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      Game Development — indie game development

      Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview: Fall from Space

      Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview: Fall from Space

      Welcome to the sixth installment of our Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview series! In this feature, we had the incredible opportunity to interview Joel J Games, the talented developer behind the captivating role-playing and platformer game, Fall from Space.

      Buckle up and prepare for an exhilarating journey as we check the behind-the-scenes tales of the development of their game. Join us as we uncover the hidden secrets and mysteries awaiting in the depths of Fall from Space! 

      How was your game born?

      Gameplay wise, I’ve always enjoyed games that were somewhat non-linear and exploration focused and wanted to set up the frame work of an open world I could really spend time with to bring alive and fill with secrets and memorable experiences. The idea of that all living inside a little grey handheld from the late 80s was very appealing.

      Thematically, I’d been playing with the idea of a Sci-Fi miltonesque ‘Fall from Grace’ for a while and enjoyed the intrigue of how an amnesiac robot (based on a doodled character from a year or so before) came to be in this situation. Working back from there, I wrote the story and began fleshing out the events and worlds impacted by it.

      What was development like?

      A larger scale than anything I’d attempted before and touching on multiple different gameplay types, I spent a long time setting up the systems connecting scenes to planet over worlds and planets to space to give a sense of scale and openness, to check the idea was viable and generally much longer just building the systems that I’d spent on a game previously.

      What did you learn about yourself through this game?

      I can stick with a project across multiple years! Also I need to reign in the disproportionate time spent on small details in a scene.

      What makes this game special?

      I don’t feel open world western style RPGs are as represented on the Gameboy compared with JRPGs and aim to bring some of those mechanics into Fall from Space, decisions that matter, non-linear paths, a karma system. As well as plenty of Gameboy platforming action!

      How does sound play a role in the game?

      I can’t praise the soundtrack from Beatscribe enough, from ambient sounds to give the idea of a desolate planet, to the stirring title track with melancholic spacey notes. It really nails the atmosphere I wanted to create.

      What games influenced this one the most?

      Buck Rogers and the Doomsday Device (MegaDrive/Genesis), the point where you get in a ship and can just visit any planet you want, in any order, blew my mind and it did again years later with KOTOR. Fallout 2 (PC), Planescape Torment (PC) for their sense of humour and open worlds and Castlevania SOTN for being the GOAT of Metroidvanians.

      Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

      That I thought I’d easily have the first world and initial prototype/demo ready in 6 months (roughly the time I spent developing my previous game). Wild.

      Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

      I don’t think just for the sake of it, the original games are still out there preserved, just whatever works for the game and experience you want to create.

      I do think however that ownership, a game that’s yours without catches, works in ten years when you dig it out of the loft (or your backups) without relying on online services that are long since abandoned and doesn’t require endless patches is something we shouldn’t lose sight of.

      What's your favorite memory as a gamer?

      Playing Bubble Bobble with my sister, on the Commodore 64. Bub & Bob working out we could boost each other on our bubbles if we worked as a team.

      Who will enjoy this game the most?

      Fans of the Gameboy, of platformers and of late 90s Western RPGs.

      Bottom line, why must someone play this game?

      Because I’m needy and need validation! Just kidding (a bit), if you like late 90s RPGs, Sci-fi and love to see what the Gameboy is capable of then I think this might be for you.

      How do you want this game to be remembered?

      Pushing the limited hardware it’s on but also being a great game on its own merits, regardless of the platform.

      What's next?

      Finishing the remaining worlds!

      Anything else you'd like to add?

      None of this would be possible without the incredible tooling that is GB Studio, the generosity of people in the GBS Discord and the motivation from members of the GB Homebrew community.

      --

      Follow Joel J Games on X and check out Fall from Space here!

      Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview: Nyghtmare: The Ninth King

      Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview: Nyghtmare: The Ninth King

      Welcome to the fifth installment of our Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase Interview series! In this edition, we had the pleasure of interviewing Elvies, the mastermind behind the thrilling platformer game Nyghtmare: The Ninth King.

      Prepare your weapons as we explore into the creation process and unearth their  captivating stories from the shadows! Read our interview below to discover the secrets lurking in the darkness!

      How was your game born?

      When I was 5 years old, my first handheld was the original Game Boy, so my love for nostalgic retro games goes way back. I would say the inspiration for Nyghtmare the Ninth King is obviously Castlevania, specifically Legends for the Game Boy, with a little bit of Mega Man in there.

