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EnglishWhat Is Locomalito? A Guide to the New-Classic Game Developer
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Locomalito is the handle of an independent developer who describes himself as "an experienced amateur creating new classic video games" — retro-styled titles built around pixel art, chiptune music, and challenging action. His site, locomalito.com, is the portfolio and distribution hub for that catalog, spanning roughly 2008 to the present. If you already like arcade-era shoot-'em-ups, gothic platformers, or single-screen action games, the site is where you go to see what exists and how to get it.
What kind of games are on the site
The through-line across the catalog is deliberate old-school design: low-resolution sprites, synthesized soundtracks, and difficulty that assumes you'll replay stages rather than breeze through them. The homepage frames the whole project that way, inviting visitors who are "into pixel art, chiptunes and challenging action."
Genres vary more than the visual style suggests:
- Horizontal shoot-'em-ups — Hydorah (2010) and its expanded remake Super Hydorah (2017)
- Gothic action-platformers — Maldita Castilla (2012) and Maldita Castilla EX (2016), plus l'Abbaye des Morts (2010–2012)
- Run-and-gun / arcade action — 8Bit Killer (2008), The Curse of Issyos (2015), Darkula (2019)
- Single-screen and score-attack games — Gaurodan (2013–2025), Verminest and They came from Verminest (2012/2016), Viriax (2011), EFMB (2012), Verminian Trap (2013)
- Recent titles — Solar Gladiators (2020), Mutants from the Deep (2021), Toxic Tomb (2024)
- Minigames — a separate collection dated 2017–2022
How to read the catalog
The site lists titles with a year or year range next to each name. That range is useful rather than decorative: Gaurodan is marked 2013–2025 and l'Abbaye des Morts 2010–2012, which signals that some projects were revised, ported, or expanded over time rather than released once and abandoned. If you're deciding what to try first, the year tells you both the era of the design and whether the version you're looking at is a later revision.
A practical way to choose:
| If you want… | Start with |
|---|---|
| A longer, structured shoot-'em-up | Super Hydorah |
| Ghosts-'n-goblins-style platforming | Maldita Castilla EX |
| Something short and score-driven | Gaurodan or Verminest |
| The most recent work | Toxic Tomb (2024) |
What the site does and doesn't tell you
The site functions as a directory: it names the games, dates them, and states the developer's style and intent. It is the entry point for finding out what Locomalito has made and, from there, where each title can be played or obtained.
What the homepage evidence does not include is pricing, download links, or platform details for individual games. Those specifics sit on each game's own page rather than the landing page, so treat the catalog listing as a starting point and check the individual title before assuming anything about cost or availability.
Who this is for
Locomalito's work suits players who treat difficulty as part of the appeal — the kind of design where learning enemy patterns and stage layouts is the point, not an obstacle. It also appeals to anyone interested in how modern developers recreate 1980s and early-1990s aesthetics without simply emulating a single machine. If either description fits, the catalog is worth browsing by genre and year to find a starting point.