Pixels, Puzzles, and Perspective in One Small Package
Just one month in, 2026 continues to deliver wonderful and weird games for us to experience. CASSETTE BOY is no exception to this trend. Developed by Wonderland Kazakiri Inc. and published by Pocketpair, Inc., this puzzle action RPG was equally fun and frustrating to play.
In CASSETTE BOY, we wake from a strange dream as the titular character. Reality soon shifts as we learn that the moon has disappeared. CASSETTE BOY must find the missing moon fragments and uncover the mystery of why the moon was missing in the first place. An entity gifts us a reality-bending set of headphones to support our journey. His world becomes three dimensional, creating new pathways and possibilities previously hidden from our view.
This 8-bit pixelated design of CASSETTE BOY is deceptively simple compared to the game mechanics. Unlike the 2D platformer mechanic we’ve come to expect of pixel games, Wonderland Kazakiri inc. created a 3D pixelated world. This adds the complexity of perspective, which CASSETTE BOY utilises to create a unique game mechanism. CASSETTE BOY is a controller-only game also, fitting the retro image more than a keyboard and mouse.
“Does the moon cease to exist when I’m not looking?”
Inspired by Einstein’s discussions of quantum mechanics, perspective is the biggest selling point of the game. The player can use their gifted headphones to change perspective in ninety degree intervals. Visibility of objects and enemies determines whether they are interactable.
Gameplay is heavily puzzle oriented, mixed with retro dungeon-style fights in to keep it interesting. Perspective and interactive world blocks make the puzzles more complex. There is a good balance of puzzle difficulties throughout the game, with some optional dungeons for bonus XP.
Enemies re-spawn in their designated areas or dungeons with each save, giving the opportunity to XP farm. Farming is completely optional, I never found my level to be a hindrance to game progression. The exception to this was collecting antique coins. Antique coins are collectables located in hard-to-reach areas that seem optional in early gameplay. You then find out that antique coins are essential to accessing certain quests. Any completionists would not be inconvenienced, however, I had to retrace my steps to meet the quota.
In later game, CASSETTE BOY earns more tapes to grow his powers. This adds great variety to the puzzle mechanisms, adding levels of complexity (and sometimes frustration) that keeps the game interesting. Unfortunately only one tape can be used at once and there is no shortcut to switch tapes. As a ham-handed individual, I chose the wrong tape a few times so I was in my inventory a lot.
The biggest downside I experienced was a glitch – I fell off the map at multiple different locations. Apparently, on a map where the player can ‘fall’ to a lower level, it is possible to miss the platform and fall into the abyss. This is fine if you have recently saved, but a nightmare if not.
Unfortunately, this glitch also left me unable to finish the game. In the final boss battle, I fell off the map and into the abyss (pictured below). It happened three times until I gave up, so I guess I will never know how the story ends (just kidding, I was straight to the internet for that). Whether this is a rare occurrence for players or not I can’t say, but it’s best to know all possibilities if you’re considering the game.
Despite being unable to complete the game, I thoroughly enjoyed my play through of CASSETTE BOY. Overall game performance was good. Speed and quality were maintained throughout. Aesthetically, this game is adorable in the way it utilises a nearly monotone colour palette. The storyline was unique and interesting but balanced out by the perspective-based pizzle mechanic. If you have a tenner to spare, I think this is a great addition to your library for cosy RPG-lovers.
The code for this review was provided by Pocketpair, Inc. This review has cross-posted to OpenCritic.
