Narita Boy

 Xbox One
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 51
  3. Negative: 9 out of 51

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  1. GamergodsFail
    Mar 31, 2021
    6
    Narita Boy prides itself in its Tron-inspired art style, story and music. I respect that, as the game excels the most in those areas, but the gameplay as a whole is a mess. I actually enjoy some of the combat, but the difficulty is painfully uneven at times, the platforming controls are clumsy and certain sequences feel poorly executed. As a hack 'n' slash, it's actually not bad at all,Narita Boy prides itself in its Tron-inspired art style, story and music. I respect that, as the game excels the most in those areas, but the gameplay as a whole is a mess. I actually enjoy some of the combat, but the difficulty is painfully uneven at times, the platforming controls are clumsy and certain sequences feel poorly executed. As a hack 'n' slash, it's actually not bad at all, but the biggest insult of all is being told its a Metroidvania and leaving disappointed by how linear it all was on the contrary.… Expand
  2. Xbox_Alive
    Apr 2, 2021
    8
    Narita Boy is a retro 2d platformer that just checks so many boxes. I will try keep this spoiler free as much as possible as the story is a big part the charm, so without further ado... You play as the hero Narita Boy, your character gets pulled into the digital world to save it from the threat of "HIM", you must journey across the digital world to unlock "memories" that will aide you inNarita Boy is a retro 2d platformer that just checks so many boxes. I will try keep this spoiler free as much as possible as the story is a big part the charm, so without further ado... You play as the hero Narita Boy, your character gets pulled into the digital world to save it from the threat of "HIM", you must journey across the digital world to unlock "memories" that will aide you in your quest. The visuals of Narita Boy are retro 2D 80s style, with very pleasing level design and contrasting colours that set the tone for the game. Probably one of my favourite bits about this game does come early on with the background design and some of the none interactable NPCs that you see having some sort of mini rave to the retro synthwave music of the game that does give you a silent chuckle to yourself, also on that note the music of the game does really well to compliment the theme of Narita Boy in a way that can sometimes be forgotten in more main stream titles and this is a big thumbs up, however depending on mood it can become a bit distracting when it feels like the audio levels jump around a touch. Narita Boy is a hack 'n' slash kind of game, you unlock a sword and some basic abilities at the start after a little leg work, from a basic sword slash to a pretty awesome "beam" for longer range and a shotgun blast to just get nice and personal. There are other abilities to learn as you progress, however these do feel more situational and found myself rarely using them outside of certain circumstances. The story of Narita Boy is an interesting one and definately gives off that 80s cyber vibe and it is fed to you in terms of dialog boxes from the NPCs that you will encounter and a very nicely done flashback video that you will find on your travels (these are the memories I mentioned earlier), While the story is a great and I highly enjoyed it my main gripe with this game is unfortunately the dialog aspect of the story, I felt that at times I was just reading block walls of text and it felt tedious, despite this I felt like pushing through those sections was worth it as you unlock more of the story and find yourself wanting to find out what happened next! As for what does happen next? Well this game is well worth picking up to find out, so head on over to the Xbox Digital Games Store and download it today.… Expand
  3. Aru-Kudoku
    Apr 4, 2021
    2
    Le pongo esta nota como una llamada de atención. El juego, a pesar de estar bastante bien en lo jugable, que no sobresale pero es potable, tiene ideas de bombero que echan de una sentada a la mayoría de jugadores. En primer lugar, la decisión de la tv de tubo me ha gustado, pero no los movimientos continuos en las franjas que no hacen más que ponerte nervioso y distraerte, eso se podíaLe pongo esta nota como una llamada de atención. El juego, a pesar de estar bastante bien en lo jugable, que no sobresale pero es potable, tiene ideas de bombero que echan de una sentada a la mayoría de jugadores. En primer lugar, la decisión de la tv de tubo me ha gustado, pero no los movimientos continuos en las franjas que no hacen más que ponerte nervioso y distraerte, eso se podía haber paliado, en los ajustes solo te deja desactivar el efecto al completo o activarlo, hubiese preferido más opciones de accesibilidad, si lo desactivo pierde gran parte de la esencia. Pero para mí, lo más loco ha sido la trama y como lo han tratado. Para llegar al núcleo jugable del juego y disfrutar mínimamente hay que pasar por una multitud de textos que no hacen más que echar para atrás al jugador, con terminología muy específica de programadores, una historia que bien poco importa y textos y más textos. Si el sacrificio para llegar a un buen juego es este, esperas encontrar al menos una jugabilidad variada, que no es así. He echado en falta un desarrollo más profundo, sus apenas 6h se me han quedado cortas. Es un buen inicio para este estudio, pero no parece tener veteranos de la industria a pesar de que se que no es así, hay gente muy sabia en el estudio Koba, no se como llegaron a esto.… Expand
  4. antoniomit
    Apr 5, 2021
    10
    Muy buen juego chicos! Me gusta el gameplay y el arte, y despues de Blasphemous otro gran juego español de mi ciudad Barcelona ;)
  5. OverSam
    Apr 5, 2021
    9
    Un juego muy bueno!
    La música, la jugabilodad y la historia son muy buenas!

