It’s undeniable that for throwback 3D retro aesthetics, the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 are the consoles that most people try to emulate. So I’m always quite chuffed to see a game that takes its visual cues from more recent consoles, like, say, Bel’s Fanfare, a very 3DS-era looking Zelda-esque game where you play as a little demon girl who works as a cleaner on a strange, massive ship.

Armed with nought but a funny-looking shield, Bel is specifically tasked with aura cleaning, aura being a mysterious substance that comes from impurities of the soul, i.e. globs of glowy stuff that comes out when people get anxious, or sad, or traumatised. She has to go around cleaning different rooms on the ship, all inhabited by “otherworldly beings,” and in turn she has to help them deal with their problem.

Bel’s Fanfare very much inspired by early 3D Zelda games, the devs say as much on the game’s Kickstarter page – by the way, it’s on Kickstarter, and already funded – though to me it’s look is particularly reminiscent of the 3DS Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask remasters. Combat wise, you do more blocking than attacking, which I find to be a neat twist on the genre (the genre being “Zelda-inspired RPG”), absorbing aura with it in bullet hell battle rooms, this part seemingly drawing inspiration from Undertale.

The environments are all quite varied and charming, you can gossip with the game’s cast of characters, you can set people up on dates and catch fish, and “???” whatever that might be. I’ll certainly be quite curious to check out the full thing whenever it launches, but in the meantime, you could join me in wishlisting it on Steam.