We love the fact that so many retro gaming projects are appearing in 2024, proving that while we live in a world of teraflops and terabyte hard drives, there are more people than ever looking back to old media and producing peripherals, games, and even consoles that complement the icons of the past.
Can you remember when we covered the Game Boy Color game that Nike used in their latest advertising campaign that you could play straight from your phone or browser? Well, I’ve discovered a rapper and visual creator who has adopted a similar stance, except he’s released a short film and Game Boy game to accompany his latest album.
Casscade is an artist from Stonebridge, London, and his latest release is a visual feast for your eyes, ears, and thumbs. It’s called ‘Found the Remote Lost the Control’ and is a multimedia package that offers fans multiple mediums in which to enjoy Casscade’s music. While a heck of a lot of work has gone into the short film and the album, it’s the accompanying game we’ve been understandably initially drawn to. And Casscade both acknowledges and is thankful for the fact that many people will have come across his work through the GB Studio-created Game Boy game!
Writing on the Itch.io page for the project, Casscade delivers the game’s official blurb. ‘It’s no secret the world is changing. Is it for better or worse? and how will you cope? Many have lost themselves and are unable to find their way. Masks conceal truth but you are the glitch in the system. Find your way!’ Impressively there was an actual cartridge made which has now been sold, but Casscade has teased that more might be made over the coming months.
Gameplay-wise, it’s an interesting little title with lots of different elements. So far it seems to be mixed between a side-scrolling shooter and gameplay where I need to save people by speaking to masked characters, all accompanied by 8-bit versions of the tracks from the album. It runs smoothly and is pretty fun from what I’ve tried, and I’m intrigued to find out more. I’ve also been throwing some punches in a training session with a punching bag, and apparently, I can unlock further abilities as I play. The fact that players could win merch from completing the game too is pretty exciting; it’s the gift that keeps on giving huh?
The whole idea of releasing a three-part release covering music, film, and games takes me back to the days when we’d get epic 8-bit Game Boy Color games from movie releases like Toy Story and Spiderman. It’s a brilliant idea that fans of albums, films, and gaming can all come together over. Check out the game and experience it for yourself, and don’t forget to check out Casscades’ music too!
