‘Aaling The Ghost’ Game Boy Color Kickstarter Launches

The Game Boy Color launched in 1998, but believe it or not, a new Kickstarter is raising money to launch a physical game release for the console in the present. Retro publisher Incube8 Games and indie development studio Weiwei Leung announced that Aaling The Ghost for the Game Boy Color is the latest title in a trend of retro releases for older consoles. Here’s what we know so far.

A Kickstarter campaign for Aaling The Ghost is aiming to finance the passion project. The developer describes the game as a story-driven turn-based RPG staged in a fantasy world based on early Chinese folk beliefs and landscapes. Environmental puzzles and even mid-battle dialogue options are expected to make this throwback experience feel new and exciting. I’m not up-to-snuff on my Chinese poetry, but if you are, you might recognize the inspiration for the story from the poem “Summons of the Soul” (招魂) by Qu Yuan (屈原).

In the game, Aaling is taken to the Nether World by accident and it’s up to her to escape. Meeting allies and foes, the adventure takes place in colorful environments and pits Aaling against a variety of enemies. As you traverse the story, you’ll set yourself on a course to one of multiple endings, providing ample reason to replay this game a few times to see all its forks in the road. You might not have a Game Boy Color still lying around, but thanks to things like the Analog Pocket, retro-inspired cartridge releases have been on the rise in past years. Aaling the Ghost can be supported now on Kickstarter.