NHL ’94 Rewind brings back 16-bit hockey action

Hockey fans, or really anyone who loved NHL ’94 on the Sega Genesis, take note: EA Sports is whipping up something called NHL ’94 Rewind, and it’s a pre-order incentive for NHL 21. The announcement was made Friday on the game’s official website.

“It’s today’s teams and today’s rosters with controls and graphics from 1994,” says a statement from EA Sports. NHL 21 launches Oct. 16 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and anyone ordering it by then will get Rewind free on Oct. 30.

EA Vancouver tried something similar about seven years ago with NHL 14. “Anniversary Mode,” as the feature was called, essentially ported the three-button gameplay of NHL ’94 into the current game’s rosters and teams.

That mode still functioned within the same presentation and graphics package used by the rest of NHL 14. NHL ’94 Rewind goes several steps further with classic 16-bit visuals, including the star underneath a controlled player and his number and position in the retro typeface.

Image: EA Vancouver/Electronic Arts

The game’s official site has a gallery showing what 15 NHL teams look like at face-off in Rewind. There’s no word on whether this will be a stand-alone launch on Oct. 30, too, and if so, what it will cost.