He-Man Joins The 2-D Retro Brawler Trend

[PopGeeks]

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We’ve noticed a recent flurry of 90s-styled brawler games with faux-16-bit pixel art that star classic characters. They’re either attempts at making a new sequel to the kind of games they starred in during their initial heyday (Ninja Turtles) or facsimiles of the kind of games they WOULD have starred in if anybody’d thought of it (Power Rangers). He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was introduced in the Atari generation and had entered a dead zone by the 1990s. But what if the technology existed? Then we would have gotten He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, a new video game coming soon from IP owner Mattel and developer Bitmap Bureau. The story is simple, like MOTU plots usually were: there’s this Dragon Pearl of Destruction, you see. Skeletor and Evil-Lyn want it so they can destroy things with it, and Eternia’s protectors must stop them in a journey that takes twelve levels to complete. Playable characters include He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, and Battle Cat…Bitmap Bureau promises “more,” but that knowledge will have to wait for a later trailer. In the cartoon, He-Man was the strongest humanoid in the galaxy, but he never really punched anybody […]
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He-Man Joins The 2-D Retro Brawler Trend

We've noticed a recent flurry of 90s-styled brawler games with faux-16-bit pixel art that star classic characters. They're either attempts at making a new

popgeeks.com

 

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Frog]

I grew up watching reruns of He-Man, and to finally see him in a proper fighting game makes me feel like the character is being used in the way he was always meant to be. The Filmation show was fun but also very limited. He never fought enemies directly, and that always felt strange for someone called the most powerful man in the universe. Giving him a chance to really punch and fight in a brawler feels overdue. I also like that they are keeping it simple with a story about Skeletor and Evil-Lyn chasing a dangerous artifact. A beat ’em up game does not need to be complicated. I hope Battle Cat is playable in a unique way and not just a skin for another fighter. The retro pixel style is a good idea since this franchise really skipped the golden arcade years, and now it gets to have its chance.

 

[GreatWhiteNorthTV]

I like the idea but I am cautious. I am a fan of He-Man, but a brawler can get boring fast if it is not done with variety. Having twelve levels is fine, but they need to make sure every stage feels different. Fighting Skeletor at the end is predictable, so I hope they bring in some of the stranger villains. The franchise has a lot of colorful characters like Trap Jaw and Beast Man that would make amazing bosses. If it is just repetitive waves of faceless enemies, then even fans might lose interest before finishing.

 

[Dealer45]

What interests me most is the possibility of co-op. Beat ’em ups are always better with friends, and He-Man’s world has plenty of characters that make sense for team-based play. I would love to play Teela while my friend controls Man-At-Arms, and then we switch to He-Man for the final boss. Online co-op is essential today. If they only do couch co-op, then it will limit the audience.

 

[Richmond]

I am glad they mentioned a possible collector’s edition. I am a fan of physical media, and companies like Limited Run Games have done good work preserving titles that might otherwise be digital only. If they include a figure of He-Man or Skeletor, then that would be worth buying. For me, the extras are as exciting as the game itself.

 

[PerkJunkieGirl]

I think this project is coming at the right time, especially with the He-Man movie finally moving forward. Having a retro brawler released close to the film’s debut will help build momentum for the franchise. People who go see the movie may get curious about the games, and older fans who buy the game might give the movie a chance as well. It feels like Mattel is preparing for a bigger push, and a game that mixes nostalgia with modern systems is a smart way to reconnect audiences. If the release window lines up well, this could give He-Man a real comeback across both film and gaming.