[Review] Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit (Nintendo Switch)

The Angry Video Game Nerd is back with a brand-new rage-fueled retro adventure in the form of Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit. The game is co-developed by Mega Cat Studios and Programancer, and is published by Retroware. Inspired and heavily themed on classic retro games of yesteryear, Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit takes the player into the AVGN universe once again to help the Nerd in his fight through pixel-laden worlds to face off against old foes.

For anyone who may not know who the Angry Video Game Nerd is, he is a fictional character created by James Rolfe who reviews classic and notoriously difficult video games that have all made us fume from the ears at one point or another. He has a very popular YouTube channel (Cinemassacre) where James posts all of his skits and reviews. There have been four official video games to date, with one of them being a rerelease of the first two Angry Video Game Nerd games, which got the deluxe treatment in 2019 for modern platforms at the time. Roll on 2025, and we now have Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit, which is our sole focus for today’s review.

So, let’s jump right into the story and gameplay.  Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit starts with the Nerd in his room doing what he does best, swearing profusely as he plays a video game, when all of a sudden, his Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 B.C. Version 4.1 Beta games console escapes into the digital world by corrupting the Nerd’s NES. The Nerd, armed with his trusty NES Zapper and Power Glove, must go after the villainous machine by fighting through six stages inspired by some of his most hated games to take the entity down in an epic finale.

The general gameplay is not too dissimilar from that of classic Mega Man games. With his NES Zapper, the Nerd can run and gun his way through the six different stages that take references from the likes of Ghouls & Ghosts, The Terminator, Castlevania, but with its own spin on things. The Soda Factory takes place in an industrial-themed stage with boiling soda and hazardous machinery. The Turdo tunnel takes place in… well, I’m sure you can imagine what that stage is like. Each stage has its own themed enemies, and there are several routes you can take. Should you find some routes quite troublesome to overcome, you can always try a different route.

To help the Nerd, there are a number of power-ups and items for him to find. There are weapon power-ups to make the Zapper stronger and alter its firepower, extra lives that will certainly come in handy, and secondary weapons that you can use like molotov cocktails to throw at enemies. At the end of each stage, a big boss is waiting for you to fight. All of them have specific weak points for you to exploit and their own attack patterns. Trying to go all guns blazing at them will only get you killed and frustrate you, so it does help to learn how their attack patterns function so you can find the right window of opportunity to attack.

Although a veteran retro gamer will probably get through this in a couple of hours, casual gamers may take a while longer to beat the game. It isn’t a very big game in terms of content, but where it lacks in that capacity, it makes up for it in being quite challenging. There are several difficulty options, though for anyone who wants to take it up a notch, or prefers to withstand multiple hits before losing a life.

Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit is one of those games that complements the source material without being a typical cash grab. The cutscenes are just like what you would expect on the Cinemassacre YouTube channel, with James Rolfe reprising his role as the Nerd and recording bits just for this game. Even though the story and general plot of the game are very loose-fitting, they aren’t necessary to drive the game forward, but they are certainly appreciated. A cool fact is that Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit is even getting a playable cart for the Nintendo Entertainment System, minus the cutscenes, but I will just say that it would feel right at home on the system.

Now, as much as this game is challenging and can be enjoyed by many a retro fan, Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit is more likely to resonate with fans of the Angry Video Game Nerd, than for those who are not familiar with the character. For those who are not keen on profanities or obtuse language, you are not going to enjoy this game since there is a lot of strong language, including F-bombs and flipping birds. It is all part of the Nerd’s persona, and I must point out that it is done as a parody playing on the typical “frustrated gamer who rages when losing at notoriously tough video games” trope. It is not meant to be taken seriously, but I can see that it may put off some people.