How Cyber Hook Pays Tribute to Tron and Other Synthwave/Retrowave Touchstones

There’s a certain magic to synthwave that makes it as compelling as it is enticing. Also referred to as outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth, synthwave is a spectrum of art styles that are, in our opinion, absolutely beautiful. They evoke a particular feeling that somehow blends the nostalgia of days past with a unique vision for what the future could hold. Run a Google Image search for “synthwave” and you’re greeted with a sea of grid-based horizons, bright blue lines, fields of dark purple, and an iconic sun surrounded by a brilliant haze. In many cases, these images look similar to the levels in one of our latest releases, Cyber Hook.

This synthwave aesthetic is a fitting backdrop for Cyber Hook. In Cyber Hook, you’ll test your speedrunning and parkour skills as you dash through dazzling environments to post the best time possible.

Cyber Hook fits comfortably into the synthwave genre, but a closer examination shows that synthwave (and outrun, retrowave, and futuresynth) encompasses a wide range of art styles that have helped numerous video games and movies rise to fame over the years.

The Synthwave Aesthetic’s Range

To celebrate Cyber Hook’s release, we’re taking a look at other synthwave-inspired cultural touchstones. Here are five movies and games that capture the colors, technologies, and style of synthwave:

1. Tron. Tron was originally released as a standalone movie in 1982, telling the story of a computer programmer thrust into a digital world where he must face off against a computer program in a series of difficult challenges. Tron used a grid pattern on the floor for its famous gladiator racing scenes and this same grid later appeared in the subsequent arcade adaptation.

2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Vice City embraced the synthwave aesthetic in more ways than the neon pink font on its front cover. The fourth installment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is set in 1986, the height of the synthesizer’s cool factor (a factor that’s made clear in the game’s soundtrack). Rockstar also made a few synthwave-inspired design choices, from the pink weapon selection icon to the pink/purple ring around the in-game map to the vibrant sunsets around Vice City.

3. Kung Fury. Kung Fury is a cult-classic short film famous for being the source of the Hackerman meme. As you can see in the meme template, Kung Fury contains elements of retrofuturism, with the stylish font and the grid background drawn to provide a sense of depth. Kung Fury’s combination of obsession with futuristic technologies, synth-based soundtrack, and over-the-top action sequences blend together to deliver a cohesive synthwave-inspired experience.

4. Bite the Bullet. We couldn’t possibly complete this list without mentioning another one of our games, Bite the Bullet! Bite the Bullet features a synthwave mode complete with purple and pink hues delivered alongside gorgeous synthwave music and guest appearances from professional synthwave musicians—a strangely perfect soundtrack for eating zombies and battling cyborgs!

Cyber Hook and Synthwave

Synthwave is a beautiful spectrum, but there’s no mistaking Cyber Hook’s place within it. From its stunning soundtrack to its breathtaking vistas, Cyber Hook is a synthwave experience.

Cyber Hook is available now! You can play it today on Steam and soon on Nintendo Switch.