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'Alt254' is a Zelda-style adventure where you play as a pixel

It's about as low-res as games get these days.

Rename Studio

The next generation of gaming is almost upon us and we’ve had some peeks at super-detailed and realistic visuals for upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X titles. We’ll get a look at some more this Thursday during the Xbox games showcase. But an upcoming indie game is going in the opposite direction with a minimalist perspective — it has a resolution of just 21x26 pixels.

Alt254 is the first game from Spanish developer Rename Studio and it boils every element down to a single pixel. You control a black square (for which the game’s name is the ASCII code) as you explore a Zelda-esque open world that’s said to include “the key features and conventions of action-adventure games.”

Part of the challenge (and the fun) will be in learning how everything actually works. Along with mysteries and puzzles, the landscape is dotted with a variety of enemies and even some bosses.

It’s a cool concept that takes us back to the days of Atari Adventure and the likes. You’ll be able to check out Alt254 on Steam later this summer.