Indie games featuring old school graphics are nothing new, but ones that sport an old school green Game Boy color palette are pretty rare. This visual element of Cassette Boy initially drew me in but the concepts that make up the game got me even more interested. This action adventure game has a look similar to old school Zelda, but also has some brain teasing puzzles to differentiate itself from other titles on the market. With that being said, I was excited to give the Switch version of the game a try at Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2025. Let’s get into it.
Cassette Boy is a top down, isometric action adventure game with puzzle elements. While it appears 2D, the game is actually a full 3D title. Several demo units for both the Switch and Steam Deck were available at the show, so I opted to try out the game on the Switch. Also, just as a note, you can try out a demo of the game RIGHT NOW on Steam (for PC only). The demo offers a section of the game world and starts players out in a dream-like sequence which introduces the “if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist” gameplay mechanic, which we’ll touch on a little bit later. From there, your character wakes up at home and is free to explore the surrounding areas. From the start, the game plays almost exactly like an old school Zelda title. Light combat elements are also on offer. After obtaining a legendary sword, you will then have the power to take down some enemies and eventually make your way to a boss character.
Cassette Boy has something called “The Schrödinger System” implemented into many of its puzzles. The developer of the game, Kiyoshi Honda, explained and showed many of these elements to me himself. Essentially (and as is listed on the games Steam page), “what you can't observe doesn't exist. In other words, the only thing that matters is what you can see on the screen.” This cerebral concept is implemented into the game in numerous ways. For example, if you find that some kind of an object is blocking your way through a pathway, changing the position of the camera can remove that from view, which in turn erases it from existence, making it possible to progress to the next screen. The inclusion of the camera rotation really changes how the game plays and feels. It should be noted, that upon starting out the demo, you will not have access to this ability, which is fine as the gameplay is solid. Still, this feature’s execution is smart and it was a lot of fun figuring out the puzzles.
Not only does Cassette Boy contain well rounded gameplay, Honda also took the opportunity to create mini-games within his game. He showed me two that he had up and running on the system - a Donkey Kong-like title and a Breakout clone that is infamous in the world of Cassette Boy as a “kusoge” because of its intense and almost impossible speed. Clearly, Honda is having a great time crafting the world here and things like this really showed me his passion for making games. It was awesome just getting to talk with him.
The visual style looks great and the way the game runs is more similar to modern titles than something you will find in a retro offering. The 3D aspects of this really set Cassette Boy apart from most other titles. In the demo build that I played on the Switch, performance was also pretty stable with the game running pretty smoothly throughout my time with it. My only gripe was something very specific and not necessarily an issue that’s going to have much of an effect on the gameplay. There are some times when the main character kind of blends into the background, especially in white environments. Even with that said, shifting the camera can alleviate this to an extent.
Being a mix of adventure, action and puzzles, Cassette Boy is shaping up to be an intriguing game that should be on your radar. The unique art style, especially the 2D style that’s actually in a 3D world, and the ability to alter the camera (and essentially the world) to solve puzzles are also just a few things that set it apart from similar games on the market. I liked what I played and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. The game is set to release this year on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Steam. You can find more on the game in the links below and can even try out a demo for yourself on Steam.
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