Nike has partnered with New York & Mumbai-based retro developers Krool Toys to create a brand new Game Boy Color Game in conjunction with the Jordan Brand and the SNKRS App. With all of the excitement around Delta and new gamers discovering a plethora of homebrew games, there’s no better time to release a new Game Boy game into the hands of eager gamers.
Created in just four weeks by incredibly talented developers and Krool Toys founders Stef and Tia, who also happen to be the playable characters in the game, ‘AJXI Cosmic Climb’ sees players ‘unleash cosmic energy’ by slipping into a pair of Air Jordan 11 Retro Lows and jumping through epic levels, Cosmic Climbing their way to victory.
Brandon and I have been playing this game separately over the past hour and loving everything that we’ve found so far. As the first-ever retro mini-game used by Nike and the Jordan’s brand, there was a lot riding on AJXI CosmicClimb, but they certainly haven’t disappointed. The game feels like a GBC classic from yesteryear, with crisp visuals, fluid controls, and some intriguing enemies that have already caused me to fall off ledges far too many times already.
Too Krool For Skool
Some of you might remember us covering Grimace’s Birthday, another title that Krool Toys worked on in collaboration with McDonald’s back in 2023. That’s McDonald’s and Nike in two years, two great companies to help push retro gaming to a new generation.
Speaking to Stef from Krool Toys, he explained that the game celebrates all things 90s, the era that introduced us to Michael Jordan and all of the greatest Game Boy Color games from our collections. It’s also the decade that I was born in too, but I don’t think Krool Toys took that into account when they were making the game…
The game itself is incredibly addictive. After watching a short cutscene, players jump into action as they move through cosmic realms to save the Earth from ‘menacing robo-alien forces‘. Fire basketballs at enemies, test your skills on the Time Trial Mode, and restore peace to the universe. I’ve only played a little bit of the game so far, but from what I have played, Stef and Tia have made an absolute Slam Dunk of a title here.
Stef and Tia have also discussed opening up the ROM for players to check out on other devices and emulators such as Delta, but for now, anyone wanting to play the game can do so by downloading the SNKRS app, where you can also spend some time checking out tonnes of sneakers for your wardrobe!
