Homebrew Extra Retro Gamer 273
- andrewrfisher
- Sep 17
- 12 min read
Many great competitions and game jams have finished recently, and we feature the high-profile Dreamcast game jam this time. We also want to draw your attention to the recent NESmaker jam, Byte Off V – you can play all the entries online at https://bit.ly/byteoffv. We recommend trying the awesome Backwards Quest and the surprisingly emotional Hold The Light. Next issue, we will bring you coverage of the BASIC 10-Liner Competition.
QUICK LINKS
DREAMING OF DREAMCAST
Interviews about the Dream Disc '24 game jam.
Interview with developer Cypress:
Where did the idea for a game jam come from?
Cypress: I was jealous of the fact that the Saturn and Gameboy scenes had popular game jams that got submissions every year, and Dreamcast did not. Just took someone willing to set it up. Luckily, there was already interest in a Dreamcast game jam; it's just that no one had bothered to put in the time/effort.
Who had the idea to turn it into a compilation disc of the best entries?
Ross. He and his publisher actually had the capacity to handle something like this, a miracle team-up.
How did Orc Face Games get involved?
He had actually posted something about game jams or making new games in a Dreamcast programming chat, so I decided to DM him. I may have this backwards. Haha.
How will the DreamDisc work for users?
As far as I know, it should be as simple as popping in the game disc and selecting what you'd like to play!
What has inspired the look and feel of the menu?
Ross's question. He's taken on this job while I've moved on to my next game.
What do you use to develop for Dreamcast?
I use a combination of KallistiOS and Raylib. In the future, I'd like to move to DreamScape by OrcFace or Simulant Studio from Kazade.
Which of the entries did you find the most interesting?
Big Drill by Captain Kuso!! It's an interesting idler sort of game. I get excited over seeing new and unique (to the Dreamcast) games, so this one has had me captivated. It unfortunately did not make it onto the disc, but I have high hopes for a Bigger Drill for DreamDisc 2025. As far as games on the disc, I recommend 'em all! They were the best out of 24 entries after all.
When are you hoping to release?
Ross's question.
Are you working on any other Dreamcast projects?
Yup! I'm actively developing a couple of tools and games. One is for my DreamDisc25 entry and isn't announced yet, but outside of that, I'm still working on MintratVMU (A tool for making VMU art and animations) and ChaoGen (a program to generate and transfer chao between Sonic Adventure games), along with some tools to make my DreamDisc25 entry easier to develop.
Would you look to make the jam/DreamDisc a regular project?
Yes! I am already working on my next entry, and hoping to pull in even more devs than in 2024!
Interview with Ross Kilgariff of OrcFace Games:
What was the inspiration for holding a Dreamcast game jam?
Ross: Today's Dreamcast scene is very active and full of creative people. We wanted to help organise something that would bring the community together and plant the seeds for new releases. As a publisher, we want to bring more games to the platform, and a game jam is a great way to give developers experience working together with us. Also, our own game, HarleQuest! started life as a game jam project back in 2017, so it's in our DNA.
How did the idea of a disc of the best games emerge?
Since 2022, we've seen three Dreamcast demo discs that include independent games: the SEGA Powered demo CD and two Debug Indie Samplers. We wanted to continue this tradition with 10 brand new game ideas nobody had seen before. Making a physical disc is a great way to reach players, as many people don't have the time, hardware or inclination to burn their own discs or use an optical drive emulator (ODE) with an SD card. Our decision to compile all the games into one disc and give it away for the cost of shipping seemed like the best way to get the developers' work into as many hands as possible.
How easy was it to organise and hold the jam through itch.io?
Itch gave us a simple way to allow developers to handle their own submissions and have them listed on one page for everyone to see. That said, there are missing features that would have really helped us with running the competition, and we had to spill into a Discord server and do things manually. So we are planning to build our own solution into the Orc Face Games website for next time.
Were you pleased with the number and quality of entries?
Absolutely! Honestly, we weren't sure what to expect. Life can get in the way with projects like this, so we were half expecting the developers to drop out or to be unable to finish their projects in time. Instead, we got 24 very solid submissions from people of different backgrounds and skill levels.
How are the games judged?
