Rick Rocket has just saved the universe! Unfortunately, the massive destruction
he left in his wake has caused a temporal anomaly that has reversed the flow of
time. The player must assume control of Rick’s spacecraft and fight through the
epic space battle... in reverse! Retro/Grade is an innovative game that fuses the
white knuckle thrills and over the top visuals of a shooter with the broad appeal
of a rhythm game. Players are forced to dodge enemy projectiles while positioning
the ship to be in the correct place to fire their lasers when their shots come back
to them. For more information, check out our FAQ.
- Retro/Grade has been nominated for Excellence in Design and Excellence in Audio for the 2009 IGF! Read the press release.
- Retro/Grade got a mention on Public Radio's Marketplace. Listen/read online.
- Gamasutra interviewed Matt Gilgenbach on the development of Retro/Grade
- Matt Gilgenbach was interviewed on GameDev.net as well.
- Meagan VanBurkleo on GameInformer.com writes: "Retro/Grade is one of the games nominated at this year’s festivities that I feel has the potential for mass-market appeal. Why? Because it has several unique factors working in its favor. First, the game plays backwards – meaning you start at the epilogue and eventually work your way to the prologue. Second, the gameplay harkens back to classic shooters despite it’s spruced up graphics. And third, Retro/Grade incorporates rhythm mechanics into play, including the option to use a guitar peripheral. The combination results in quite an innovative and fun game."
- Retro/Grade is #2 on the top 10 games from the IGF on Ugo.com.
- Jim Rossignol on Rock, Paper, Shotgun said, "This fantastic little shooter-rhythm hybrid game is smart and bonkers, but Rez it ain’t.... I have jumped in and now see why Retro/Grade is so heavily nominated: it’s totally leftfield, and distinctly playable.... When ideas like this just spring up in the middle of the afternoon it makes me glad to be alive.... Go play it."
- On the Idle Thumbs podcast (episode 10), IGF judge Chris Remo had the following to say about Retro/Grade: "It's really cool. It's one of the cleverest takes on both the rhythm genre and the side-scrolling shooter genre at the same time. [24 Caret Games] basically didn't have to invent any new mechanics. [They] just had to frame them in a hilarious way. It's awesome! It's so cool."
- From The Offworld Guide to IGF 2009: "Retro/Grade's a brilliant take on what turns out not to be a shooter, but a rhythm game in deep disguise, rewinding through an unplayed battle and syncing shots and dodges so as not to damage the space-time continuum. Surely one of this year's best left-field ideas."
- A 2009 Independent Games Festival Judge had this to say: "This is a hilarious and clever concept for a game. Design-wise it's fantastic, taking well-worn mechanics and implementing them in service of an extremely novel premise. Well done."
- Another judge said: "Conceptually extremely clever - great music and art, too."
- 1UP.com's Kurtis Seid played the game at GDC and wrote, "I had fun and would definitely pick up this title if it appeared on Xbox Live."
- PixelSocks.com's Katie picked Retro/Grade as her picks for the IGF awards for Excellence in Design and Excellence in Audio, and Adam picked us for Excellence in Audio. Katie had the following to say: "The premise, that you have engaged in such an epic battle of awesomeness that your direction in time has been reversed, and must now go catch all the bullets you used, while at the same time dodging the shots fired at you, is extremely charming.... The music works great in both directions, and luckily for both our fingers and sanity, we only have to play the game backwards."
- On the Rick N Dave podcast, Rick said: "I love the idea of it.... I just can't stop replaying the little demo of two levels. I really enjoy it!" (Retro/Grade coverage is at 9:56)
- ScottyG on Destructoid.com writes: "The whole game just gave off a retro feel for me, from the look and music right down to the frantic gameplay that while rhythm based doesn't leave you feeling like you're just playing along to a song. The songs (the two available are featured on the two gameplay videos) work very well and match the atmosphere of the game."
- From Big Download's coverage of the IGF Nominees for Audio Excellence: "The levels are all synced well with the music, enhancing your ability to dodge shots and collect your own by feeling the beat. It's no longer a shmup. It's a music game. And we couldn't be happier with the end product."
- From Big Download's coverage of the IGF Nominees for Design Excellence: "it's a shoot-em-up played in true reverse. What is really clever is syncing it to the music, which the game does. Giving players that sort of immediate feedback that totally fits the game in question is a blessing that a lot of developers could learn from."
- The 1UP Yours Podcast discussed Retro/Grade and said, "it's really cool!" (Listen at 1:00:44 to hear their explanation of what Retro/Grade is about.)
- The French magazine Canard PC (issue 189) had this to say: "The creator, 24 Caret Games, did a great job marrying two different game play types and are finally pretty close to obtaining a style combining shoot reflexes and the precision of a rhythm game with some geek humor." (translated from French)
- The German gaming blog Press A Key wrote, "It initially seems confusing but emerges as a fun and innovative little game." (The article is in German)
- WirtualnaPolska has a description of the game in Polish on their site.
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All content © 2009 24 Caret Games LLC, All Rights Reserved.
For information email info@retrogradegame.com.