    El juego en general es muy fácil, aunque hay partes donde se complica pero no es imposible Deja un muy buen sabor de boca el completarlo y más aún sabiendo que continuará.
  6. Nervuz
    Apr 4, 2021
    10
    Narita boy es un juego que no puedes evitar de comparar con TRON, esto no es malo, si no al contrario, es un juego con una ambientación muy buena, una gameplay bastante divertido, una banda sonora genial, una historia interesante, pero sobre todo un estilo artístico que te volara la cabeza. Uno de sus puntos mas débiles es su rejugabilidad ya que casi es nula, pero aun así es un juego queNarita boy es un juego que no puedes evitar de comparar con TRON, esto no es malo, si no al contrario, es un juego con una ambientación muy buena, una gameplay bastante divertido, una banda sonora genial, una historia interesante, pero sobre todo un estilo artístico que te volara la cabeza. Uno de sus puntos mas débiles es su rejugabilidad ya que casi es nula, pero aun así es un juego que vale la pena de principio a fin. Naritaaaa Boooooy!… Expand
  7. Laurent_Punk
    Apr 5, 2021
    8
    Bellissima ambientazione retrofuturistica che fa da contorno a una trama commovente e contorta. Gameplay efficace tranne nella modalità dei salti che risultano imprecisi.
  8. RaY-Terrifico
    Apr 1, 2021
    10
    Great game start to finish. Story, style and sound design simply stellar (10/10) Gameplay -8/10 - it's one of those floaty platformer and the screen is sometimes busy. All in all the package comes across wonderful and can't wait for the sequel!!
  9. Popof
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    An incredible adventure game, it is not perfect but it is very special and unforgettable.
  10. dahZeeh
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    Narita Boy is just awesome! I finished the game day one at 100%. I couldn't put the controller down for 9 hours straight. Amazing art, exciting gameplay, a surprisingly interesting story and great soundtrack! I would have liked a no filter mode because it would be easier on my eyes but apart from that it was a very very enjoyable experience on Series X.
  11. ssAlex984
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    What a nostalgic trip. Good story, good gameplay, would have been a 10 if gameplay was a bit less simple.
  12. Trepidado
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    The art, OST and ambiance is superb. The gameplay is good in the combat area but exploration mechanics are a little bit shallow. Must play.
  13. Gh0s7b0x
    Apr 2, 2021
    10
    Alright boy-o's!!! Here's the hot drop on new games.

    Outriders is pretty good and it's 90's style cool to the max turned to 11 attitude is... Campy. Great game but not what I'm here to talk about. I've gushed before about hyper light drifter, a synth romp with legend of Zelda vibes and an excellent movement system. Well a new game just dropped and it's hype as **** Narita Boy! It takes    Alright boy-o's!!! Here's the hot drop on new games.

    Outriders is pretty good and it's 90's style cool to the max turned to 11 attitude is... Campy. Great game but not what I'm here to talk about.

    I've gushed before about hyper light drifter, a synth romp with legend of Zelda vibes and an excellent movement system. Well a new game just dropped and it's hype as ****

    Narita Boy!