The games are judged using a simple process where each judge puts together a list of their top 10 submissions. Each game is awarded points based on its position on the list, and then the final list is determined by adding all the points for each game. The best games are the ones with the most points. In the event of a tie, the game with more top 3 rankings is chosen. There's a little more to it in practice, but that's the basic idea.
Which do you think were the most innovative entries?
Innovation-wise, I think the puzzle gameplay in Defuseball is pretty unique. Trying to determine the safe path to the next bomb when you can't backtrack leads to some interesting situations.
Trick Truck is a funny spin on the skating genre - trying to manoeuvre an entire truck while you ollie and grind your way around the neighbourhood is both novel and fun.
Sky Pirates of Etalmar has a toy-like visual design that's colourful, minimalistic and uplifting in a way that feels fresh.
What has inspired the design and menu of the Dream Disc?
We're going for something inspired by Y2K futurism with logo design elements from Verbatim's CD-R boxes, which I always thought looked cool. If you search online for "Bryce 3D Y2K" and "Verbatim Super Azo CD-R Box", you'll see the resemblance.
When are you hoping to release the finished disc?
By the time you're reading this, we're hoping it will already be out! Head over to https://orcface.com/shop/ to take a look.
What other projects are Orc Face Games working on?
Our biggest release this year is our flagship title, HarleQuest!, which we're planning to release in Q3. Before then, we'll be releasing Chew Chew Mimic, an 8-bit puzzle game inspired by Chu Chu Rocket, developed by Lowtek Games (of FLEA! fame) and Rigg'd Games (John Riggs). We may have something exciting lined up for Q4 as well!
THE TOP 5 ENTRIES:
5th – Starship Madness (Yomboprime)
The impressive 3d shooter has a useful radar for locating enemies and multiple levels to conquer.
4th – Black Hole Descent (Frogbull)
Race along the endless highway at increasing speed, dodging the blocks in this polished game that offers different viewing angles.
3rd – The Eternal Sleep (Locked Door Puzzle)
A gorgeous adventure puzzle game with pre-rendered backgrounds, with its arcane symbols and brooding atmosphere.
2nd – Defuseball (Freakdave)
Stretch your brain and defuse the bombs in the right order with this challenging 3d puzzle game.
1st – Sky Pirates of Etalmar (Wufsoft)
The polished dogfighting game features two single-player scenarios and a split-screen Versus mode. It looks ripe for further development.
Download the games from:
NEWS BYTES
Amiga: Vertically-scrolling AGA shmup Sky Shapers is available as a download or physical CD. bit.ly/skyshapers
Amstrad CPC: Mojon Twins released their latest, Phantomas en el Museo. bit.ly/phantomas-museo
Apple II: Richard Zoberka released his 1987 game Zephyr for free - www.soberka.com/games/
Atari ST: sark02’s brilliant Defender conversion runs on all ST models with 1 Mb memory. bit.ly/defender-st
ColecoVision: Electric Dreams converted the strategy game Hamurabi. bit.ly/hamurabi-coleco
Game Boy: Hero GP is the latest from Shane McCafferty. bit.ly/herogp-gbc
Incube8 Games released demos of Dracula Dark Reign (GBC, see RG257) and unusual platformer Discrete Orange (GBA) - incube8games.com/
Mega Drive: Pre-order a Saboteur cartridge, ported by Teknamic - bit.ly/saboteur-md
MSX2+: André Silva’s MSX Wings is a demo based on the Sonic Wings series, play online at - bit.ly/wingsdemo-msx2
NES: All Hell Unleashed by 8-Bit Slasher pays tribute to classic 1980s horror movie villains. bit.ly/ahu-nes
NGage: Lowtek Games released the Parasite Pack, containing Flea and Tapeworm Disco. https://bit.ly/parasite-ngage
Pico-8: Check out Taxicomics’ Age of Empires demake, Peak of Empires - bit.ly/ageofpico - and dhostin’s Warcraft III demake, Picocraft - bit.ly/picocraft
Vic-20: Aleksi Eeben’s impressive Ultima III conversion requires 35K - bit.ly/ultima3-vic
ZX Spectrum: Allan Turvey released Frogger RX - bit.ly/froggerrx - while Bitmagine Studio converted NES game Driar - bit.ly/driar-zx
ZX81: John Connolly converted his Spectrum hit Cosmic Playback (requires 16K) - https://bit.ly/cosmicpayback-zx81
CHAMPION CODER - CLAY LANCASTER
[Info]
From: Walnut Creek, California
Website: www.calgames.us/
Format: NES
Previous games: Jim & Dill Trilogy, Bobby Six Seven – Time Travelling Detective
Working on: Mister Scary
What got you into developing NES games?
