The Retro Demake That Inspired Modern Pixel-Art Spin-Offs

Halo may be one of the most popular video game series ever, but there’s still a game most fans probably haven’t heard of. While Halo: Combat Evolved may be the oldest game in the series, Halo 2600 is by far the most retro. Developed for the Atari 2600, Halo 2600 is a “demake” of the Halo series, in which players battle Covenant enemies in 8-bit style.

Ever since the release of Halo 2600 in 2010 by a former Microsoft employee, major gaming franchises have seen a rise in the trend of “demakes”. Pixel-art games that call back to an earlier era of gaming defined by arcades and more limited hardware have been more common in recent years, like with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and the upcoming Terminator 2D: No Fate.

Halo 2600 Was An Unusual Halo Game

An Atari 2600 Game Made In The Modern Era

Gameplay-wise, Halo 2600 most resembles Atari titles like Berzerk, as players move throughout the 64 screens, shoot Covenant enemies, and pick up power-ups. Shields are a particularly useful power-up, as one shot from an enemy will insta-kill the player. The game takes players through four distinct zones ­– basic outdoors, ice zones, Covenant bases, and boss stages – filled with classic Covenant foes like Elites and Grunts.

Halo 2600 was released in 2010 by Ed Fries, best known for his time as vice president of game publishing at Microsoft from 1986 to 2004. Fries was inspired to program after reading more in-depth about the Atari system and found the challenge of adding complicated characters like Master Chief to such a limited system to be fun.

Halo’s Demake Set The Stage For More To Come

Modern Pixel Art Spin-Offs Are Increasingly Common

Ever since Ed Fries’ 2010 project, throwback pixel-art “demakes” have become increasingly common for popular series. As graphics get more and more realistic, AAA franchises are looking back to simpler times, with simpler graphics, to entice audiences who want something different. The most recent of these is Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a platformer that allows players to mow through demons with classic hack-and-slash gameplay.

Just before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into The Pit. As another pixel-art style game, Into the Pit used the throwback look to connect to its time-traveling plot, as the main character is thrown back in time to when William Afton was on his murderous prowl.

Game franchises aren’t the only ones getting into the retro action, as Terminator 2D: No Fate is set to release this October. Following the plot of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, this demake feels exactly like the type of movie tie-in arcade cabinet one might’ve seen in the late 90s.

While the pixel-art style certainly isn’t unique in modern gaming, as indie developers often use it to craft beautiful worlds, like Stardew Valley, it is interesting how many large franchises have followed in Halo 2600’s footsteps to reimagine a modern title for an earlier age of gaming.