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Ratcheteer DX is a faithful throwback to the golden days of The Legend of Zelda's handheld games - that much is obvious simply by looking at footage from its wonderfully nostalgic, pixelated world - but the new retro-style adventure is now mimicking the series' transition from GameBoy to GameBoy Color with its PC and Switch ports.
For context, Ratcheteer DX was originally released simply as Ratcheteer on the Playdate, an endearing handheld console that boasts a novel crank and is still supported with brand new games made with an old-school twist. It also supports mostly black and white graphics, throwing it back to the OG GameBoy days.
Now that the top-down action-adventure game has made its way to PC (Steam) and the Nintendo Switch, it's called Ratcheteer DX and is in full color, mimicking several GameBoy to GameBoy Color remakes that sported the same naming convention - Link's Awakening DX, Kirby's Dream Land DX, and so on. The commitment to the bit really is endearing.
Ratcheteer DX's Steam page promises 250 interconnected rooms and six dungeons, eight tools to master and a hidden alien language to learn, six bosses and a secret boss rush time trial mode, four graphics settings, and the original 8-bit soundtrack now with "CD-quality stereo sound."
Ratcheteer DX is also published by Panic, the maker of the Playdate and publisher of indie hits including Thank Goodness You're Here, Untitled Goose Game, Firewatch, and Arco. You can grab it on Steam with a 25% launch discount.
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