Clay: Like many (or probably most) NES devs, I grew up with the system. I was always a Nintendo kid and was amazed by the worlds created in games like Super Mario 3 or DuckTales. Even games like Bad News Baseball, Pro Wrestling, and Ice Hockey, had a ton of replayability for me, and some of my best memories with friends and neighbours revolve around those grey controllers.
During COVID, I was working on some music for a project (which the Jim & Dill games are based on) and thought it would be fun to make a simple browser-based game to accompany the album as a marketing tool. Originally, I had envisioned an Atari-esque, high-score sort of thing... so I did some research to see how I might go about making an actual game. My search led me to NESmaker, and now here we are, five years (and almost six games) later!
I never thought I'd ever make my own NES game, let alone multiple games, have it be good enough that people want to pay for it, and have a magazine like Retro Gamer asking me questions about them one day.
What is your development environment?
NESmaker. There are a number of tools and ways to create games for the NES, but NESmaker and its built-in community have made this whole experience possible. A common misunderstanding that I've noticed is this idea that NESmaker can only "do" certain things or can only do them in a certain way. It's a tool to help you write/organise assembly code, create graphics and animations, and compile all of that into a playable game. It is designed to help folks who have little/no coding knowledge actually make something that works. BUT... the more you learn, and the more you dig into the inner guts of the software, you'll find that you can pretty much accomplish whatever you want (within the limits of the actual NES console, that is).
Have you enjoyed making the Jim & Dill series, and will there be more?
The Jim & Dill series is certainly a niche thing: comedy, adventure, and rock n' roll. I made that trilogy of games mainly to satisfy my own goals and sense of humour, and it was a blast. There were plenty of tear-your-hair-out coding moments, but being able to put that whole world we created in 1994 onto the NES 30 years later was awesome. I figured those games might not be for everybody, so I created Bobby Six Seven - Time Travelling Detective a couple of years ago (action platformer), and now Mister Scary.
What games inspired Mister Scary?
Mister Scary was inspired by possibly the dumbest/cutest thing ever. I was using my hand as a puppet to make my 3-year-old daughter laugh, and she named him "Mister Scary". He likes snacks, and he likes to take naps. Naturally, it sparked an idea for a new video game... when I had no plans for anything past Jim & Dill 3.
As far as gameplay, I really wanted to make something that felt child-like and weird, without being alienating. Super Mario games were great at that, especially in the early days of the franchise. I was also influenced by games like DuckTales and Mickey Mousecapade, as both of those were childhood favourites of mine for their sense of adventure.
How much more needs to be developed?
It's finished. I was honestly expecting a long process of finding/squashing bugs, but miraculously, it's been almost impossible to find any (minus a couple of minor issues that most players probably wouldn't ever encounter and have since been remedied).
Will you be looking to make physical cartridges of Mister Scary as well as a digital download?
The hope for Mister Scary is that we'll reach a wider audience than Jim & Dill has so far. The digital ROM will be available later this year on Itch, and physical NES copies will also be available... working on the box and manual designs as we speak. Ideally, we'll be able to bring this game to other platforms like the Switch and Steam. If anyone wants to help with that, give us a shout!
How have your previous carts been made?
The physical NES edition of Bobby Six Seven was released through Premium Edition Games, and the first two Jim & Dill games are supposed to be coming through them as well. Dalyen Retro Games handled the physical versions of Jim & Dill 3 and our children's game Mr Maymunshine's Christmas Land for both the NES and the Famicom.
What other NES homebrew has impressed you recently?
There are so many excellent indie titles coming out now, thanks to tools like NESmaker making the process more accessible. It's hard to keep up sometimes, which is rough because these devs really deserve to be spotlighted. As you can imagine, between being a dad to a toddler, my work as a professional photographer, playing in a 90s cover band, and making NES games, I don't get a lot of time to actually play games! However, to my personal taste, the two games that I've been most recently enthralled by are The Storied Sword and House in the Cemetery.
