Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut

At this stage, Nintendo Switch has plenty of retro-inspired titles to its name – the eShop is practically brimming with them – but despite such considerable company, Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut saunters in with gameplay that confidently straddles the old gaming world and the new. Fans of the ZX Spectrum days will lap up Tikipod's faithful recreation of the 8-bit era, and with a ton of levels and modes to unlock there's plenty of replay value to be had with Queen Victoria and her Martian odyssey.

Rock Boshers is retro done right. It balances familiarity and freshness, with excellent visuals and soundtrack. The high difficulty may put off some players, but if you're a glutton for punishment, there's plenty to keep you going for hours.

Instead of relying on fast-paced bullet hell antics, it presents a more methodical and thoughtful approach to level and enemy design. This does become frustrating, however, as some stages can have difficulty spikes towards the end, making it a chore to go through the motions just to get back to where you were. Fortunately, this isn't the norm and more often than not I found the clever level design to be a true treat.

For retro fans Rock Boshers may not be a bad trip down memory way, it certainly captures the look and even the spirit of games from that era. That said, I’ve played some other retro games on Switch that have done a better job of capturing the feel and nostalgic aspects of that time without necessarily being as beholden to them. There’s some fun and challenge to be had, just be aware of the aspects that add more of a barrier to enjoyment possibly.

Although it's been kicking around a while, Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut is a great retro-inspired game that holds up impressively well.