In the modern video game industry, it’s very easy for high-quality products to fall under the radar of many gamers because of intense marketing from large companies, the overcrowding of digital storefronts, poor algorithms, etc. That is why I felt that it’s only right that, when a game developer continually impresses me with their output and their sales numbers seem comparatively small, I should point out and promote companies that deserve greater success. This is very much the case with Inti Creates and, so, I decided that I should provide a brief history of them, what I’ve played from them and why I want you to play their video games.
Inti Creates was originally founded in 1996 and spent the first few years of its life developing two games for Sony, neither of which were successful either critically or commercially. This changed with the release of Mega Man Zero for the Game Boy Advance which saw both praise from critics and strong sales. They continued to work with Capcom on the other Mega Man Zero games as well as its successor series Mega Man ZX and developing Mega Man 9 and 10 while they also worked with other companies on IP such as Crayon Shin-Chan, Doraemon, Power Rangers etc. They also developed a somewhat infamous series of fan service games called Gal Gun during this time but I think they really found their stride once they started self-publishing games in 2014 with the creation of their flagship series, Azure Striker Gunvolt. Since then, they’ve done some projects for other companies but seem to be predominantly working on their own games.
I believe the first game of theirs that I ever played was Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, a tie-in to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, that emulated the gameplay of classic Castlevania titles and which I was very impressed by. However, I think it was Capcom’s rerelease of the Mega Man Zero and ZX games when I really started to take note of who they were. Considering how impressed I was by the gameplay of Mega Man Zero, I was curious who were behind it and found out that the company had been releasing their own games for a while. Conveniently, there was a sale on and I snagged Mighty Gunvolt and its successor along with Blaster Master Zero for a healthy discount.
Mighty Gunvolt proved to be a brief but highly enjoyable experience but I think it was when I played Blaster Master Zero that I found myself bewitched by their style. Looking at their games, you’ll note that most feature an art style emulating the pixel art of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras and they are beautiful to behold. The gameplay of Blaster Master Zero also grabbed my attention as it switched between the 2D platforming of the overworld and the top-down shooting of the dungeons. Once I was done, I ended up going back to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and grabbing the last few achievements that I had neglected.
Having just recently played Mighty Gunvolt Burst and being impressed with its graphics, level design, platforming and customisability, I felt disheartened thinking about how infrequently I see people talk about their games. We rarely get sales figures when it comes to their releases, the exceptions being Azure Striker Gunvolt and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, but I honestly think a company whose output is of this calibre deserves greater attention and success. If you’re a fan of platformers then I think you owe it to yourself to pick up some of Inti Creates games and try them out.
Let me know your thoughts on Inti Creates and their video games, which ones you’ve played and which you want to play, what you think of their titles and whether you like them or dislike them, how you first learned about the company and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.