B.I.O.T.A. has retro action and dozens of color palettes next month

This indie lets you personalize your own nostalgic aesthetic

Many games have been turning to retro-inspired art styles. But while action-platformer B.I.O.T.A. has some clear retro influence, it’s also got a lot of variety in its palettes. Over 50 of them, actually.

Shown off during today’s Media Indie Exchange livestream, B.I.O.T.A. is launching on April 12, 2022 for PC via Steam and GOG. It’s a “Metroidvania” with a distinct four-color aesthetic, where you explore the world and shoot some bad monsters amid pixels to a chiptune soundtrack.

If the initial color palette isn’t to your liking, don’t worry. B.I.O.T.A. has 54 different unlockable color palettes, which players can swap at any point to change up their preferred 8-bit layout. Hot-swapping styles and graphics settings can be a pretty cool trick, and seeing the different styles of B.I.O.T.A. makes me interested in what rare and unusual styles might be hidden around its world.

Alongside the aesthetic, B.I.O.T.A. also has eight different playable characters to unlock and upgrade. It’s got arcade-style levels alongside the search-action exploration, and a campaign with two endings, as well as time trials and target shooting. It’s a retro game, and developer small bros is heavily leaning into that appeal. And honestly? It’s working for me.

If you’re unsure, there are also demos available on both Steam and GOG. That should give you a good chance to jump in and see for yourself if you’re also itching for some retro action. Or maybe even just some fancy 8-bit color palettes to swap around.

B.I.O.T.A. hits PC on April 12, 2022.