What would be your dream project to work on?
Oh, man. I'd love to be involved in a top-down Zelda title. A new one... no references to older characters or older maps. Something as cute, crazy, and fresh as Minish Cap was. We named our daughter Zelda, so maybe that'll win me some resume points! Otherwise, I want to do a new DuckTales game. Again, no frills. Not like the remake. Just DUCKTALES 3. I was obsessed with that cartoon as a kid.
See the review in the Databurst section below.
DATABURST - REVIEWS
Bomb Jack Extra Sugar Edition
Format: Amstrad CPC (128K memory needed)
Credits: Anthony Flack
Price: Name your own price
Anthony has produced an incredibly faithful new conversion in mode 1 (4-colour mode) using clever programming tricks... The graphics are superb, especially the new and recreated backgrounds of famous landmarks, and a palette change option for green screen users. The music is excellent, and the sound is a perfect recreation, with the option to have both at the same time. Control is smooth and responsive, and the brief delay to load in the different backgrounds is worth it. The best 8-bit version of Bomb Jack by far, and an incredible debut by Anthony.
[SCORE] 90% - Retro Gamer Sizzler
Mister Scary
Format: NES
Credits: Calgames (Clay Lancaster – design, graphics, coding; Logan E. Schad and Kevin Van Der Burg – soundtrack)
Price: Kickstarter launching in July
The unusual main hero and the comic creatures move well, and the varied soundtrack adds tremendously to the overall atmosphere. The best parts of the game are the unusual funhouse maze and clever boss fights, but it is tough going. Platforming fans will find this enjoyable rather than scary.
[SCORE] 80%
Old Towers
Format: Jaguar
Credits: Lawrence Staveley (Reboot Games)
Price: physical pre-order $79.95
Andy Noble’s ST conversion ( bit.ly/oldtowers_st ) was the basis for this latest Retro Souls port. To complete each of the 30 taxing levels, collect all the coins while avoiding spikes, bats, and other hazards. Your character keeps moving until they hit something solid, with some walls collapsing when touched and others appearing when you pass through. Later levels have two characters to switch between, there’s a new turbo mode, and the cartridge saves your high scores. Well-made graphics and an excellent soundtrack (including synth classic Popcorn) make this a good Jaguar conversion.
[SCORE] 83%
PROCESSING - CHUCKULUS (ELECTRON/BBC)
Interview with Snuggsy:
What gave you the idea for Chuckulus?
Snuggsy: I was looking at Nebulus on the C64 and thought I'd see how far I could get with an Acorn Electron version (see the WIP screenshot below). Someone mentioned Chuckie Egg on BlueSky, so I did a version of Nebulus with the Chuckie Egg sprites. I converted my Nebulus code to give a more Chuckie Egg playing experience, and here we are!
What is your development environment?
I'm vaguely old school, developing my ASM code in Notepad++ (no VSCode yet !) on Windows 10/11 laptops.
Sprite/artwork: Aseprite
Compiling: 0xC0DE's Max65
Disk/Tape Image Builds: Disk Image Manager (by Gerald Holdsworth)
Testing: BeebEm / Elkulator / Electroniq (WIP Emulator by 0xC0DE) / two real Acorn Electrons with ElkSD128/ElkSDPlus1 interfaces.
What are the biggest challenges in developing for both BBC and Electron?
Having developed initially for the Acorn Electron, I struggled to remember some of the BBC Micro's interrupt methods (which I hadn't used for some years !). I did ponder having two different versions, but decided to combine both versions into one disk/tape image. The hardware platform is detected at runtime, and the appropriate patches are made to the code.
What more needs to be done to finish the game?
The game looks fairly complete, but I still have to do some Harry and Duck movement refinement, enemy collision detection, BBC sound and level design. The elevator handling isn't quite right yet, plus loads of other little annoyances! Any memory left will go towards a high score table and possibly an attract mode.
How will you be releasing it (and any chance of a physical release)?
At the moment, it will just be a digital download. Haven't really thought about a physical release, but wouldn't rule that out!
Magazine published 5th June 2025
This blog was published on 17th September 2025
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