Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview: Crater Song
Mysterious, melodic, and emotionally rich, Crater Song by Orebody Inc. reimagines what an NES game can be. Pairing sci-fi fantasy with inventive puzzle-adventure mechanics, it tells a uniquely haunting tale that stood out at the Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase at Super MAGFest 2025.
On the distant planet of Orebody, twins Arco and Menuett are born with cursed harmonics that draw the attention of an ancient cosmic threat known as the Nox. Banished from their tribe and hunted by forces beyond the stars, they set out on a perilous journey to a sacred crater said to hold the cure to their affliction. Players guide both characters simultaneously using both NES controllers in an innovative single-player co-op system that offers a fresh and rewarding challenge.
Blending environmental puzzles, music-based mechanics, and a quietly powerful narrative, Crater Song draws inspiration from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons while crafting a story all its own. This is a thoughtful and artful adventure that sings even in silence.
Tell us about how your game was born.
Vanderhoef: "Crater Song was originally developed for the NESMaker Byte-Off IV development competition. The core idea was inspired by the indie game darling Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could accomplish a similar single-player, two-character game but on the NES. After a successful initial demo build for the competition, I had fallen in love with the characters, story, and mechanics, so I was excited to expand the experience into a full game for a true release."
What was the development like?
"Development actually went very smoothly for Crater Song. There was an initial multi-week sprint to get it ready for the Byte-Off competition. Then, after taking a week or two off, I jumped back into the game to expand it and get it ready for a full release. The core idea is so strong and was so firm in my head that, while coding and design challenges did pop up, I marched forward at a steady pace. It's a fairly straight-forward dark sci-fi fairy tale, as I like to describe it, but I tried to pack a lot of content into the release for players to enjoy, including a Story Campaign, a Challenge Campaign, and a bonus mini-game."
What's your favorite memory as a gamer?
"That's a hard question to answer. I've been playing video games for around 36 years. I have really fond memories of staying up all night playing the original Halo on Legendary mode with my friends. I have a very distinct memory of coming home from the bar in college in the middle of the night and playing the final hour of Shadow of the Colossus by myself, mesmerized. More recently, many of my favorite memories are playing through Switch games with my 4-year-old son, introducing him to the same Nintendo characters and worlds that I grew up with."
What games influenced Crater Song the most?
"Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was the primary influence in terms of core mechanics. Beyond that, like my other games set on the alien planet of Orebody, I was influenced by broader sci-fi aesthetics and iconography dating back to at least the 1970s, if not for decades prior to that. And, as with much of my work, there's some cosmic horror in there as well."
Any fun stories or wild moments during development?
"Nothing too exciting, unfortunately. Although Jordan Davis, the composer and sfx producer, did say he probably worked harder on the moan / grumble sound for our swamp golem named Gola than he did on any other piece of music or sound in the game. I want people to appreciate that green goliath's 'voice' when they hear it.
Also, it's always a highlight getting to work my artist Matthew Warren Lee on the paintings that become the NES box cover art. I hope people like that as well."
Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
"Absolutely, if they work well. Of course, innovating on those core ideas or melding them with ideas from newer games is also important. I always approach my retro game development with a perspective that has experienced the development of game design for the last 35+ years. So, bringing old ideas forward into new retro games AND bringing new ideas 'backwards' into new retro games are both important to me."
What makes this game unique?
"Unlike in most games, Crater Song is a one-of-a-kind NES experience that tells a dark sci-fi fairy tale and asks players to control two characters at the same time to solve puzzles and progress. To accomplish this on the NES, players hold controllers 1 AND 2 sideways, like Switch Joycons or Wii-motes, and control the twins Arco and Menuett at the same time using the two d-pads their thumbs have access to. With this basic setup in mind, the only other major button is Select, which is within reach of both thumbs, and acts as the 'Sing' button for each twin. The entire game is built around this setup and features myriad puzzles that ask the player to maneuver the twins around the screen, avoid monsters, pick up keys for locks, and sing on specific platforms to manipulate the environment and unlock the exit for each screen. It's a simple core concept, but it allows for a gradual building of complexity over the course of the six-chapter story campaign that keeps the game fresh and engaging."
Anything else you'd like to add? Promote?
"Retro game players interested in picking up a physical copy of Crater Song, or Orebody Inc.'s past two NES games, Orebody: Binder's Tale and Oratorio, can grab them at Premium Edition Games. The ROMs themselves are also available on itch.io.
To stay up to date on Orebody Inc., people are also encouraged to follow us on Blue Sky."
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Crater Song is a short, story-driven experience that turns the NES into a stage for dual-character gameplay, environmental storytelling, and inventive puzzle design. Its unique control system and emotional core mark it as one of the most creative entries in the homebrew space.
Originally built for the NESMaker Byte-Off IV competition, the game has since evolved into a deeper experience playable on both real NES hardware and modern emulators.
Follow Orebody Inc. on Bluesky for more updates and visit their Linktree to learn more about Crater Song and the growing world of Orebody.
Watch the trailer:
