I get it. Retro games can feel like a relic of the past—clunky controls, pixelated graphics, and punishing difficulty that modern gamers might dismiss as “unfair.” But here’s the thing: those old-school games? They’re smart. They’re tight, focused, and often more creative than half the bloated open-world games released today. And if you’re a developer (or just a gamer who cares about design), you’d be a fool not to study them.
Take Super Metroid, for example. No hand-holding, no map markers, no quest logs. Just you, a mysterious alien world, and a genius level design that teaches you how to play without ever saying a word. Or Chrono Trigger—a game that tells a time-spanning epic with more heart and efficiency than most modern RPGs manage in 100+ hours. These games didn’t have the luxury of endless budgets or terabytes of storage. They had to make every pixel, every line of dialogue, every mechanic count. And that’s a lesson too many modern games have forgotten.
But it’s not just about efficiency. Retro games often took risks. EarthBound was weird as hell, and it’s still beloved today. Shadow of the Colossus broke every rule of action-adventure games and became a classic. These games didn’t chase trends—they set them. And in an era where so many AAA games feel like they’re made by algorithm, that kind of boldness is refreshing.
So no, retro games aren’t just for nostalgia. They’re a masterclass in game design. They teach us that constraints breed creativity, that players are smarter than we give them credit for, and that sometimes, the best way to innovate is to look backward. The next time you dismiss an old game as “outdated,” ask yourself: what can it teach you? The answer might surprise you.