Age of Irata, an upcoming retro metroidvania from developer and publisher VinciWare, has revealed its new official gameplay trailer. Players will explore sci-fi worlds as a space bounty hunter (no, not that space bounty hunter), and rescue the entire galaxy. Here’s the full Age of Irata trailer from the VinciWare YouTube channel:

While unfamiliar viewers might find the fuzzy pixel art questionable at first glance, today’s trailer definitely gives the appropriate context to get on board. The visuals are designed in such a particular way that they almost live up to the charm of genuine 80’s arcade classics.

The variety of movements, layered environments, and smaller touches should modernize the game enough to make it more accessible. 

The way the hero slips down the walls a bit, the level of interaction with your environment, and gestures of momentum are notable highlights. It does feel as if rolling, dashing, and leaping have decent and relevant synergy for platforming.

Although there are only a few worlds for players to traverse, they do seem fairly distinguishable. It’s unclear if the settings will truly dictate the obstacles and puzzles enough, just yet. A lot of the stages seem to have similar mechanics, but they might be story-driven instead.

The platforming mechanics all look creative, nonetheless. Today’s trailer shows off a battle with another bounty hunter, which was a welcome surprise. The enemy at the very end of the trailer changes its behavior when it encounters you, a nice embellishment.

Overall, Age of Irata looks simple, but it has a distinct vision so that every aspect feels intentional. In future trailers, it would be great to see how the upgrades and story beats are incorporated. In the meantime, curious fans can actually check out a long history of videos on the VinciWare YouTube channel that delve into different steps from the development process.

Support LBR and artists by reading more of our Tabletop and Video Game posts!