      I came up with the idea when COVID is just getting media attention, we all had our "extended" vacations, and what better thing to do than make the most of the extra time we had?

      What was development like?

      Development started in 2019 with papers and imaginations. I envision a world similar to our "predicament" at that time, where every moment was a standstill. There were so many games made from the same concept and idea but rooted in the ground. I imagine mine in a dark gothic world where medicine practice was rather new.

      Using GB Studio was my first choice of engine since I didn't know how to use assembly or any coding language. It was mainly a top-down game engine, and at that time platformers were not yet implemented, so I came up with experimental builds using "tricks and fakeouts" to simulate gravity.

      Developing games on your own is daunting at first, but eventually the GB Studio community warmed up, and they were very helpful in the process, so I am forever grateful to all the people who helped me.

      What did you learn about yourself through this game?

      I absolutely still love the gameboy, and my inner child isn't dead. Joking aside, I have learned that game development is hard; if you want to do it full-time, you have to commit. Getting things done alone is not always a good idea. What's better is to have people that can help you with your journey, no matter the size of your game or your reputation as a gamedev.

      What makes this game special?

      As I said, I adore the Game Boy and the Castlevania series, and this game is proof of that. The game has given me new nostalgia in a way that modern AAA games don't capture anymore. Call me a boomer, but I think that retro games have more passion and imagination to them; the limitation is what makes them unique; they spark creativity, and if a game can make you feel like a child again, then I think that that game did a good job. Also, it has a cat that you can pet. How many games let you do that? XD

      How does sound play a role in the game?

      I am neither a sound designer nor an expert, but I think Coffe "Valen" Bat, the sound designer who helped me with this project, did a good job recreating them with Game Boy's limitations in mind. The main weapon is a whip, similar to most Castlevania-likes, so having a twhip!" sound with just 4 channels to use from is awesome to me. You can tell when an attack is coming and when an enemy is mocking you with their sound design.

      What games influenced this one the most?

      There were four titles that inspired me in the making of Nyghtmare the Ninth King. These are Castlevania series, mainly Legends, for the spritework and overall design. Mega Man for the gameplay and boss interactions. Bloodborne for the story and dialogue, and the Bloodstained Curse of the Moon series for the sprite work.

      Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

      At one point, this game was going to be a cavestory rip-off with a Lovecraftian world design where the main character is a monster trying to find a way to become human. There were two rooms to explore before scraping it all. The Lovecraftian themes stuck, though.

      Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

      Yes, like in this game, the harder platforming segments with "Uinfair: Enemy Placements were an old tradition, especially for Game Boy titles, but I did so by modernizing the physics a bit, easing the air control, and having more coyote times that they used to have so players didn't have to rely on pixel-perfect jumps every time and blaming the game for its bad design. So in general, it is important to look in the past mistakes but do not repeat them, instead we innovate and adapt

      What's your favorite memory as a gamer?

      every aspect of the older games, where if we bought a game, we got the whole game and we owned it. where we can play all night with our friends and sleep over on weekends and after school.

      Who will enjoy this game the most?

      I think fans of Castlevania who have been starved of content for a long time and collectors of retro games will enjoy it.

      Bottom line, why must someone play this game?

      I think that if you want to try this game out of curiosity, then by all means please do. I am not the authority on what games to play and not to play; it's just a matter of whether you want to enjoy a relaxed time and quality time for yourself playing video games, then do it at your own volition. No one should be allowed to tell others what to do.

      But play this game; it's good. It's a Casltevania-like game that has a petting mechanism in it, great boss fights, and you get to play as a cute girl and a cool knight! It's two stories interwoven into one, so it's two games in one.

      How do you want this game to be remembered?

      For its cool boss fights and its soulsian story telling? But really, if you remember this game as a game that is good, then thats all that matters

      What's next?  

      I am currently developing Nyghtmare 2 for the Game Boy, and the game will be a pseudo-Metroivania set years before the first game and will have traditional mechanics, simply to say that it's harder than the first. It is set to release in 2024–25, so please look forward to it.

      Anything else you'd like to add?

      Well, thank you for taking your time to check out Nyghtmare the Ninth King for the GameBoy Color! It is my pleasure to be of service to retro game enthusiasts all over the world. I can finally say to my late mom that I made it! Learn from the past, look forward to the future, but always live in the moment.

      --

      Follow Elvies on X and check out Nyghtmare: The Ninth King here!