers, ‘Old-School vibes’ represent lovingly crafted games optimized for systems with minimal computing power. They are packed with depth and challenge within charming, arcadey environments. With such a gold mine of inspiration to draw from, it is no surprise that some modern games chase the magic of old-school games by evoking the best elements of their predecessors into contemporary design.

10 Shovel Knight

A love letter to 8-bit platformers

Shovel Knight, developed and published by Yacht Club Games in June of 2014, fully embodies a modern masterpiece inspired by the best nostalgic elements of NES platformers. An archived blog post released at the game’s launch by David D’Angelo, a programmer at Yacht Club Games, explains the team’s philosophy behind its design, “Instead of emulating the NES exactly, we would create a rose-tinted view of an 8-bit game.” That is precisely what they did, as Shovel Knight became an industry hit, surpassing 2.5 million copies sold 5 years after launch.

Shovel Knight’s Retro Elements

• 8-bit inspired pixel art with only 4-5 colors per sprite
• Soundtrack composed using NES-compatible note programming
• HUD/UI integrated into gameplay, hiding secrets in unexpected places
• Classic pixel spacing preserved with only expanded horizontal space
• Massive boss fights with black backgrounds

The success of Shovel Knight, as demonstrated by its sales numbers and victory of the Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2014, perhaps helped usher in a new wave of retro-inspired indie projects. Also, it proved to larger publishers that there was serious market appeal for classic gaming. Its deep yet simple core gameplay, nested in the cozy esthetics of NES classics, makes Shovel Knight a definitive modern take on retro games.

9 Animal Well

Secrets lie beneath its melancholy charm

A passion project from a solo developer that took more than 7 years to make, Animal Well is at once both familiar and foreign. At its core, it’s an exploration-based 2D Metroidvania with 8-bit aesthetics. It could fit right into a lineup of classic platformers based on that alone. But Billy Basso, the game’s sole developer, upped the ante for his 2D Metroidvania. He elevated the genre by designing dynamic systems that seamlessly hide gameplay and environmental secrets in plain sight.

Animal Well’s Retro Elements

• Secrets hidden that encourage emergent gameplay and community collaboration to solve
• Minimalist storytelling through environmental design
• No explicit tutorials and minimalist UI
• CRT-style pixel art with thick scan lines and glow effects
• Shipped as a complete digital artifact with no plans of patches or DLC

The game’s release signified an audacious debut for Bigmode, the indie publisher founded by YouTuber videogamedunkey and Leah Bee. The partnership’s product was met with widespread excitement, culminating in Animal Well winning Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

8 OCTOPATH TRAVELER II

Eight heroes, one nostalgic journey

Classic JRPGs like the older Final Fantasy titles and Chrono Trigger are some of the games players are most nostalgic for. They gave form to strategy-intensive, turn-based games centered upon a group of adventuring heroes. This niche was taken to new heights with OCTOPATH TRAVELER II, a sequel that fixed much of the complaints about its predecessor.

OCTOPATH TRAVELER II Retro Elements

• HD-2D art style blends sprites with modern lighting and effects
• RPG class systems with turn-based strategy
• Nonlinear, character-driven storytelling
• Limited tutorials that encourage player discovery
• 16-bit inspired sound design

OCTOPATH TRAVELER II took seriously its task in furthering the depth of JRPG combat systems while innovating its titular nonlinear narrative. As such, it was nominated for the Nintendo Game of the Year at the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards. By refining classic RPG elements and emphasizing its characters, OCTOPATH TRAVELER II reminds players why this style of game was beloved in the first place.

7 TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

Arcade beat ‘em up with couch co-op

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise became a pillar of arcade gaming in 1989 with the release of TMNT: The Arcade Game. It combined multiplayer action with the franchise's iconic characters, helping give rise to the beat-'em-up arcade genre. More than three decades later, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge offered fans a trip down Nostalgia Lane.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Retro Elements

• Core gameplay designed around multiplayer co-op experience
• Fast-paced, combo-driven combat
• 16-bit inspired pixel art
• Secret unlockables and hidden levels
• Linear stages building up to memorable bosses

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. At least that’s seemingly the design philosophy behind TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Some other entries on this list go above and beyond their predecessors with many new ideas. However, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge lays low on the genre innovation and instead made a push to nail down the expected elements of its arcade, beat-'em-up core.

6 The Messenger

A time-renewed take on Ninja Gaiden

Inspired by ninja-hopping platformer classics, The Messenger stands out as a brilliant homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit eras of gaming. It's an action platformer that turns into a Metroidvania through the clever use of time travel mechanics. Players find themselves warping between past and future timelines, a microcosm of modernity finding parts of itself in the past.

The Messenger's Retro Elements

• Past world with 8-bit pixel art and soundtrack
• Future world with 16-bit pixel art and soundtrack
• Challenging platforming combat
• Hidden secrets and collectables
• Traditional progression of powerups

The Messenger stands out for incorporating its old-school elements in such innovative ways. It's evocative of both 8-bit and 16-bit games while simultaneously feeling like a game that could only be produced with modern design capabilities. A masterful twist on time-honored traditions, The Messenger earned its victory of Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2018.

