So, What's this game about? Based on what I can gather it looks to be a pixel/sprite based side-scrolling 2D action game...a bit like old arcade machines such as Double Dragon or Rastan. Visually, there are a lot of references to movies popular among children of that era ("Tron", "The Last Starfighter", and "Never Ending Story" being some of the most obvious influences). One other film that might slip past unnoticed by most is "Rock and Rule", a 1983 animated feature about defeating evil through the power of rock music. Yup...it doesn't get much more 80s than that. Gameplay and visuals aside though, what's up with the title of this game?
My guess is it's a nod to Narita City, Japan. Some people might be familiar with the place simply because it has an international airport (not to mention a rather famous Shinto shrine). William Gibson, father of the cyberpunk genre, began his first novel with the words "the sky above the port was the colour of a television tuned to a dead channel." It was originally published in 1984 with the title of "Neuromancer", and features a first act that takes place in Chiba City, Japan. If you're not up on your geography, that's the same prefecture that Narita is located in. Coincidence? It certainly could be...although it should be noted that the story trailer for Narita Boy features the voice of a Japanese woman contacting the titular character via what looks to be an old Mac computer. Video footage for the game hints at there being two worlds overlapping each other. One of the worlds is described as being digital. Is it possible that we are seeing an artificial reality projected over a futuristic dystopia? I don't know, but there is certainly more going on than meets the eye...to borrow a famous phrase from a famous 80s cartoon...
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