If you ever cracked open a big, glossy game box as a kid — manual smell, floppy disk snap, the whole sensory overload — the new Hyper Sentinel Fusion Kickstarter is basically engineered to hit you right in the nostalgia gland. Andrew and Rob Hewson are back, and they’re going all-in on recreating that “games used to feel special” vibe.
And yes, there’s an honest-to-goodness floppy disk involved. With a hidden USB drive inside. It’s ridiculous, and also perfect.
What the game actually is
Hyper Sentinel Fusion takes the fast-and-furious arcade action of the first Hyper Sentinel and splices in some extra genre DNA. Imagine Uridium meets Paradroid, with a bit of extraction shooter panic thrown in.
You swoop across huge, procedurally generated enemy ships, blast everything in sight, land, hop into your Hyper Droid, loot as much as you dare, and escape before something explodes. Then when you inevitably die, time rewinds and you respawn at Moonbase Alpha to upgrade and try again.
It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s unapologetically retro — exactly what you’d expect from the Hewsons.
What’s in the box?
The pitch is simple: remember when game boxes were works of art, and manuals actually told you things? This boxed edition is built exactly for people who miss that era.
You get:
- A gorgeous retro-style game box
- A proper full-colour manual (as nature intended)
- A floppy disk with a spring-loaded shutter hiding a USB stick
- DRM-free PC and Mac versions
- Extra digital goodies tucked away like secret cheat rooms
There’s even an unboxing on the Kickstarter page from RainaTheMouse, which absolutely nails the feel of opening a 90s game for the first time.
If you hit Notify me on launch, you’ll also get access to a secret discounted reward tier. Nice touch.
Digital versions coming too
If you’re not fussed about boxes and floppies, you can still get the game digitally. Hyper Sentinel Fusion is planned for:
- PC and Mac
- PS5 and PS4
- Xbox Series X|S
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch 2
Basically, if it has buttons, you’re fine.
Try the demo now
There’s a playable demo up already on Steam and itch.io, along with plenty of gameplay clips. If they stick the landing on the “swoop → infiltrate → escape → rewind” loop, this could be one of 2025’s standout retro-modern shooters.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
