Physical edition now available at ModRetro.com
  • Premium ModRetro® game cartridge, updateable through the Cart Clinic tab on the Chromatic Firmware Update Utility.
  • Includes full-color 36-page instruction manual and exclusive Chromatic charm.
  • Compatible with original hardware and modern FPGA-powered handheld games consoles.
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A unique cross-genre experience

Chantey is a unique blend of top-down adventure and frantic rhythm-based combat gameplay. It emphasizes narrative-driven exploration, puzzle-solving inspired by classic adventure games, and reaction-heavy note-matching gameplay. Chantey further embraces nonlinear gameplay, taking place on a massive and historically authentic open world, filled with quirky characters and rich lore, amounting to 10+ hours of gameplay.

A pirate saga like no other

Blurring the lines between high fantasy and historical fiction, Chantey follows an epic quest inspired by pirate mythology and headbanging heavy metal riffs. Entangled in a fierce pirate vendetta between the descendants of the legendary 'Nightingale Pirate', sail the Caribbean and visit 11 historical locations, recruit crew members and earn their loyalty, and make decisions that will affect how your story will end.

A visual marvel in 8-bit form

Relive the golden era of 8-bit top-down adventures with a unique pirate twist! From immersive dialogues featuring no less than 3 representations of the speaking character on the screen at once, to dynamic battle sequences that overflow with style and animation, Chantey delivers a ground-breaking monochrome 8-bit visual experience that will push any classic handheld system's visual capabilities to its absolute limits.

A TRIBUTE TO PIRATE METAL

As an ode to pirate metal, Chantey bridges gaming and music culture through a bold, original soundtrack that combines traditional sea chanteys with over 45 minutes of pirate metal homage chiptunes. Making novel use of the Game Boy's four audio channels, and integrating platform rarities such as real voice samples, Chantey offers not just a game, but a complete chiptune music album in its own right.
“If you look at it from the graphics, the gameplay, the story line, the music, it really is the complete package.”
- RetroBreak
“A must-have for any Game Boy collection that will hopefully be talked about alongside the classic catalogue of the Game Boy.”
- Nintendo World Report
“Little did I know that on this journey with a Jolly Roger I would find an absolute treasure.”
- GamingTrend
“The adventure that followed was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.”
- VICE
“Chantey is an incredibly catchy game with gameplay that feels like Zelda meets Guitar Hero.”
- Retro Dodo
“A fantastic spin on a genre that wasn’t really around during the Game Boy years.”
- The Shortcut
Press Kit
Frequently Asked Questions

Chantey is presently published and distributed by ModRetro, and is available exclusively in physical cartridge format. Future release plans, including potential additional formats, may be considered at a later date.

The most recent version of Chantey is v1.1, and was issued in July 2025.

Look for the game’s version number on the bottom left corner of the game’s title screen. If no version number is shown, your cartridge contains version 1.0.

You can update your game cartridge through the ModRetro Chromatic Firmware Update Utility! Connect your Chromatic via USB to your PC, run the MR Updater software, power on your Chromatic with the Chantey cartridge inserted (so the game is playing while connected to your PC), and navigate to the Cart Clinic tab. Click the “Check” button to detect updates for your game, and if one is available, follow the prompts to patch your game. You can find a detailed guide here. Please, contact ModRetro support if you’re experiencing issues with the update procedure.

 

Please note that the instructions above describe the official way to update your copy of Chantey (and other ModRetro published games). 

All newly manufactured carts should contain the latest version of the game out-of-the-box. However, it is highly recommended to check for updates in the Cart Clinic tab of the Chromatic Firmware Update Utility to ensure you have the most updated version.

We are sincerely sorry that your gameplay experience was interrupted! If you’ve encountered any unwanted behavior or issues while playing the game, please let us know by describing the issue, steps to recreate and version number, on either our Discord server or by dropping an email at info@gortyncode.gr.

 

We are committed to deliver the best possible game experience, and ensure that you enjoy Chantey the way it was always meant to!  We thus make a best effort to address all issues reported, and may periodically update the game through the ModRetro Cart Clinic tab on the MR Updater software, ModRetro’s official tool for updating your Chromatic firmware.

We apologize that you are experiencing issues with your copy of the game! Please contact ModRetro support and submit a ticket. If you have received a defective cartridge, a replacement will be sent to you at no additional cost.

You can reach out via email at info@gortyncode.gr, or through our Discord server for more direct communication. Occasionally, we may reply to questions on Reddit, usually on the r/ModRetroChromatic sub.

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