In the 1980s, Capcom was making a very specific type of 8-bit game with a very particular look. In fact, when you compare DuckTales to Mega Man, the games look very similar, despite DuckTales having direct involvement by Disney (obviously, Mega Man did not). There’s a look and feel to Capcom’s 1980s games that makes them all feel consistent.
Shovel Knight, which initially released in 2014, took inspiration from these Capcom classics, getting the look and feel just perfect, though adding more complexity to the gameplay systems (complexity that would have been difficult to pull off with the limitations of the NES hardware). And Shovel Knight was fantastic for it, eventually becoming a cult classic with mainstream appeal.
Fallen Leaf is another game in that vein, and I absolutely adore what I’ve seen of it so far. It has a similar 8-bit art style, an absolutely killer chiptune soundtrack, and level design that would make Keiji Inafune crack a smile. On top of that, it features characters with goofy themed names: Leaf, Petal, and Thorn. If you ask me, this is a reference to Mega Man’s naming convention — Mega Man being Rock in Japan, with a companion named Roll and a nemesis named Bass (who is actually named Forte in Japan). Of course, this was just a thing in the 1980s. The Battletoads, for example, are named Rash, Zitz, and Pimple.
Either way, I’m excited for this deliberately Mega Man-like 8-bit platformer. I have a huge soft spot for games like this (pixel art is on my list of features that will immediately grab my attention), and Fallen Leaf looks very, very good.
Fallen Leaf is being made by Delta Shore Games, and it’s due out for PC in 2021. If you want more information, you can follow the official Fallen Leaf Twitter account and check out the incredible announcement trailer below.
