Haneda Girl: The Latest Game from the Creators of Narita Boy

Back in 2017, the creative minds at Studio Koba unveiled Narita Boy, a game that carried the name of Tokyo’s second-largest airport and seemed tailor-made for Kickstarter success. Picture this: sleek, pixel art characters traversing a neon, side-scrolling universe that drips with the nostalgic vibes of ’80s anime, yet tinged with modern visual flair. The brainchild of Eduardo Fornieles, an ex-member of the Friend & Foe team, the game was his passion project, born out of a return to his hometown.

At that stage, Narita Boy was merely a concept, but it was a stunning one, sparking a successful crowdfunding campaign that soared beyond expectations.

Fast forward four years and the game finally hit the market, emerging as one of Kickstarter’s triumphant tales in the gaming world. It was like stepping into a vivid animated world and playing through a dreamlike version of classic action-adventure tales. However, its gameplay didn’t quite match up to its visual allure, with simple combat and text-heavy screens bogging down its pace.

Enter the team’s next venture: Haneda Girl. This time, they’ve addressed those pacing issues head-on.

Announced last year with a demo now available on Steam, Haneda Girl takes its name from Tokyo’s largest airport. While not a direct sequel, it captivates as an action-platformer with brisk movement, sharper controls, and the precision one would need while navigating the precarious balance of wall jumps amid incoming fire from every direction.

In this game, you step into the shoes of Chichi Wakaba, a nimble fighter armed with a sword, darting across the screen in the blink of an eye. Though Chichi lacks ranged attacks, she can sneak on foes, slip into “ghost mode” to dodge lasers, or unleash destruction by slicing panels to crush enemies below, reminiscent of BurgerTime. Despite her agility, she’s fragile and a single bullet can take her down.

The game spices things up with Chichi’s mech companion, M.O.T.H.E.R. She can hop in and out of this powerful machine. Though bulky and less nimble, the mech is equipped with a machine gun turret and can endure multiple hits before it temporarily collapses and respawns.

During my demo playthrough, I continually switched between Chichi and her mech, using it to power up her attacks, absorb enemy fire, or just wildly fire in the hope of hitting targets—which often succeeded. The level designs cleverly prompt this dual-play, offering tight passages or towering walls only Chichi can conquer, and combat zones that M.O.T.H.E.R. can dominate with firepower. There’s potential for intrepid players to speedrun the game using Chichi alone, yet it’s the balance between the two characters that truly captivated me. I felt the pull to rush headlong to the goal, only to pause for strategic planning before diving back into action.

On numerous occasions, I threw caution to the wind and charged forward—only to meet my demise. As the trailer suggests, expect to experience that a lot.