5 Signalis

Classic fixed camera angles, modern psychological terror

Remember the atmospheric dread of classic horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil? Well, rose-engine, the developer duo from Germany, certainly did, and they made Signalis as a modern entry to the vaunted survival horror genre. Signalis is a top-down shooter with puzzle elements and resource management gameplay loops.

Singalis’ Retro Elements

• Pixel art with a grim atmosphere
• Fixed-camera perspectives
• Puzzles integrated within the environment
• Safe rooms to allow for storage and checkpoint saves
• Limited inventory system forcing tough decisions

Signalis does not shy away from its roots. It executes well the heart-pounding, methodical gameplay of Resident Evil and the psychological horror of Silent Hill. It also isn’t afraid to innovate on its own, adding in alternate endings depending on player choices. Yuri Stern, half of the rose-engine duo, lamented on X how they feel, “a bit sad,” when seeing players categorize their endings into good/bad paths. Signalis is a game that has more than meets the eye, and it should resonate with nostalgic fans and newcomers to the genre alike.

4 Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Warhammer FPS inspired by Doom’s fast-paced brutality

The FPS genre of the 1990s differs drastically from the FPS genre of today. Games like Doom and Quake defined the 90s, which have become known as ‘boomer shooters’ to the younger generations. These ‘boomer shooters’ acquired a new title in 2023 with the release of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, a single-player FPS that draws direct inspiration from the greats.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun’s Retro Elements

• Fast-paced movement combined with high player durability and lack of cover
• No aiming down sights, all weapons hip-fire
• Emphasis on item pick-ups
• Over-the-top weapon design
• 16-bit chunky sprites within 3D environments

Set against the grimdark backdrop of the Warhammer 40k setting, Boltgun more than delivers on its tides-of-violence promise of the genre. Its arsenal of weapons and the modularity of different ammo types create a whirlwind of violence with the player space marine at its center. A love letter to the adrenaline-fueled action of retro ‘boomer shooters’ of the '90s, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a breath of fresh air in the modern gaming landscape.

3 Pseudoregalia

Dreamy Metroidvania with sharp movement

Like many other nostalgic, retro-inspired projects, Pseudoregalia is the work of a solo developer. However, it's unique in that its initial version was created in about 3 weeks for a game jam, and its full paid version only took 4 months more to come out. Released in 2023 by developer rittzler, Pseudoregalia takes heavy aesthetic inspiration from low-poly 3D games of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. It’s a unique combination of a platformer and Metroidvania with an emphasis on movement fluidity.

Pseudoregalia’s Retro Elements

• Low-poly 3D dreamy art direction
• Alternate paths unlocked through upgrades
• Minimalist storytelling, heavy reliance on environmental clues
• Challenging platforming
• Concise playtime with no added fluff

Pseudoregalia thrives on its sense of discovery and rewards player curiosity by allowing multiple ways of doing the same thing. Its open spaces, combined with absurd movement capabilities, are reminiscent of the impossibly high skill ceiling of classics like Super Mario 64. As a result, Psuedoregalia should earn itself a spot as an essential title for both retro and modern platformer enjoyers.

2 Sea of Stars

The spirit of Chrono Trigger lives on

From the same creators and same playable universe as The Messenger, Sea of Stars is Sabotage Studio’s homage to turn-based RPGs of the SNES like Chrono Trigger. Talking to Screen Rant, creative director Thierry Boulanger helped explain some of the appeal of the game, “I think it called to very clear themes, and also there was a proposition to modernize a little bit.” JRPG fans know what they like, and Sea of Stars gave it to them.

Sea of Stars' Retro Elements

• Traditional overworld map exploration
• 16-bit inspired pixel art
• Party-based narrative progression
• Puzzle-heavy dungeon design
• Timing-based enhancements to turn-based abilities

Sea of Stars celebrates classic RPG elements by drawing from the history of turn-based games while still offering a modern and polished experience. Small changes to the formula--like allowing party members to shift their position in the action queue if more than one member has an available action--go a long way to modernizing older systems with new strategic considerations. Sea of Stars is the perfect game for fans of old-school RPGs and a great example of genre revitalization.

1 Celeste

Pixel-art precision platforming

Following in the trend of small indie teams with a product based on a game jam, Celeste was released by Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry in 2018. It’s considered a modern platforming classic for the interplay between its tight mechanics and emotionally resonant story. But Celeste’s success didn’t come from nowhere, it utilized all the tools in the retro platforming toolbox to provide fresh, yet familiar experiences.

Celeste’s Retro Elements

• Simple but varied platforming mechanics
• ‘One more try’ philosophy with challenging difficulty curve
• Replayability through hidden collectables and optional challenges
• Minimalist HUD and UI
• Hyper-precise movement controls

Few games manage to reach the heights of Celeste (pun intended). It’s a grand slam of beautiful aesthetics, expertly crafted gameplay, and a story that stands the test of time. All those pieces come together to form something greater than the sum of its parts, making it no surprise that Celeste won the Games for Impact award and Best Independent Game at the Game Awards 2018. Celeste earned its modern-classic status by bringing the best of the genre’s old soul into the contemporary age.