A short (~5-10 minutes) platformer for the GBA we put together over the past few weeks. (It features something technically impressive these screenshots don't spoil.1)
Play via webapp or download the ROM at: hell-labs.itch.io/pheasant-gbajam24 
(there used to be a chiframe embed here, but it mysteriously stopped working on august 31st, so it's been commented out of the post...)
Extra controls
After the tutorial, you may press Start (Enter) to pause. While paused, you may use the D-pad (arrow keys) and L/R (A/S keys) to observe your surroundings.
The rest of the controls are explained in-game. (The web version even displays the keyboard controls! However, it also supports controller input; besides the keys mentioned above, the X key is mapped to the A button.)
Credits
- @lifning: concept, renderer, engine, design, scripting, scenery, audio codec, pixel font, coordination, stage design (tutorial, cave, finale)
- @viv: visual stage design tool, stage design (mountain), project hosting, playtesting
- @itsonlythee: sprites, scenery, promotional graphics
- @artemis: composition, sound direction, chat hosting
- Skirmisher: stage design (grassland), rubber duck debugging, food
- @iliana: Hell Labs logo design, food, inspiration
This post would be cuter about it, but we all badly need more sleep than we've been getting this weekend. Please enjoy our game, and check out the rest of the cool stuff other folks made in GBA Jam 2024!
The soundtrack is available here:
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but if you really want to spoil both the gimmick reveal and the final area of the game for yourself rather than playing it in the embed, don't let me stop you
I'm really proud of the work we all did to make this come together.
A few weeks ago I decided to make a proof-of-concept for the PPU rendering technique used here, and didn't realize until afterward that there had been a GBA Jam going since May, and that it was already almost over! (So I didn't get much sleep on the weekends this month... #worth)
I really can't thank the team enough.
@artemis's unreal skill as a composer and attention to detail on making something that'd sound good within the GBA's limitations makes this an absolute jam to play with the volume slider fully cranked. You owe it to yourself to go listen to the HD versions of the tracks on Bandcamp too!
The creature designs and scenery and texture edits by @itsonlythee really breathe life into the environments, and the detailed cover art makes it feel like a real game.
Skirmisher's idiomatic level design really ties the beginning and end together as a gameplay experience.
Without @viv's hard work building a level editing program, this would've never become more than a very simple tech demo. (The stage she made is really cool, too!)
And @lifning's design work, technical prowess with the GBA platform, and game development skills were-- hey wait, that's me! Seriously though, I had been feeling kinda washed up before this project, having not worked on a game in a good while, and the degree to which this all came naturally to me and produced something that feels so polished and technically impressive and fun was a huge shot in the arm to my self-confidence.
I hope you all enjoy our little demo at least half as much as we enjoyed making it!
