The retro console market is experiencing an unexpected second youth, and Modretro Chromatic is establishing itself as the absolute point of reference for those who want to rediscover the Game Boy Color era with modern hardware. The company doesn’t just produce consoles: it is building a real ecosystem of physical games, publishing both ports of classics and completely new titles. And this last category has just received two new additions that demonstrate how keen the interest in the Game Boy physical cartridge format is, even in 2025.
Recently, Modretro launched two physical releases for Game Boy Color: Croc: 25th Anniversary Edition and the previously unreleased Buck and the Cursed Cartridge. Both titles are available on the official Modretro website at the price of 45 dollars each, but the real news concerns Buck, which marks a particular debut in the gaming panorama.
Buck and the Cursed Cartridge is in fact not just any platformer: it is the first video game dedicated to the GameStop mascot, that rabbit with an irreverent attitude that has won over the customers of the American chain. The distribution reflects this partnership: the game is available not only online, but also in physical GameStop stores, marking an unusual collaboration between traditional retailer and publisher of retro titles.
Behind Buck and the Cursed Cartridge is Playinstinct, an indie developer who developed the game from scratch using GB Studio, a specialized tool for creating Game Boy titles. The genesis of the project is interesting: after some successful game jams that attracted the attention of Modretro, the developer proposed a game dedicated to Buck, discovering that the company was already looking for someone to create a branded title in collaboration with GameStop. The result is a platformer that pushes the hardware capabilities of the original Game Boy Color to the limits.

From a gameplay point of view, Buck and the Cursed Cartridge is configured as an action platformer with clear nods to the speedrunning scene. The objective in each stage is to eliminate all the enemies present to unlock the door to the next level, a mechanic that requires precision in platforming and a good dose of exploration. The title offers two difficulty levels: Normal for learning patterns and perfecting runs, and Hardcore for those looking for a more technical challenge and optimal timing.
The controls are responsive and precise, a fundamental element for a platformer that aims to conquer even speedrunners. Performance on Modretro Chromatic is solid, with the game running stably using the console’s video output for recordings via OBS, a feature particularly appreciated by the community of content creators specializing in retrogaming.
Alongside this absolute novelty, Modretro offers Croc: 25th Anniversary Edition, a remaster of the Argonaut Games platformer originally released on Game Boy Color in 2000. Following the approach already adopted with the recent Rayman published in collaboration with Ubisoft, this Anniversary Edition maintains the original experience while updating the older aspects: the control system has been refined to be more modern, while the save system has been completely revised to eliminate the typical frustrations of games of the time.
Both releases follow the formula consolidated by Modretro: physical cartridge, careful packaging with box and instruction booklet, plus an exclusive collector’s charm included. An approach that is proving to have a solid market among collectors and physical retrogaming enthusiasts, an expanding category despite the dominance of digital in the mainstream market.
Modretro’s strategy is proving to be successful in creating a complete ecosystem: higher quality hardware than the Nintendo originals, a constantly growing catalog that mixes re-releases and unreleased IPs, both online and retail distribution. With partnerships ranging from Atari to Ubisoft to GameStop, the company is proving that there is room for a premium retro market, where gamers are willing to pay $45 for a brand new physical Game Boy Color cartridge, as long as the quality is guaranteed on both the hardware and software fronts.