We’ve been following the release of The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit with interest. It’s due for release on PC and modern consoles on October 23rd, 2025, with a proper NES release greatly anticipated. The game has been developed through a collaboration of retro specialists Mega Cat Studios and Retroware alongside Progamancer. We’ve played through the first couple of hours and have loved what we’ve seen so far.
Before getting into the actual gameplay and presentation of The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit, it’s worth mentioning that the nerd himself, James Rolfe, has played a pivotal role in the development of the game. The opening scene feels like one of his videos as it describes the coming of a new Jesus Christ techno Devil hybrid that has infested all of video game-dom with a virus. It’s as silly as it sounds and right in line with what you would expect from one of his videos.
Once you get into the game itself, a classic Mega Man-style menu allows you to select one of six different levels. Each one has a boss at the end that must be defeated. Finishing all six levels opens up the final battle with the big bad itself. One of the great things about this Angry Video Game Nerd game is how it feels just as accomplished as the other games in the series released over the years. We could even go as far as to say that this is the best of the bunch, although it’s a little easier than the first two.
As with many NES action platformers, The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit gives you limited controls that you need to make the most of. There is a simple jump to use that also doubles up as a slide maneuver if used in conjunction with down on the d-pad, and a simple shot that can be upgraded by collecting power-ups as you progress. The only other ability is throwing things like Molotov cocktails and other secondary weapons that have a limited supply.
Everything in The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit plays exactly as it should. The controls are tight, and the variety of monsters and level design keeps things interesting, even if it has all been seen before in other games of this type. The one aspect that stands out, however, is the brilliant parody of other franchises that continuously pop up. Everything from The Terminator to Mario gets a few jokes thrown its way, and this game is all the better for it. It’s important to point out that nothing is sacred, and anyone who may be sensitive to religious humour or bad language should probably stay away from this one.
All that said, The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit is a fun game that doesn’t mean to rewrite the genre but does hit all the important tropes with a high standard. The graphics are quintessentially NES-like, and we really look forward to seeing this running on real hardware. The music has the perfect mix of bleeps, bloops, and rhythm of any classic chiptune soundtrack, and the animation is excellent, given the hardware limitations. It’s also great to see different difficulty settings to make this super accessible for players of all experience levels. Overall, while not particularly original, there is a lot of fun action and humour to enjoy.
