I got the opportunity to speak with Roman, a developer for Australian indie Games Team Bit Dragon, about the upcoming title, Hyper jam, a Neon-soaked brawler with a top down perspective.

The game looks amazing, packed with RetroWave synths and neon eye-candy, indulging on a colourful art style, pallet and soundtrack, with unique brawler mechanics involving powerup stacking and strategical hit placing.

Beats on the Battlefield

The map and character designs in Hyper Jam take creative influence in 80’s portrayals of the future, rather than specific throws to our favourite titles.

On Maps, Roman said that “they’re inspired by real world locations and then we’ve… (brought) …the 80’s flare to it after the fact”.

“They’re not necessarily throwbacks to any specific title… … it’s just more a throwback to the era, and, yeah, I guess… …envisioning of what the future could have been like as it was seen in the 80’s”.

“We didn’t start off with (the art style)” “We only adopted the neo-80’s theme… …6 months after it was developed”.

“it was about people basically fighting in hell for a chance of reincarnation… … So the aesthetic was very gritty, very grungy”

Roman discussed that this coupled with the gameplay, and was central to how the game would be played, and how it transferred into a Neo-80’s aesthetic.

“It’s quite fast and pretty chaotic… …One thing sets it apart from other top-down games, there’s a lot of physicality in the combat”.

“When you get hit by an explosion… your character would really like slide back and recoil in reaction to the hits”.

“The combat is very deliberate, very meaty… … we play a lot of fighting games and stuff so it is really important to us that the controls are really responsive and the actions aren’t without meaning”

Beats in the Background

“Hotline Miami… …that’s how we… …got to the Synthwave aesthetic I suppose”

Roman discussed that the team behind Hyper Jam are massive Retrowavers. “Artists like Dance with the Dead, Carpenter Brut… … Pertubator” were listened to during the development of the game.

“Often during development we’ll just like, put on like a Synthwave playlist on… …YouTube or something or just Spotify”.

Currently, Bit Dragon has confirmed music from Dance with the Dead to be featured in the game, with more artists yet to be confirmed.

“There is a variety of Synthwave artists that we listen to and do plan to reach out to… … to feature their music in the game”.

“Also if there are Synthwave artists that are… …wanting to be featured in the game… … I’d definitely also be interest in them approaching us and letting us know”.

Beats on the Screen

It’s a round-based, four player last man standing game, based around heavy hitting and fast pace action.

“After a round… … basically you’re given a selection of (random) powerups”

“Whoever is coming last gets first pick of it, and whoever’s coming first gets basically what’s left over”.

Roman discussed that the game has taken massive influence from brawlers, but also that the “perk drafting” mechanic is central to the game, using similar notions to The Binding of Isaac and Magic: The Gathering, interlaced with a multiplayer, four player systems.

It’s chaotic, its colourful, and there’s strategy to it. It’s Beautiful.

Beats on the Way

Hyper Jam is set for an “Early 2018” Release, with a Progress Update being released on the First of November, showing off a New level – Overpass, alongside improvements of previous maps such as Subway, Assembly (formerly, Hoghouse) and Hotel.

You can check out development and news of the game on hyper Jamgame.com, or through Steam, store.steampowered.com/app/556050/Hyper_Jam .

Groovy.

*Images obtained from the Hyper Jam Presskit http://hyperjamgame.com/press/

**Special Thanks to Roman Maksymyschyn & The Bit Dragon Team

Whilst we’re all waiting for CD Projekt Red to release more info about its Blade-Runner-ish new title Cyberpunk 2077, it’s worth remembering the greatest highlights of the last few games that sport the wonderful Retro-Synth aesthetic. Because of their unique artstyle, colour, direction and soundtracks these games have lasted the test of time, and have great replay value today.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (2013, Ubisoft)

(images from Steam)

Released as a spin-off DLC sized spin on Ubisoft’s earlier released title “Far Cry 3”, Blood Dragon sports everything we love. Neon lights, sexy action, references to our favourite 80’s flicks, and best of all, a retrowave soundtrack composed by Australian duo “Power Glove”.
Although short in length, Blood Dragon makes up for everything in personality. A terrific ambient soundtrack accompanies you through your conquest of a Dystopian island occupied by warlord Sloan, set during 2007 after “Vietnam War II”. The game is laden with low brow comedy, and tasteful graphics and animation that just hits every mark.

(images from Steam)

Getting passed the reliance on Far Cry 3’s release, everything in Blood Dragon is a throw to something we’ve come to love – the badass weapons, the side-quests, VHS tapes as collector’s items and a sexy heroes journey involving a crazy amount of neon lights.

This all goes without saying the terrific soundtrack Power Glove composed for this game – it sets scenes perfectly and keeps tension to an outrun-pace, almost as if you’re watching a Neo-Topian movie, but where all the explosions and death are your doing.