    It takes all the awesome parts of 80's and 90's cool factors and packs them into the trichroma. One of the best animated, audio, action slashers I've ever played. Right from the beginning it bleeds cool and oozes awesome. It really makes you feel the vibe it lays down. As a Tron-esc story arc it has you delving into the memories of a Japanese developer to restore his mind to save the trichroma. This autobiographical backing to such a wicked retro throw back takes the cake. should be played by everyone who loved games like Volgar the Viking. Strong release for gamepass and after being an hour in it's already a solid 10/10.    … Expand
  14. ultraviper
    Jul 7, 2021
    4
    Image processing overkill. Curved screen filter, constant scan lines on both sides of the screen, constant slow horizontal waves across the entire screen, slight blur on the entire screen, chromatic aberration on everything, a transparent flickering background copy of everything. I love pixel art but it would have been way better without all the distracting effects. Background andImage processing overkill. Curved screen filter, constant scan lines on both sides of the screen, constant slow horizontal waves across the entire screen, slight blur on the entire screen, chromatic aberration on everything, a transparent flickering background copy of everything. I love pixel art but it would have been way better without all the distracting effects. Background and foreground are very hard to tell apart, I found myself falling in holes without ever noticing a hole was even there, or getting stuck in a place where the game wanted me to jump straight up onto platforms, because I never noticed the platforms were there, because everything is blurred and the same color. Jumping is too floaty. The controls in general felt kind of laggy. The game lacks a map and directions of what to do next after you get to a dead end. You just have to turn around and backtrack, hoping to run into whatever the game wants you to do next.… Expand
  15. TheHonestJack
    May 27, 2021
    6
    Narita Boy has retro digi-vice style in droves and a heartfelt story, but the combat and platforming are bland, clunky, and unfun. I wanted to keep playing so i could see the Creator's wonderful story unfold, but the miserable battles and bloated NPC dialogue makes it a slog to get through.
  16. Meeleepit
    Apr 26, 2021
    10
    Very slow start but once you obtain new powers and moves its a super fun game.

    Sound track is so freaking epic insane! Story is crafted well and stunning graphics.

    Narita boy is a must play
  17. Erlale
    Apr 23, 2021
    8
    Un juego divertido, con una historia que te llega a importar, un trabajo increíble de artístico, tanto gráficamente como en música, y una duración muy correcta, hacen de este Narita boy una experiencia formidable y que nade debería perderse. Pasad de las notas de los análisis de los medios, no es una obra maestra, pero es una obra de unos maestros.
  18. Nerhvar
    May 5, 2021
    10
    Fantastic music, nostalgic grafic and fun, dynamic and somewhat challenging gameplay.
  19. ZennorWhyte
    Nov 20, 2021
    8
    Great story, art design, music and world design the gameplay isn’t anything revolutionary but still solid, all in all a fantastic plat-former especially if your from the 80’s it’s very synthwave but a great package for anyone who enjoys indies.

    That soundtrack absolutely smacks !
  20. Perconductor
    May 6, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El juego es muy bueno PERO es terrible que no haya un aviso de que no se puede volver atrás al llegar al núcleo. Eso ha dañado mis horas de juego seguidas ya que dejé un par de cosas para después y al llegar al núcleo e intentar regresar no fue posible.

    Solo por eso odio el tiempo que invertí ya que siento que fue perdido...    … Expand
  21. AndroidLE
    May 16, 2021
    10
    Very good game! The atmosphere is beautifull, both the visual and the sounds. Thanks for the Creators! I'm waiting for the sequel!
  22. SpoonCastro
    May 20, 2021
    6
    I think this game has some pretty fun elements but it feels too self aware to be fully enjoyable. Plus there's a lot of unclear objectives, loads of backtracking, and overall pretty repetitive gameplay. Still quite a fun game but I don't think I'll be talking about it past this review.
  23. QBolt
    Apr 2, 2022
    9
    Great indie game! If you love 80s, this is a must play! Arcade made with great taste!

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Xbox One Game of 2021
6
#6 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. DarkStation
    May 24, 2021
    80
    "Style over substance" is a reflexively-bandied phrase that's diminished in meaning over time. Although I partly agree to its usage here to highlight certain gameplay flaws, I don't think that should tarnish Narita Boy's immense successes. Studio Koba designed what they knew best – reverent 80s nostalgia, inspired techno-spirituality, beautiful 2D art, & more – with a sincerity rarely seen today.
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  2. Generación Xbox
    May 11, 2021
    90
    Narita Boy is one of those adventures so good that it's hard to forget. You won't want to stop exploring its universe, thanks to fun combat and outstanding graphics. Narita Boy 2, come now!
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  3. IGN France
    Apr 3, 2021
    60
    No pixel revolution in this platformer that shines through its retro-cyberpunk vibes but not through its gameplay or narration.
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