Retro games make a comeback in modern avatars

Mint

a day ago

Kajoli Puri, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Delhi NCR who runs a content marketing agency, still remembers the day she and her cousin finally defeated Bowser, the final boss of Super Mario World, a game released for the Super NES console in the early '90s. 'We started screaming so loudly that my mother came running because she thought we were injured," she laughs. 'We were just excited at the fact that we had accomplished this feat."
Like Puri, almost everyone who grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s has fond memories of playing these games. whether it was saving the princess in Super Mario, finishing all stages of Contra, or defeating the final opponent in Tekken. They were straightforward but addictive, and didn't require tutorials or cinematic intros. You just picked them up and started playing. 'There was something intuitive about Mario," says Puri. 'Nobody had to tell me to hit the bricks to break them, or press a button to go down the pipe."
While gaming has undergone drastic changes since then, retro games have never truly disappeared, and one doesn't need an old console to enjoy them. They are now available in different formats. Re-releases are compilations of classic titles made available on modern platforms with minimal or no changes, such as Capcom's Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (2018) and Konami's Contra Anniversary Collection (2019). Remasters typically update the visuals and audio while preserving the original gameplay mechanics. Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy–The Definitive Edition (2021) and Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil–20th Anniversary Edition (2024) are great examples of remasters.
Then there are remakes, which completely rebuild classic titles from scratch, adding modern visuals and updated gameplay mechanics. Notable remakes include Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and Konami's Silent Hill 2 (2024). Clearly, gamers and publishers believe that classic games don't belong in the past but are an active, evolving part of modern gaming. 'To me, (retro gaming) is a genre of its own," says Sean Keishing, a 27-year-old tech writer. 'It's a throwback to the time when I could get lost in a very simple, yet stylized game."
Meanwhile, companies like Arcade 1UP and AtGames offer retro style gaming cabinets that offer the same feel as the arcade machines of old, but with modern technology such as LCD screens and online connectivity. It should be noted that these machines aren't officially available in India and shipping them can be costly and time-consuming. While bootleg arcade machines are an option, they often lack the same quality and aesthetic appeal as the official models.
Modern platforms, classic games
Today, it's not just nostalgic gamers playing these titles. The three major console players, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, have all found ways to keep these classic games alive through their subscription-based offerings. Sony's PS Plus service features games that date back to its PS1 and PS2 consoles from the 1990s, like MYST (1993), Twisted Metal (1995), Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001), and Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003).
Meanwhile, Nintendo offers an extensive catalogue of titles split across six of its classic platforms via its Nintendo Online service. These range from the original NES titles, such as Super Mario Bros. (1985), to relatively newer GameCube titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002).
As the latest among the three to enter the gaming space, one might argue that Microsoft's Xbox console might not have the pedigree of retro titles that Sony and Nintendo have.
But the company is making excellent use of its acquisitions, notably of Activision, which has published titles for the Atari 2600 since the late 1970s. The new Xbox Retro Classics game for the Xbox Game Pass service includes titles like Boxing (1980) and KABOOM! (1981).
Consoles aren't the only platforms keeping these games alive. The PC has always been a bastion for retro gamers. The combination of popular platforms such as Steam and GOG.com has allowed retro gaming to thrive. Titles like Wolfenstein 3D (1991), Quake (1996), and Tomb Raider (1996) are still available for purchase.
Beyond official releases, the PC also offers access to a vast library of retro titles through emulation. While the legal status of emulators and ROMs can be murky, the technology itself has played a crucial role in preserving gaming history and making it accessible to newer generations.
However, not everyone connects with retro games the same way. Umesh NS, a 38-year-old software engineer who grew up on Contra and Mario, admits that revisiting these classics no longer hits the same for him. 'I tried (playing retro games), but I couldn't because it was just not that interesting (to me). It was only interesting when I was playing with a friend." Even so, Umesh hasn't turned his back on retro games completely. He's actively considered picking up a retro console to use during downtime at work. 'If there is a retro console in which I can install my own games, it would be pretty cool," he says.
Retro look, modern game
The desire to capture the simplicity of retro games without losing modern gameplay conveniences is what fuels many indie game developers today. Retro games are notorious for their difficulty, a design choice shaped by their coin-hungry arcade origins. Modern indie titles channel that same retro spirit, but pair it with improved storytelling and smoother learning curves.
Games like Shovel Knight, Celeste, Undertale, and Stardew Valley embrace the pixelated aesthetic of retro gaming while offering the depth, polish, and quality-of-life improvements that are expected of modern titles. 'Games as a category is always evolving," says Keishing. 'Those old titles are pioneers and the newer games are taking them forward thanks to improvements in technology and creative direction."
No dead pixels here
Despite all the advancements in technology, game design, and storytelling, the nostalgic pull of retro gaming remains; bookmarks of childhood when one would gather around a TV or a PC and take turns with a friend right there instead of a stranger halfway around the world.
Even as developers push boundaries with high-end ray tracing and Hollywood-level cutscenes, there will always be a slice of gaming belonging to old chipunes, pixelated graphics, and the oddly satisfying sound of collecting coins. As Puri sums it up, 'At the end of the day, Tetris is still super addictive. You would still play it."
Shrey Pacheco is a Delhi-NCR based tech writer and gamer