It’s an amazing experience, and should definitely be picked up by any lover of the aesthetic.

Hotline Miami
(2012, Devolver Digital)

(images from Steam)

Hotline Miami is a legend of indie-games. Widely acclaimed all over the world, the 2012 indie title transcends the typical mold for a game of its type.

Again, it’s everything we love. Hectic, immersive action, an art-style that reels the player in, and a soundtrack that just makes hair stand on its own, featuring artists such as M O O N, El Huervo and Perturbator. Hotline Miami is a surreal, psychedelic top-down action game, involving crazy amounts of gore and violence – if by some chance you haven’t graced this masterpiece, you need to.

Hotline Miami takes queues from drug and gore ridden movies and TV shows of the 70’s through to the 90’s. But that’s just in the creation of the aesthetic, beyond this Hotline Miami crafts its own mold of high-voltage gameplay that causes blood curdling, teeth grinding and brain frying.

The soundtrack tops it all off. If id Software’s 2016 DOOM (4) was to be praised for its action-audio synchronization, then Hotline Miami beat it to the punch. The beat-heavy, synth-ridden, guitar strumming soundtrack that plays in the background whilst you blow away at criminals and bodyguards makes you want to align every gunshot and melee strike up with the music.

This game is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s worth your time.

VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (2016, Sukeban Games)

(images from Steam)

Less-heard of, but definitely worth the mention, is VA-11 HALL-A, a 2016 title with a lighter tone than previous titles mentioned.

Rather than immersing the player in layers of violence, gore and chaos, VA-11 HALL-A takes a different turn, being more of a choice-based visual novel involving well drawn art, conversations, mixing drinks and a Shibe lead character. VA-11 HALL-A has a terrific immersive soundtrack, not leaning more into the Outrun scene, but functioning as a nice backdrop to the roleplay as a Cyber-Bartender. The game itself relies more on its character design and comedy, and it does both greatly.                                          

Make no mistake, VA-11 HALL-A is no outrun-heavy action thriller where you kill everything, enjoy the sounds, love the lights and move on – it has more of a chill vibe to it. Imagine yourself behind the bar of a Neo-Tokyo cocktail bar in a dystopian, comic-y world that takes queues from sci-fi, whilst keeping up a decent comedic tone, with a lineup of memorable characters. That’s essentially what you’ve got here.

The music doesn’t speed up your cocktail shaking or anything, it’s more of an ambient thing to remind you of the setting, and it’s a great listen, and really adds to the experience.

It’s a great game, and well worth its value.

 Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011, Eidos Montreal)

(Images from Steam, game was remastered in 2013)

No list of retrowave games can go without Deus Ex: HR. Adam Jensen’s iconic line “I Never Asked For This” is enough to reel an unsuspecting gamer into the immersive universe of Deus Ex, but under the surface level of this epic game is everything we love about our aesthetic – a brilliant storyline, awesome action, and an immersive soundtrack that traps the player in the universe of this Blade Runner-inspired epic, complimented by visuals and art style.

Deus Ex takes a more serious, narrative driven approach than the other games on this list. It bends the aesthetic in its own, unique direction, picking up an orange and murky-grey hue over bright purples and pinks. It takes massive influence from the sci-fi’s of old, creating a unique dystopian storyline,

enhanced by every element of the game – needless to say the music, but also through player choices; you don’t need to kill anybody except bosses throughout the whole game, and you are often put into tense negotiation scenes.

But back to what we love – the soundtrack. It’s insane, and creates immersive, epic tension, and reaffirms the player’s choices no matter if they’re more pacifistic, ham fisted, or an action hero type.

You definitely need to pick up this masterpiece.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

(Images from Steam)

(2003, Rockstar Games)

Vice City was Rockstar Games’ love letter to the gritty, gory, drug ridden Miami-set action flicks of the 70’s and 80’s, taking major queues from Scarface and Miami Vice. It’s much more dated than the others on this this, but worthy of at least an honorable mention.

You’re in the control of Tommy Vercetti, a memorable player character within the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and a ruthless gangster in the drug-fuelled Vice City, based on Miami. You’ve got Lamborghini’s, Ferrari’s, Uzi’s and Helicopters at your disposal.

It’s an old game, in every respect of the title, but two elements of the game transcend age. Artstyle and soundtrack.

GTA Vice City used pinkish hues and eye-catching dominant fluoro-ish colours to enhance its graphics. Cutting edge in 2003, however less-so now, it can’t be denied that there is an aesthetic quality and personality to this game.

Soundtrack wise the same is true. Vice City doesn’t contain outrun and modern Retrowave and Synthwave artists – it’s a time-period piece. Video Killed The Radio Star, Billie Jean, classic songs that are intrinsically linked to our aesthetic make up the soundtrack to the game.
You might not appreciate it as much as somebody with sever nostalgia, but Vice City is a classic.

