The Sovietborgs Are Coming

5 Comments | crowdfunding, retro sumus, sovietborgs, video games | By Peter Paltridge | May 28, 2025 | 2 minutes of reading

Spanish retro development team Retro Sumus, creators of the 2021 Dreamcast shooter Xenocider, have announced their next creation….Sovietborgs,

The game, in production now for multiple retro consoles, is a top-down 16-bit shooter set in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union won the Cold War. Now they employ cybernetic squads in an apocalyptic world to maintain order. You control three Sovietborg units at once, on a mission to crush rebel forces as well as giant hideous monsters that are politically neutral and just like to eat everyone in particular. The game will use “rendered” graphics similar to the technique in Donkey Kong Country — it’s a lot more affordable to pull off today.

In additon to XenoCider, the team members of Retro Sumus have also been involved with other high-profile games for old machines, like Pier Solar, Ghost Blade, and the Dreamcast releases of Flashback and Fade to Black. Juanjo Martín (keyboardist and musical director for Morat) and Sebastián Abreu (Legend of the Four Winds, The Curse of Illmoore Bay, Eyra the Crow Maiden) are working on the Sovietborgs soundtrack.

Old-school top-down gameplay inspired by The Chaos Engine and Gauntlet
Pre-rendered visuals crafted with techniques used in Donkey Kong Country
A killer soundtrack with vibes from Red Alert and Urban Strike
Shmup-style bonus stages and massive, grotesque boss fights

There will be multiple versions of Sovietborgs — the plan is to release it for Genesis, Dreamcast, NeoGeo and MS-DOS, all of which had different graphical processors. Retro Sumus will launch the Indiegogo campaign for the game on June 25. Stay tuned and watch this state-approved trailer…

Help Support PopGeeks

PopGeeks runs on reader support. We are not backed by corporate media, driven by algorithms, or overloaded with invasive ads. We are an independently run site created by fans, for fans, and we cover what we love: movies, TV, video games, comics, and tabletop RPGs.

Support PopGeeks for just $1/month and help keep our content free and ad-light. Your support covers hosting, pays our writers, and helps sustain independent coverage of movies, games, TV, and geek culture. Every dollar makes a difference.

This is a voluntary support payment. No physical goods or exclusive digital content are provided. PopGeeks content remains freely accessible to all. Sales tax does not apply.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping PopGeeks stay fan-run, freely accessible, and fully independent.

5 replies

Join the discussion →

Loading new replies...

Van Nuys Guy

New Member

14 messages 0 likes

#1 May 30, 2025

Three characters at once? That could be a mess if not handled well. I’m hoping they don’t make the controls too clunky trying to force that gimmick. I get the whole “Chaos Engine meets Gauntlet” thing, but those games had clear design goals. A cyber-Soviet war squad fighting neutral monsters just sounds like they threw darts at a board. But you know what? I’ll probably back it anyway. The Dreamcast needs more love.

Reply Like

katana

New Member

15 messages 0 likes

#2 May 30, 2025

Okay, I’m mostly here for the music. Sebastián Abreu has done some killer work on indie games, and mixing him with Juanjo Martín is a smart move. A soundtrack that blends Red Alert’s militaristic drive with Urban Strike’s gritty funk? If they really pull that off, it might be the best part of the game. A good soundtrack can elevate a game, especially on old hardware like the Genesis or MS-DOS where sound chips were so distinct.

Reply Like

MartianManhunter51

Member

585 messages 23 likes

#3 May 30, 2025

I respect what Retro Sumus is doing here. They're not just making a game; they’re making four different games that share the same title. That’s a lot of effort. Supporting old hardware is never easy, but it keeps these machines alive for new generations. Plus, shmup bonus stages and weird monster bosses? Sounds like they’re going all out. I think the Indiegogo campaign will do well if they show gameplay early and keep the tiers fair. I'm definitely following this one.

Reply Like

Kyo

Member

291 messages 9 likes

#4 May 30, 2025

A Neo Geo version? That’s rare. Most indie devs ignore the system because it’s so expensive to produce for. If they pull it off, this could be a big deal in the collector scene. I’m curious how they’ll handle the large sprites and sound on Neo Geo. It’s a powerful machine but very specific in how you have to work with it. I hope they don’t just port a simpler version from another console. The Neo Geo deserves something custom-made.

Reply Like

Berlin

Money Heister

106 messages 1 like

#5 May 30, 2025

Seeing MS-DOS on the list really hit me. I played hundreds of games on my dad’s old PC back in the day. The fact that someone is making a new title for it in 2025 feels surreal. I wonder how they'll handle compatibility—modern DOSBox makes it easier, but still. I’m hoping they include a proper installer, or at least detailed instructions. The gameplay sounds hectic, but if it runs smoothly and has those pre-rendered graphics working in VGA, it’ll be something special. Count me in.

Reply Like

Join the full discussion at the PopGeeks.com Forum | Indie Games, Movies, TV & Comics →