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No Man’s Sky, the online adventure game, is all about exploration in space and on distant planets due out June 21 in the U.S. Every exploration puts you at risk of having to defend yourself in battle. It is a visual masterpiece. While there is elaborate lore associated with the game, developers have said they wanted the game to “look like a science fiction book cover come to life.” You can find out all about the game here. If this visual appearance is not as important to you as the actual game play, or you are looking for the same game with a more retro feel, you want Normans Sky.
It is available now (for free), in all of its glory, at itch.io. The comments include mostly positive feedback (davididev compares it to Descent), with the exception of the primitive music maybe.
Normans Sky is a simplified version but it makes it more interesting in its own unique way. One truly impressive thing about this game is that it was whipped together in a mere 10 hours by Ivan Notaros during the Low Rez Jam back in April. Over at Rock Paper Shotgun, they seem pretty happy with it, again with the exception of the music. Alice from Rock Paper Shotgun suggests just turning the sound off.
If you want to check out low rez, 8 bit demakes of other games, you should read this article (update: article no longer available). You can find a list of recent games and their old school makeovers, including the platform the game the platform it was remade for. This is a reversal of what typically happened as technology advanced. Game developers raced to try to make older games newer and more realistic when there remained a following that still wants things the way they used to be. We, the 8 bit fans, want new games too, but we don’t always need games that look new.
In the spirit of Normans Sky, check out these games set in space. This is what I came up with:
- Descent (Book 1)
- Elite dangerous baseball cap hat embroidered motif – Awesome!
- Star Wars X-Wing VS Tie-Fighter Bundle With Joystick New Rare Still Sealed – Still sealed in its late 90’s packaging. Pretty rare stuff! Perfect to get you in the mood for the new NMS release in June!! The game alone typically sells for $10 – $20
- Tachyon The Fringe Official Strategy Guide – Pretty rare stuff. Haven’t seen one of these on the bay so far this year.
And here are a few other interesting finds:
- Sonic The Hedgehog 20th Anniversary Retro Poster RARE – 18 x 12 card stock poster. Official poster released by Sega at a ComicCon
- Vintage 1981 Nintendo Donkey Kong Gorilla Hard Plastic Bank
- The Art Of Rise Of The Argonauts Rare Collectible Art Book New
- Zelda Majoras Mask 3D collectible paperweight RARE – Typically sell around $20. Prices may be going up.