The games here are shining beacons of sound and artstyle. Insanely fun, beautiful in design, and well molded into their own directions, with unique soundtracks that fit perfectly.

Written by Zachariah Kelly

The art created by 1970’s and 80’s artist Patrick Nagel has been a massive influence in the scene. His overwhelmingly popular art continues to resonate throughout the New Retro Wave area, as some modern artists and mediums of art allude to his classic vibrant style.

Nagel’s art composed of bald, elegant and vibrant illustrations of females, donning sophistication, mysteriousness and attention drawing expressions, reminiscent of expressionistic art of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Elena G. Millie, a curator of Nagel’s work, best summarizes his style:

“At any time there are a few who give form and meaning to their generation. Patrick Nagel’s emergence as one of these gifted few stemmed from his unique vision of the contemporary woman: She is elegant and sophisticated, exuding an air of mysterious enticement. She is capable, alluring and graceful, but also aloof and distant. You will never know this woman, though she stares out of the Nagel frame straight at you, compelling you to become involved, challenging you to an intense confrontation.”
–    Elena G. Millie, Obtained from arthistoryarchive.com, July 2017

Mystery was the key element of Nagel’s art – the key theme that his contemporaries adopted, and an intrinsic theme that stays strong within the retrowave aesthetic.

1969 would see the start to his career, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University. He would later pick up a career in 1971 at ABC-TV, detailing graphics for channel promotions.

Arthistoryarchive.com have lorded him as a “Playboy art icon”, as he designed for the popular magazine throughout the mid to late 1970’s, however his place in the history of Retrowave is much more significant, with his art continuing to resonate throughout the New Retro Wave movement.

(Image from catawiki.com, NAGP 89 “The Playboy Portfolio II”, Nagel)

In the movement, Nagel is an unsung icon, creating works just before the vibrancy of the 90’s, during a time of great expressionism that would segway into the Pop-art era, taking art into an undefined territory. Today, this has made its way into our familiar minds.

There is no denying that Nagel’s art was a massive influence upon the 2015 Comedy Central production Moonbeam city – the show created by Scott Gairdner encapsulates many facets of the movement, through a nostalgic Miami-Vice theme, however the distinctive character illustrations and some of the execution of colour is a direct throw to the art of Nagel.

Photo from “Moonbeam City Trailer” (August 20, 2015), on YT Channel JoBlo TV Show Trailers, Show by Comedy Central

Album covers of our contemporaries often take a trend of throwing back to the art of Nagel, adapting it to further fit the aesthetic. The album cover of ALEX’s 2017 EP Youth takes on a Nagel-ic design, adding colour to the portrayal of the woman, along with greater detail of the hair, with shadow effects. Trevor Something’s “Trevor Something Does Not Exist” in 2014 took a similar artistic direction with its album cover.

Album cover of ALEX’s “Youth”  (2017) – Art by Jacqueline Ruther, Mizucat. Image from YT Channel NRW Records.

Album cover of Trevor Something’s “Trevor Something Does Not Exist” (2014), Art by Ariel Zucker, Image from YT Channel New Retro Wave.

Soundcloud and Bandcamp synthwave artist SelloRekT/LA Dreams (https://ladreams.bandcamp.com/track/nagel-girl) is also responsible for a nod to Nagel with song titled “Nagel Girl”. The song matches Nagel’s art well.

Photofrom SelloRekT/LA Dreams’ Bandcamp, “Nagel Girl”

In another area, the song “Desire – Under your spell” on Youtube has a throw to the art of the era. Popularised by 2011’s Drive, the fan-made music video uses Nagel-like imagery to be synced to the song – although the art is by Roy Lichtenstein, a contemporary of Nagel, synthesising a comic book-esk and pop art-ish aesthetic, the resemblance is noticeable, further cementing in place the impact of Nagel’s contemporaries. Needless to say, Lichtenstein has his own place in artistic history. The synths of the song throw in Nagel’s direction, but let’s not forget his contemporaries.

Photo from “Desire – Under Your Spell” (November 22, 2010), on YT Channel The Prismer, art by Roy Lichtenstein

Artists that explored this area as Nagels contemporaries and after Nagel’s untimely death include Carlos Sanchez, Dennis Mukai and Luis Preciado, who each added their own flavour to the artsphere.

“Thrill Me” by Carlos Sanchez

“Thrill Me” by Carlos Sanchez

“Special Friend” by Dennis Mukai

“Special Friend” by Dennis Mukai

“Genevieve” by Luis Preciado

“Genevieve” by Luis Preciado

It’s likely to say that Patrick Nagel has influenced the artistic direction of the movement greatly, adding mystery, sophistication and enticement that modern contemporaries have taken on board immensely.

Article by Zac Kelly.