Disclaimer: Please note, The Chromatic by ModRetro has ties to controversial figure Palmer Luckey. NINWR LLC feels it is important to cover this software, but we do not condone the actions or opinions of any individuals involved in its production.

The original Game Boy library has a plethora of platformers available. From certified bangers like Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins, Kirby’s Dream Land, Donkey Kong Land to third-party titles like Batman, Gargoyle’s Quest and even the ambitious Adventures of Star Saver. Often these games were boiled down versions of their NES or SNES counterparts, but the Game Boy was at the end of its lifespan a pretty great system for games with jumping and shooting. Enter Hermano, a 2D action platformer developed by Pat Morita Team and a winning entry for the 2023 Game Boy Competition. Polished and given the full physical release treatment by ModRetro, Hermano often feels like a missing cult classic for the original Game Boy and is absolutely worthwhile for those looking for a decent and innovative platformer on Game Boy.

As Nano, you’re revived from the grave on the Day of the Dead, only to see your little brother get snatched away by a Demon. Using his body and in particular by throwing his skull, it’s up to Nano to overcome the armies of the undead and save his brother. Stages feel akin to the Wario Land games, where the objective isn’t to reach the end of the level, but rather finding a key and bringing it back to the door to complete the stage. At first it might seem like a straightforward platformer, but every stage is very carefully designed. Some stages force you to move across them upside down with flipped gravity. Others are auto-scrollers and require some precise jumps, timed with your skull-throw to take out enemies. The obstacles are varied and don’t feel padded unlike a lot of other Game Boy titles. The visuals are great, using big and detailed sprites that clearly telegraph their attacks and scrolling backgrounds that feel like you’re progressing through this world taken over by the undead.

The soundtrack deserves special attention as it is an absolute bop. The varied tunes perfectly set the stage for the vibe of the game and Carlos Pérez did wonderful work on making it all come together with the Game Boy soundfont. My biggest gripe is probably the difficulty of the game. While I think that the individual levels are well balanced, playing this on actual hardware without access to save states makes the game incredibly challenging as there is no save system in place. Meaning you’ll need to finish the entire game in one go. And while you do get several lives and continues, the threat of failing specific jumps or getting cornered by enemies makes the game a bit too challenging for my taste. Especially as ModRetro promotes the use of FRAM-based saves (basically avoiding the need for batteries) with all their cartridges, here it feels like a missed opportunity to give players a bit more leeway into making it to the end.

Still in the end you’re left with an excellent platformer that is sure to entice those who loved playing platformers on their Game Boy. Hermano feels fresh with its unique levels and varied obstacles that keep players on their toes. I’m very happy that Hermano doesn’t get lost in the coffin, but it is exemplary of showing how far the Game Boy development scene has come since 1989.