From publisher 8-Bit Legit comes another retro throwback, Project Blue, which is also releasing as a physical NES cartridge. It's faithful to its 1980s forebears–to a fault–but there's a satisfaction to its level design that rises about its simplistic gameplay and lack of a save or password feature. It won't be for everyone, but those looking to relive the highs and lows of Nintendo's first home console may find a worthwhile experience here.

Protagonist Blue escapes from laboratory captivity and it's your job to guide him to freedom. Equipped with only a jump and a basic projectile shot, you need to navigate tricky platforming challenges and a variety of machines and hazards set on halting you in your tracks. Pits, spikes, and acid pools spell instant doom, but otherwise you have a limited number of hearts that allow you to take a bit of damage before you succumb. Health pickups are quite rare and often involve putting yourself in peril to obtain; weapons and health upgrades are even less common and either have limited uses or go away upon death. The only other item to collect is red coins that grant an extra life if you acquire 100 of them, but it takes expert level play to gather enough of this sparse currency before losing it all to a game over.

The levels start out fairly easy but quickly rise in difficulty, with saws, turrets, and heat-seeking orbs all working towards your demise. At the end of every area is a boss battle, but most of these play out in a similar fashion. If you lose all three of your lives, you have unlimited continues to jump back into the action, and fairly generous checkpoints mean you aren't sent too far back if you fail. What's pretty frustrating, though, is that there's no save or password system, so if you turn the game off, all of your progress is gone. The music and visuals don't push the envelope too far, either, but the platforming and single-screen rooms are pretty enjoyable. Three difficulty options add to the challenge, but I found the normal mode harrowing enough on its own, and I'm fairly well versed in the genre.

I can definitely respect the endeavor of keeping the spirit of the NES alive in 2023, and while faithfulness often does come at the price of convenience or aesthetics, Project Blue definitely offers a fun experience for those who go in with the right expectations. It's a bit rough around the edges, but being a product of the '80s myself, I was able to while away a handful of satisfying (and at times painfully difficult) hours with this latest homage to classic titles like Metroid and Blaster Master. I can think of many worse ways to transport yourself back to 1988 for an evening, and this one doesn't even require a DeLorean.