Project S-11 fills a niche on the Game Boy Color that not only took advantage of the hardware but gave players a solid shoot ’em-up game on the go back in 2001. Flash forward to 2025, and Project S-11 is back as part of ModRetro’s Classic Collection label in their continued efforts to provide retro enthusiasts with physical game releases.
Originally developed by Paragon 5 and published by Sunsoft, Project S-11 took full advantage of the Game Boy Color hardware, delivering an impressively detailed and colourful shooter on the follow-up to Nintendo’s original DMG Game Boy handheld. Conversely, with its arrival or, rather, re-release onto the ModRetro Chromatic, Project S-11 soars again, utilizing the FPGA-based Game Boy Color (or should I say Super Game Boy) to its fullest.
For those unfamiliar with the 2001 Game Boy Color classic, Project S-11 is a tightly controlled and concise shoot-’em-up featuring eight distinct levels and bosses, taking players on a globe-trotting excursion against aliens and other hostile UAPs. All of this is distilled onto the tiny 160×144 resolution of both the GBC and the ModRetro Chromatic.
“Project S-11 is a tight, controlling and concise shoot ’em-up featuring eight distinct levels and bosses that take the player across a globe-trotting excursion against aliens…”
To make the most of the smaller screen real estate of the Game Boy, Project S-11 presents itself in a vertical field, with the right side of the screen featuring a relatively detailed breakdown of player metrics, including lives, weapon type, and available bombs. This information is presented in a visually appealing green-and-black aesthetic reminiscent of a PCB or internal circuit board.
On the topic of weapons, Project S-11 gives players access to five types of attacks, all of which can be upgraded by collecting the appropriate power-ups, giving the game a solid amount of variety. The weapons themselves include everything from homing missiles to lasers and spread-shot projectiles and even a flamethrower that spits out volleys of arcing blasts to eat away at oncoming enemies.
“Project S-11 features fast gameplay with a constant bombardment of lasers and other attacks without any sign of slowdown.”
For those lucky enough to be playing Project S-11 on a ModRetro Chromatic, let me just say that the responsive buttons on ModRetro’s hardware are a godsend, especially for this game, as Project S-11 can at times feel like an exercise in button mashing. Additionally, the flamethrower—one of the more unique weapon types in the game—does not require constant button inputs to operate. Instead, it spews out ninja-star-like projectiles that maintain a certain threshold before the player has to press the input again, alleviating some of the madness.
In terms of animations and graphics, Project S-11 features static enemies and bosses, while background elements and stage transitions offer some cool effects that add life to the colourful visuals. Perhaps due to the lack of animations, the game features fast gameplay with a constant barrage of lasers and other attacks, with no noticeable slowdown—making the trade-off more than worth it in the end.
Finally, Project S-11 features a password system, but in truth, the game is on the easier side, especially for the genre, making it possible to complete the game in 45 minutes or so, making it the perfect pocket-sized introduction to those wanting to break into the shoot ’em-up genre. Ultimately, your enjoyment of Project S-11 will depend on your nostalgia for the original or how much you can stomach retro-style games, as by 2025 standards, like other games in ModRetro’s classic collection, Project S-11 can feel somewhat antiquated.
