Review – Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit

Retroware achieved a curious feat with . It transformed the character who became famous for destroying bad games from the 80s and 90s into the protagonist of an experience that replicates with surgical precision both the virtues and vices of that era. The result is a souped-up love letter to the era’s classics, developed by Programancer and Mega Cat Studios, who fully understand what makes NES games memorable, but also don’t hesitate to reproduce their most notorious frustrations.

The game now arrives in October for all platforms in addition to gaining a physical cartridge version for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) through Limited Run Games, in a genuinely functional edition on the 1983 hardware, which adds an extra layer of authenticity to the project.

Pixelated hell has returned

I confess that I didn’t know what Angry Video Game Nerd was until I heard about this game, even being left out of previous releases in 16-bit platform format, surprising me with the beginning of the game in which Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 BC Version 4.0 Beta invades the Nerd’s room and corrupts his NES console, spreading a virus that threatens to turn all games in the world into terrible experiences. The solution? Create the definitive cartridge using the power of the worst games the Nerd has ever faced in his career, in a premise that functions as an interactive episode of the series, complete with real video cutscenes that perfectly capture James Rolfe’s acidic humor and characteristic vocabulary.​

Unlike modern narrative titles, here the story only serves as a frame for the action. The cutscenes in Full Motion Video are reminiscent of Sega CD games and achieve something rare so that the player can feel as if they were actively participating in an authentic episode of AVGN, without the constraints of the YouTube algorithm that currently limit the series’ content.​

When starting Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit, you will notice that the game’s structure draws directly from Mega Man as its main source. A selection screen features six stages that can be tackled in any order, each ending with a themed boss inspired by classic episodes of the series. Specimen, F-14 Tomcat, Festerdrome, Letule, Shit-Spitter and TP wait at the end of levels that parody Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Top Gun, Fester’s Quest, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and ET After defeating the six, the final confrontation against Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 BC Version 4.1 Unstable Beta takes place in the Glitch Abyss.

However, here is the big difference in relation to the game that serves as its main inspiration, the protagonist does not absorb the powers of defeated bosses. AVGN’s arsenal remains consistent throughout the journey, based on the iconic orange Zapper from the NES. Power-ups scattered throughout the stages temporarily improve weaponry, evolving from simple shots to shots that fill the screen, until reaching the Super Scope, from the Super Nintendo. The problem is that any damage taken reduces the weapon’s power level, and dying means going back to absolute basics, creating frustrating cycles of progress and regression.

Fun, nostalgia or torture?

If the game’s difficulty can be frustrating, mainly because it is deliberately dated, the gameplay is simple and saves on controls. You will only have to run, jump, shoot and slide, without being able to aim upwards or diagonally. I confess that many hours I spent more nervous playing, perhaps that was the original proposal, than actually having fun with the raw way in which the game presents itself.

Stages feature multiple sections filled with traps, bottomless pits, enemies with varying attack patterns, and disappearing platforms. Some opponents attack directly while others bombard with projectiles, requiring constant adaptation, not to mention respawning when returning portions of the screen. Even on the lowest difficulty, the knockback system grants brief frames of invulnerability after taking damage, but it can also throw you off cliffs.

I was pleasantly surprised to realize that alternative routes allow exploration, even if limited, although the linear design prevails and always leads to the mini boss before facing the real threat of each phase. The absence of permanent upgrades or powers stolen from bosses distinguishes the title from its main inspiration, but it also limits the sense of evolution and strategic experimentation that made Mega Man so satisfying.

Compared to previous games in the AVGN franchise, Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit represents a significant shift from very difficult platformers using self-deprecating humor about poor game design. In the 8-bit version there is no world map, progressive skill system or modern quality of life mechanics, due to the technical limitations of a real NES cartridge, in a courageous decision that will please the most purist nostalgic fans, but will frustrate those who expected continuity in the established formula.

A love letter to the NES

The biggest evolution of the franchise is its integration with the AVGN universe, making this game thought of entirely as an episode of the series. The live-action cutscenes with James Rolfe elevate the production, creating narrative context that previous titles never prioritized, and valuing the franchise to go beyond just the cruel difficulty, exploring the character’s unique personality.

Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit shines in its aesthetic commitment to the 8-bit era, bringing a limited color palette, pixelated sprites, flickering of objects on the screen and that characteristic jitter of poorly tuned tube TVs. It is not a modern interpretation of what 8-bit looks like, but rather a faithful reproduction of the technical limitations of the NES.​​

As for the soundtrack, we have exactly what we expected, with authentic chiptune using the audio channels of the NES sound processor in energetic compositions suited to the frenetic pace of the action, evoking classics from Capcom and Konami​. Each stage has its own theme that matches the visual environment.

All the authenticity of Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit also means inheriting not only the charm, but also the questionable design decisions of that era, making the difficulty challenging and unfair. Enemies appear without adequate warning, platforms disappear at critical moments, and bosses have irregular patterns that appear random.​​

Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit is a niche project executed with admirable technical competence, providing a legitimate NES experience in 2025, with all the positive and negative implications that this carries. For James Rolfe devotees and genuine 8-bit gaming purists, this is an essential title in the collection. Unfortunately, authentic 1987 gameplay doesn’t necessarily mean fun in 2025, requiring patience, frustration tolerance, and a willingness to accept old-fashioned design as a feature, not a flaw.