According to the Steam page of Gun-Dog, this sci-fi adventure aims to capture the essence and aesthetic of the PC-98, a renowned Japanese computer that hosted a plethora of incredible games decades ago. Many of the best adventure games on this platform were characterized by a lavish combination of intricately detailed pixel art, often framed by elaborate decorative borders. Despite the hardware’s age, this is a high standard to aspire to, and Gun-Dog manages to meet it with impressive accuracy.
You might even mistake this game for a forgotten classic, despite its fresh release, thanks to its faithful recreation of the era. Characters are centered on the screen, regardless of the number of people present, with their surroundings shaded using traditional pixel dithering to keep the color count low. What truly sells the retro look is not just the low-resolution pixel art or the color scheme (which includes two optional monochrome settings), but the game’s total commitment to the era it is evoking.
The retro aesthetic is more than just a surface-level design; it’s deeply ingrained. Monitors are depicted as chunky CRTs with glass fronts, music is played on cassettes, and ‘portable’ devices are inspired by the brick-like luggable computers of the 80s, such as the Osborne 1. Hairdos are also retro, coming in two spray-soaked styles: big and huge. The interface is equally true to the era, with most interactions handled by selecting basic verbs from a single column of oversized boxes, reminiscent of floppy disk-based adventures.
Wherever you are in the game, your interactive options are extremely limited and always in your field of vision, a design choice that reflects the technical limitations of the hardware the developers are drawing from. This encourages the game to get straight to the point. A small and restrictive inventory, along with ‘Hey, shouldn’t I be…’ style dialogue, further enhances the retro feel and helps keep you on track.
