What is Retro Studios Working On?

Two years is a long time for a major studio to stay quiet. Though it worked on some of the tracks for Mario Kart 7, Retro Studios has not shipped a major project since Donkey Kong Country Returns at the end of 2010. Since then, the company has been quiet, very quiet, without a single announced project that would require the full resources of the company. With a new Nintendo console on the way, the time seems right for Retro to once again showcase its ability to carry major Nintendo brands, this time in HD. Of course, there's also a certain rookie 3D portable that's just finding its legs - and dominating the handheld market.

But what is Retro working on? The developer has acquired a variety of artists, designers and animators that have experience at Visceral, Vigil, Insomniac, Red Fly and Naughty Dog. In other words, folks who have worked on titles like Dead Space, Darksiders, Ratchet and Clank, Force Unleashed II on Wii and Uncharted 3 have joined one of Nintendo's premier second party/subsidiary developers.

With any luck, we'll learn what Retro has been crafting at E3 2012. Until then, here are some of our best guesses at what we might see.

The notion of Retro Studios lending its talent to the Legend of Zelda series has no doubt been the dream of many Nintendo fans. Despite the series' enormous strengths, many have wondered what Link's adventures would be like if the traditional crisp gameplay was mixed with more western sensibilities. Skyward Sword took significant steps in that direction, but Retro has proven it is more than capable of meeting the standards set by Nintendo. What if they developed their own spin on Hyrule?


This notion isn't entirely based in fantasy either. Recently Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto suggested Retro would be a prime candidate for a collaboration on Zelda, particularly after the studio proved its talent with Metroid as well as Donkey Kong. Though Miyamoto has sometimes been the victim of poor translation (retirement reports, anyone?), he has also clearly hinted at upcoming projects. Anyone remember him sort of telling us about Steel Diver?

A possible Retro Studios collaboration on Zelda is important for many reasons. The Zelda series has always felt like it could benefit from some western influence, both in terms of scope, story and cinematic design. Skyward Sword did amazingly well on these fronts, but imagine Retro taking it a bit further. A game with the genius gameplay of Skyward Sword paired with the scale and sophistication of Skyrim is almost too wonderful to comprehend. Retro has also proven more than capable of respecting Nintendo's legacy - we'd never get a Zelda game that betrays its roots. We all wondered if Metroid Prime would prove worthy of its name. It did, and then some.

Though it seems Retro Studios has run its course with the Metroid franchise, we'd gladly welcome another project from the developer if it was in full HD. The Wii U tablet seems destined to be used as Samus' various visors and equipment. But what if Retro avoided strictly focusing on another Prime? What about another style of Metroid game? Much like Donkey Kong Country Returns, we'd welcome a return to Metroid's 2D roots, either on Wii U or, even better, on the Nintendo 3DS.


Retro understands the Metroid series - perhaps just as well as Nintendo does. If there was a company capable of taking the franchise back to its glorious 2D roots, it would be Retro. The 3DS's ability to display 3D graphics would give a 2D Metroid a completely new feel, while the touch screen could add new gameplay possibilities that we haven't seen in the franchise.

We're eager to see Retro expand its reach beyond the adventures of Samus Aran, but at the same time the company's proven talent makes it easy to welcome more bounty hunter adventures. With two powerful new platforms capable of adding a great deal to the Metroid franchise, we'd welcome new installments.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was a spectacular platformer, one that called upon Rare's fantastic efforts from the mid-'90s. Though the game's difficulty, depth and length were more than satisfying, it'd be great to see Retro developing a sequel for the Nintendo 3DS. DKCR's incredibly layered backgrounds would instantly lend themselves to a 3D approach, and the sunset levels would be absolutely gorgeous with more depth.


That wouldn't exactly push Retro's team though, and that's what we're most interested in. Back in the GameCube era, few games were as gorgeous as Metroid Prime. It'd be fascinating to see Retro bring Donkey Kong back to 3D platforming, perfecting on what Rare attempted to do towards the end of the Nintendo 64's lifespan. DK64 suffered from a few issues, including a crippling obsession with collecting colored bananas, but modern sensibilities and clever design would certainly solve any of those problems.

This is kind of a no-brainer, but what if Nintendo asked Retro to take a closer look at a franchise that's been dormant? Retro has always excelled at finding new hooks for old concepts. What if the team applied its talents to F-Zero? Wave Race could also use a new look. How about a next-gen take on Earthbound? Or perhaps a few more modern series could step onto Wii U - we're dying to see an HD, two-screen approach to Fire Emblem or Advance Wars.

And would it kill someone to give us a modern look at Star Fox? We're talking Arwings, Landmasters and Blue Marines galore. No Adventures, please. Remakes are great - but let's get something original going.


While the IGN Nintendo team dreams of a Retro-style Zelda game, we want to know what you think. What game would you most want to see Retro tackle? Are you as interested in their Zelda vision as we are? Or would you demand an original 2D Metroid adventure? Maybe something new for Star Fox?

Vote in our poll and then get into the comments and fight it out!




Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of the IGN Nintendo team. Keep track of Rich's ridiculous adventures through MyIGN and Twitter. Keep it cool, Koopalings.

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