So imagine someone walks up to you and says — “hey, there’s a brand new Game Boy Color game coming out.” Your first reaction is probably confusion. The Game Boy Color? In 2026? Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought. But here we are, and I’m genuinely glad this game exists.
Utopia: Haven is a retro metroidvania developed by solo developer João Mendonça of NeroGames, built specifically for the Game Boy Color using GB Studio. I recently got to play the demo, and today I want to share my thoughts on it.
The Story
The premise is simple but it hits. Earth is dying. Humanity is running out of time and someone needs to go out there and find a new planet for everyone to live on. That someone is you — a soldier named Nevan.
You get sent out alone across three different planets, searching for a place that can actually support human life. And here’s the detail that got me — the game tells you upfront that many soldiers have done this mission before you. None of them came back.
That’s your setup. Simple, effective, and it immediately makes you feel the weight of the mission before you even touch the controls.
How to Play the Demo
The best part? The demo is completely free. You can try it in three ways:
- itch.io — Play directly in your browser with zero downloads at felrasyr.itch.io/utopia
- Steam Demo — Download and play on Windows PC
- GBC Emulator — Download the .gbc ROM file and run it on any Game Boy Color emulator
I personally played it on a GBC emulator and it felt exactly right. It really adds to the whole retro experience. And here’s the cool part — the game actually runs on real Game Boy Color hardware too, so if you have a flashcart lying around, you can play it on the actual console.
Gameplay
Utopia: Haven is a metroidvania at its core. If you’ve ever played Metroid or Castlevania, you already know the loop — explore interconnected areas, fight enemies, find upgrades, and use those upgrades to open up paths that were previously blocked.
The demo puts you on the first planet called Nebulon and gives you a solid chunk of it to explore. It’s more than enough to get a real feel for how the full game is going to play.
A few things that stood out to me:
- Movement feels really good. Responsive, smooth, and fluid. You can tell the developer put serious attention into the game feel, which is honestly the most important thing in a platformer.
- The scan system is a cool touch. You can scan enemies to log them into your bestiary, but you have to get up close to do it. It creates this fun little risk vs reward moment every time you encounter a new creature.
- There’s a shoot-em-up minigame section between areas that works as a great change of pace from the exploration.
On shooting — you can only fire left and right, which is a deliberate design choice to keep things simple and free up the D-pad for shot upgrades. It takes a little getting used to but it fits the Game Boy design philosophy perfectly.
The Atmosphere
This is the biggest strength of Utopia: Haven and I want to give it the attention it deserves.
When you’re playing this, it genuinely feels like a Game Boy Color game from the early 2000s. The pixel art is well crafted, the environments feel distinct, and the overall vibe is lonely and mysterious — like you’re actually out there alone on an alien planet. The game nails that feeling without even trying to explain it.
The enemy designs are great too. There’s one called the Xenovore that genuinely caught me off guard the first time I saw it — it has this unsettling creepy energy to it. Another one called the Escudo just looks incredibly cool design-wise.
The fact that a solo developer built all of this — the visuals, the systems, the atmosphere — using GB Studio is genuinely impressive. This isn’t just a retro-inspired game. It is a Game Boy game.
My Nitpicks
Since I want to keep this honest, here are a couple of things I think could be improved.
The UI text can be a little hard to read. The font leans heavily into that retro pixelated style and while I understand the aesthetic choice, it sometimes makes reading the UI slightly uncomfortable. A cleaner font — or just toning down the style a bit — would go a long way for readability without sacrificing the retro feel.
I also noticed a small bug with the charge shot. When it’s fully charged and ready to fire, it sometimes hesitates for just a split second before going off. Minor, but it can throw off your timing.
That said — this is still a demo. The developer is very active, responds to community feedback consistently, and is clearly committed to polishing everything up before the full release. These are the kinds of things I fully expect to get fixed.
The Big News — Physical Cartridge Campaign
Here’s where things get really exciting.
Right now, the developer has a live crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound to bring physical cartridge editions of Utopia: Haven to life. We’re talking a real Game Boy Color cartridge — something you can hold in your hands, display on your shelf, and play on actual hardware.
For a brand new indie game in 2026, that is incredibly special.
If you love retro gaming, care about physical game preservation, or just want to support a passionate solo developer putting their heart into something — this campaign is absolutely worth checking out.
👉 Gamefound Campaign: gamefound.com/en/projects/nerogames/utopia-haven
Final Thoughts
Utopia: Haven is one of those projects that reminds you why indie gaming is so special. One developer. A genuine love for the Game Boy era. And a game that earns its place alongside the classics it’s inspired by.
The demo is free. There is absolutely no reason not to try it. And if it speaks to you the way it spoke to me, go check out the Gamefound campaign and consider backing it.
I’ll definitely be covering the full game when it releases. This one is worth watching.
Try the Demo:
- 🎮 itch.io → felrasyr.itch.io/utopia
- 🎮 Steam Demo → https://store.steampowered.com/app/4504330/Utopia_Haven_Demo/
Support the Campaign:
- 💾 Gamefound → gamefound.com/en/projects/nerogames/utopia-haven
Follow Gwim Gaming on YouTube for the full video review and more indie game coverage.
