1964 Operation Velvet Twins comes to consoles this week

Publisher Ratalaika Games and developer SEEP are bringing 1964 Operation Velvet Twins to consoles on August 28. The retro action platformer hits Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S this Friday. It's a massive platform spread for a small indie release, ensuring pretty much anyone with a console plugged into their television can play it.

The game originally launched on PC via Steam back in February. It's a 2D side-scroller that leans heavily into a 1960s spy aesthetic. It mixes platforming with beat-'em-up combat. Players take control of agents trying to stop a villainous organization, which is exactly the kind of Saturday morning cartoon plot this genre needs. The visual style uses bright, chunky pixel art that looks like it belongs on a Game Boy Advance or early Nintendo DS.

Platforming through the pain

The new trailer highlights exactly how hostile these levels get. The protagonist has to navigate tight corridors filled with spinning circular saw blades and electric barriers. The platforming looks demanding, and you'll probably die a lot. Unlike modern platformers that give you a generous double jump and a dash, this looks rigid in the way classic arcade games were rigid. You have to commit to your jumps. The environments look varied, shifting from industrial bases to outdoor jungles.

Combat goes beyond standard grunts. One segment shows a boss fight against a chef wielding kitchen tools inside a palace, complete with a giant gong in the background. Bosses in these types of games usually follow strict attack patterns, and this chef seems to throw projectiles that require precise timing to avoid. Later in the video, the player sprints through a jungle while dodging missiles from a military attack helicopter. That helicopter sequence looks genuinely stressful, especially since the screen leaves almost no room for error. It's the kind of auto-scrolling section that forces you to memorize the hazard placements after a few inevitable deaths.

Another quick port

Ratalaika Games handles the publishing duties here. They have a well-documented history of pushing small indie titles to every active console platform. That usually means an accessible price point and a straightforward port job. Ratalaika is known in the PlayStation ecosystem for games that offer quick Platinum trophies, though it isn't clear yet if this game will follow that same easy-completion formula. Either way, they consistently make sure these smaller Steam games don't stay trapped on PC forever.

The 1960s espionage theme makes the pixel art stand out from standard fantasy platformers. The developer committed fully to the bit, right down to the character designs and the funky soundtrack playing over the trailer. Retro throwbacks are a dime a dozen on modern storefronts right now. We'll see if the controls hold up to the visual style when the console versions drop in a few days.