Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
Subscribe
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$10.99
View
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Hardware
  • Best Of
  • Magazine
  • The Top 100
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • Podcasts
    • Coupons
    • Newsletter SignUp
    • Community Guidelines
    • Affiliate Links
    • Meet the team
    • About PC Gamer

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Features
Advertisement Feature

Nitro Kid is a retro nostalgia-inducing game in all the right ways

By Sponsored

Relive the '80s while kicking ass.

Nitro Kid deck-building grid-based gameplay
(Image credit: tinyBuild)

Ah, the '80s. Synth music, neon lights and fashion ahead of its time. Many would argue it also produced some of the best video games ever made. Nitro Kid is a new game from Wildboy Studios and tinyBuild set in this golden era of glam, but that draws on some of the design and systems popular today. 

Nitro Kid throws players into an alternate 1980s America where an evil corporation named Infinity is kidnapping kids with super powers to turn them into weapons and "environmentally friendly" energy sources. Obviously, this isn’t a nice thing to do, so players are tasked with infiltrating Infinity's towers and going floor by floor roundhouse kicking baddies and rescuing these kids before they’re used for nefarious purposes. 

Nitro Kid in game screenshot

(Image credit: tinyBuild)

Nitro Kid's gameplay is a combination of deck building and grid-style combat where players can see where enemies will attack next and use their cyber martial arts attack cards and the environment to wipe the floor with goons before moving on to the next floor. This structure reminds me of action classics like Bruce Lee's Tower of Death or the more recent Dredd movie, where heroes are fighting their way through progressively more difficult floors.

Nitro Kid deck building system

(Image credit: tinyBuild)

Great music was a priority for Nitro Kid's developers, who worked with some of the most talented current synthwave artists to create more than 30 unique tracks exclusively for the game. The trailer and Nitro Kid's free demo give a taste of what the full tracklist will sound like. Wildboy Studios hasn’t released the artists involved just yet, but they will soon so keep an ear out to learn more. 

Nitro Kid in game screenshot

(Image credit: tinyBuild)

There’s a lot to love about Nitro Kid. The retro graphics will spark nostalgia for any fans of the 80s, the combination of card and grid-based gaming opens up unique new strategies for destroying baddies, and there’s a fantastic new-yet-retroish soundtrack covering the whole thing.

Nitro Kid is coming out later this year so be sure to wishlist the game now on Steam and download the free demo to check it out before it launches. Have fun!

PC Gamer Newsletter

Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Sponsored
Social Links Navigation

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.