Retro Handhelds wanted to bring a little extra color to everyone’s lives, so for Aurora April, we’re only playing games that include a color in the game title. All of the games that were nominated (including the three winners) followed this criterion, and we somehow managed to get three RPGs out of the deal. That’s right, folks, you’re looking at 70+ hours worth of gaming goodness in one single month!
GotX is the Retro Handheld Discord‘s version of a book club, and this month we’re painting the town red…and blue, and silver, and gold! So come on in, sit down, and let’s play some games!
What is GotX?
GotX is short for “Games of the X“, which can be split into three categories: Game of the Month (GotM), Game of the Quarter (GotQ), and Game of the Week (GotW). Games of the Month are chosen according to a theme selected by community users who have previously beaten a GotM game for the prior month, aka “GotM Champions”.
Three games in total are selected, each falling within a range of release dates, nominated and voted upon by the GotM Champions. Winners each receive their own thread in the GotM channels in the Retro Handhelds Discord, where discussions, arguments, and ultimately fun are had by all.
Game of the Quarter and Game of the Week are selected independently in styles that are slightly different from Game of the Month, and they also don’t follow the same theme as the Games of the Month. Games in these two categories have either a runtime of under two hours (GotW) or a minimum runtime of 25 hours (GotQ), according to HowLongToBeat.
Completing a game (by posting a screenshot with ending credits, a date, and your Discord username) gets you an imaginary internet point that can be redeemed towards very real merch on the RH Store.
Game of the Month (Pre-1996) – Lunar: The Silver Star
- Console: Sega CD, PS1, PSP
- Genre: RPG
- Time to Beat: 21 hours
Lunar: The Silver Star was originally released on the Sega CD, and tells the story of Alex, a young boy on a journey to become a great hero like his idol Dragonmaster Dyne. He is joined by a young girl named Luna and others on his quest across Lunar to find the four great dragons who will grant him the right to become a Dragonmaster. Pretty standard RPG gameplay here, with turn-based battles, weapon and item equipment, and top-down town and environment navigation.
There are a couple of versions of this game. We have the Sega CD original, then we have Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for the PlayStation 1 and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony for the PlayStation Portable. There’s also the Lunar Remastered Collection, which contains a remake of Lunar: Silver Star Story. Lots of ways to play this one, each with its own merits and fans. I enjoy comfort food RPGs, of which the Lunar series seems quite comfy, so I’m looking forward to jumping into this one.
Game of the Month (1996-2001) – Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
- Console: GBC
- Genre: Action RPG
- Time to Beat: 22 hours
Taking place two years after the events of Star Ocean: The Second Story (which won GOTM back in December 2021), Star Ocean: Blue Sphere takes place on the planet Edifice. Protagonists from the previous game are brought down onto the planet by an unknown force and must work together to discover its source and leave. We’ve got many elements from The Second Story in Blue Sphere, including real-time combat and optional side conversations, along with new ones like item crafting.
Stubbs has to be happy about this one winning. Or, more accurately, we’re excited at the chance to force him to finish the game. It may not generally be looked upon as a good game, even though it might be one of the best-looking games on the Game Boy Color. It is challenging, doesn’t explain much or provide in-game maps, and has a sometimes awkward combat system. Still, more time in the world of Star Ocean 2 is fine by me! This one never made it stateside, though there is a fan translation.
Game of the Month (2002 and Later) – Golden Sun: The Lost Age
- Console: GBA
- Genre: RPG
- Time to Beat: 32 hours
A sequel and continuation to Golden Sun, which we played for GOTM back in January 2022, Golden Sun: The Lost Age has you playing as Felix and his allies as they seek to restore the power of Alchemy to the world of Weyard. The game follows the same turn-based gameplay as the first title, with characters battling enemies with weapons and Psynergy spells conjured through the use of magical, elemental creatures called Djinn. Players will also explore dungeons and use abilities to solve puzzles.
Golden Sun was good enough to win the coveted Game of the Year title for the Retro Handhelds Discord server in 2022, and the original game ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to get a chance to play the sequel. We’ve got more of those adorably weird Djinn creatures to collect and force to do our magical bidding, and the sprite work looks great on the Game Boy Advance.
Game of the Quarter – Racing Lagoon
If you’re looking for a meatier game to sink your teeth into, then the Game of the Quarter has you covered. GotQ consists of games that meet a minimum criterion of at least 25 hours to beat according to HLTB. Each quarter, four games are pulled at random from an extensive list of games that meet the minimum criteria, and then community users vote on which game they’d like to play for the next three months.
Completing a GotQ will still net you a single point, but there is also an opportunity to earn two additional points if you manage to 100% the game by completing all of the achievements through RetroAchievements and posting this as an additional screenshot.
- Console: PS1
- Genre: Racing RPG
- Time to Beat: 31 hours
For the second quarter of 2026, we’re playing Racing Lagoon, a CaRPG developed by Squaresoft that blends street racing with RPG mechanics, like mission completion, stat building through experience, and a gripping story. Racing Lagoon takes place in a hyper-stylized version of Yokohama, Japan, in 1999. The story centers on Sho Akasaki, a new member of Team Bay Lagoon Racing, as he works through the underground racing scene to solve the mystery of the “Fastest Legend”, an event that took place 10 years ago, along with his forgotten past.
One of the most unique-looking games we’ve played in GOTQ in a while, Racing Lagoon has a certain style that just screams 90’s Square. Stylized characters and cars, killer music, and an evocative narrative help drive this one along. The progression mechanics in this game are solid, with your car parts earning “experience” with each race won, unlocking part slots and allowing for improved speed, handling, and power. This one never made it stateside, though there is a fan translation.
Game of the Week, aka RetroBits
If short games and easy points are more your speed, then each Saturday at 5 PM PST, a new GotW is announced. Each game comes with a completion time of 2 hours or less, according to HowLongToBeat, and must be completed before the new GotW is announced the following Saturday.
Completion of the GotM and GotQ will earn you one point (three if you 100% the latter), but GotW will only net you half a point. Unlike the aforementioned GotM and GotQ, the GotW is chosen entirely at random by the GotX overlord Rapid99, selected from a large database of sub-two-hour games.
Above is an example of the four most recent GotW games that we’ve played in the Retro Handhelds Discord. NAM-1975 is the most recent, and we’re still playing it from March 28, 2026, to April 4, 2026.
