Indie Retro Interview Showcase - Chronicles of Astraea: Former Dawn
The Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase at Super MAGFest 2025 has ended, and it brought together some of the most creative and passionate developers in the retro gaming scene. These finalists poured their hearts into crafting unique, nostalgic experiences that captivated players and judges alike.
Over the coming weeks, Mega Cat Studios will spotlight these standout games and interview the developers about their inspirations, experiences, and what makes each one special!
First, we highlight Former Dawn by Something Nerdy Studios LLC, the esteemed winner of Best in Show in the Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase. Grab your swords and prepare to be enchanted by this epic 8-bit Action RPG with a 16-bit soul element and innovative gameplay!
Tell us about how your game was born.
Jared: "I dreamt up the storyline and basic world for Former Dawn around the tail end of 2010, and it was only intended to be a Science Fiction story in the raw, not necessarily used for a video game. Over the years, I chewed on the ideas and refined them from time to time.
In late 2018, Dominic showed me how (contrary to both of our fears) easy it was to get a basic NES game written in 6502 assembly. We pair-programmed 3 proof of concept NES ROMs to get our feet wet with the major points of the NES hardware, and a few months later, we founded Something Nerdy Studios LLC with a vision of making a radically advanced NES game the likes of which the world has never seen."
What was the development like?
"Well, it's still ongoing! But it's been a rough ride. Like war, it has been stretches of boredom and grunt work punctuated by moments of sheer terror or extreme victory.
Recruiting for this thing has been extremely challenging, but that phase of the project seems to be (thankfully) over. It's been a weird mix of modern and vintage computing, which is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. In particular, it's been very hard finding artists who can create graphics that conform to the system while also hitting the quality level that we're striving for."
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
"Playing Final Fantasy II (read: IV) with my best friend in ~1992. At the time, the SNES was brand new and it felt revolutionary. That particular game was an instant classic and just has a certain charm that has never gone away. I'm very glad I got to play it when it first came out."
What games influenced Former Dawn the most?
"Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV-VI, Terranigma, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Metal Gear. We're trying to take the best elements from all of these games and synthesize them into a coherent whole. I don't believe that a story-driven RPG has to have boring mechanics, nor do I think that a lack of literal magic in the game's universe has to rob it of magical feeling."
Any fun stories or wild moments during development?
"The wildest moment was probably the first time that my wife Hali (who is also now the lead artist on the project) showed me what she could do with 8x1 attributes on the NES. Even I did not know until that moment just how far we could push this. I'm not the only person to look at her artwork and think "This looks like a painting." -- which makes sense, because Hali is a classically trained painter."
Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
"Yes, if they're good. We can safely jettison the bad stuff from the past!
In some ways, Former Dawn is trying to do this: It combines older, pixel-based 2D graphics and mechanics with modern smoothness and an intuitive feel."
What makes Former Dawn unique?
"I think there are two broad sources of uniqueness for Former Dawn: One is the fact that it's the first truly modern, expansive game to be developed for the NES. Another is that the storyline is something that has been carefully written to be high-brow science fiction at its core instead of something cheesy that you can brush off as necessary but unimportant video game filler. Hopefully, the combination will land us a place in video game history."
Anything else you'd like to add? Promote?
"Sure! Follow us on Twitter, Bluesky, or Discord!"
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Former Dawn is an upcoming Action RPG for the NES!
Set in the future on an exoplanet called Astraea, you take on the role of Jekuthiel, a hunter toiling away at the lower ranks of The Organization. Inspired primarily by 1990s JRPGs, this is a full-length, story-driven, action-packed epic adventure. It is unlike anything ever released on the NES. Help Jeku uncover the truths of Astraea and the origins of his people!
Learn more about Former Dawn on Kickstarter.
Watch Former Dawn's trailer:
