Retro/Grade

[h1] Rhythm based game set in space. You fly with your spaceship and everything goes back in time so you're playing in reverse. Catch your own bullets following the music and avoid danger. Game starts from the end so final boss is already beaten and you gonna see the credits, this is the beginning. 5 modes of difficulty and overall 10 levels, each more difficult than the previous one. Game can get pretty hard in that matter. You can reverse time (play forward) using energy to correct some of your mistakes. Music is ok but feels more like some finger tapping rhythm actually. Visually game have space so that's a plus and some glowing chimichangas. Slight recommendation, not that great but still playable and somewhat original. [/h1]

Retro/Grade is what happens when a side-scrolling shooter gets absolutely blackout drunk, wakes up next to Guitar Hero, and nine months later gives birth to a time-reversing space-baby that nobody is emotionally prepared for. At first glance you think, “Oh look, another pew-pew spaceship game, big whoop.” But then the game slaps you across the face and says: “Surprise, idiot, you’re playing this backwards.” You un-explode enemies. You un-fire bullets. You literally undo your bad decisions — something I wish I could do with my dating history and the time I ate gas station sushi. The gameplay? Imagine if Guitar Hero and a cocaine-powered metronome had a threesome. You’re basically matching your ship to its past self like some intergalactic rhythm game, hitting notes, dodging chaos, and gracefully re-entering your past mistakes — kind of like texting your ex at 3AM, except this time it works out. It’s stylish. It’s weird. It’s unique. It’s like playing Rock Band while your eyes are being seduced by neon space candy. And honestly? It’s fun as hell. I blasted through the beginner campaign and had a stupid grin the whole time — Retro/Grade is one of those games that makes you say, “Ok…

Loveeeeeeeee this game and basically 100%ed it on PS3. The concept, feel and rush you get from runs is great, or at least for me! It's also great how this game was spawned.. "The idea for a backwards shooter came while creating a debugging mode for another shooter they were working on to pitch to developers."! I supported their game after this, Neverending Nightmares, in hopes that they would make another rhythm game in the future - but that never happened. :(

Amazing game. Is the reason I bought the Steam Deck recently. Needs an older version of Proton (7.0-6) to launch, and then it runs great. Concept, execution, art design, and gameplay are just superb. Any rhythm game lives or dies by its soundtrack as far as I'm concerned, and the soundtrack by Skyler McGlothlin is also incredible. I used to rock this game's soundtrack on my old sony walkman MP3 player in the studio haha. Still holds up today. The music, the game itself. So good. During the PS3 era I was enamored with this game enough to look up the developer 24 Caret Games which is (I believe) ostensibly one person (Matt Gilgenbach) and wanted to keep up with future projects. I never did get around to his follow up game Never Ending Nightmares (released under "Infinitap Games"). Some comments of the dev's around this game and its themes (fear, anxiety, depression) perhaps gives insight into why there are no follow projects since. Which is entirely speculation on my part. But the dev himself has made such compelling work I can't help but speculate! Now that I'm being reminded of all of this, I'll be purchasing that game as soon as I publish this review. All that aside, if yo…

Retro/Grade is one of those rare games where the core concept is so clever you can't believe no one thought of it sooner — playing a side-scrolling shooter in reverse, catching your own bullets to the beat of an electronic soundtrack, feels like Guitar Hero crossed with a shmup in the best possible way. The music genuinely slaps and the gamepad vibrating to the beat adds a tactile satisfaction that keeps you locked in. That said, the visual chaos on higher difficulties is real — between enemy fire coming from behind, your own shots approaching from the front, and flashy background effects, it can feel overwhelming until you learn to filter it all out. With only 10 tracks the repetition does set in, especially if you dive deep into the 130+ challenge levels, but the core loop is mechanically tight enough to keep pulling you back. If you have any love for rhythm games and can grab this on sale, it's absolutely worth it — just maybe enable the mono color cheat if the screen starts feeling like a rave you didn't sign up for.

good music