Criminally Underrated NES Remaster Is The Most Surprising Game Of 2023

We didn’t have “arguably the most underrated NES game is finally going to be playable on modern consoles” on our bingo cards for 2023, but that’s apparently the case. Gimmick: Special Edition is coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on July 6.

If you aren’t familiar with Gimmick, you aren’t alone; it’s a NES game that released late in the system’s lifecycle in 1992 and only ever came out in Japan and Scandinavia. Despite garnering mixed reviews on its initial launch, the game has become beloved in certain cult circles for its innovative physics system, vibrant art, catchy soundtrack, and overall high level of creativity. If you’re a fan of NES platformers like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, and especially Kirby’s Adventure, it’s definitely worth a look.

As a retro remaster, Gimmick: Special Edition includes many of the modern features you’d expect, including save and load states, a rewind feature, a time-attack mode, achievements, and more. Physical editions are slated for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch sometime later this year.

Gimmick isn’t the only cult game to get an unlikely release decades after launch in recent years. The JRPG Moon: Remix RPG Adventure was re-released back in 2021, thanks in part to Undertale developer Toby Fox citing it as a major influence on his seminal indie game.