The Game Boy is getting a brand-new game more than 20 years after the handheld was discontinued, with Stains of Decay set to debut as a dark action RPG for the handheld. The Game Boy and Game Boy Color remain among the best-selling consoles of all-time.
The original release of the Game Boy was a landmark moment for the gaming industry when the console debuted in 1989. The handheld console was one of the first of its kind and set the stage for the growth of portable gaming, allowing fans to take beloved series like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and Tetris on the go. The Game Boy was even the original home of one of the most iconic franchises in gaming, with the first generation of Pokemon games debuting on the Game Boy in 1996 in Japan. Now, more than two decades after the Game Boy was officially discontinued, a Kickstarter campaign is bringing a brand-new game to the handheld.
Stains of Decay is a Dark Action RPG Coming to the Game Boy
An upcoming Kickstarter campaign is seeking funding for Stains of Decay, an action RPG being made for the Game Boy. The Kickstarter page, created by Czech indie developer Cestmir Kocian, reveals the game as a dark top-down action RPG set “in a world that has already ended,” showing off brief snippets of gameplay. The description teases stamina-focused combat mechanics centered around pattern recognition and resource management, similar to the Dark Souls franchise and the Soulslike genre as a whole. Players will venture through different dungeons and take on the guardians that defend them without any kind of map or marker, relying on memory and player instincts to guide them.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
The teaser images and description provide some more details about the release plans for Stains of Decay as well. The game will support three languages at launch, with options to play in English, Spanish, or Kocian’s native Czech. A teaser image for Stains of Decay suggests that not only will the game receive a physical release on a Game Boy cartridge, but it will also be available on Steam for fans who want to play the game on PC. The Kickstarter campaign is currently listed as “Launching soon” and is not accepting funding yet, with a release window not officially confirmed.
Stains of Decay is far from the only example of game developers appealing to fans’ nostalgia for older consoles. Many indie developers have released new games for older consoles like the Game Boy, including the recently revealed PachiPals, which combines elements of Pokemon and pinball. The popular Shantae platformer series from WayForward has also often gone back to its roots on the Game Boy Advance, with the most recent game, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, receiving a physical GBA version from Limited Run Games.
While official Game Boy games have become harder to find, given the console’s age, Nintendo does give fans a way to play its classic Game Boy games. Nintendo officially added Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games to its Nintendo Switch Online subscription service in February 2023, bringing back a multitude of classic games from the handheld console line. The company has continued to bring more Game Boy titles to Nintendo Switch Online since its launch, recently adding Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Fortified Zone, and Sword of Hope 2 in July. The Game Boy’s legacy lives on as both Nintendo and indie developers continue to pay homage to the beloved handheld.
