Chantey - DEMO
Chantey is an upcoming pirate metal-inspired top-down adventure, mixing open-world exploration and rhythm game elements, developed by Gortyn Code and published by ModRetro. The game is set to release in Q1 2025 for the ModRetro Chromatic, being backwards compatible with the entire Game Boy® line of video game consoles.
Set in an alternate history where Golden Age pirate mythology and headbanging metal riffs collide, you play as a young-man-turned-pirate, entangled in a fierce pirate vendetta between the descendants of the legendary ‘Nightingale Pirate’ on a quest to rule the seven seas beneath the vibrant echoes of rousing pirate metal anthems. Embark on an epic journey to re-assemble and revive the Nightingale Pirate's heavy metal legacy, navigate treacherous waters, overcome notorious enemies, and survive the horrors lurking beneath the ocean’s waves!
NOTE: This download only contains the trial version/demo of the game.
The demo includes the game's prologue, where you can experience the beginning of the player's adventure. Certain features, assets (including music and graphics) and functionality are not final. The full game is under development, and slated to release in Q1 2025 via the ModRetro website. You can pre-order your physical copy now at: https://modretro.com/products/chantey
🏴☠️ STORY
You were born in Ireland, in the year 1651, to a pair of indentured servants in the Ulster Plantation. At the age of 14, you have already been plowing the fields for almost a decade. As your voice grows deep and commanding, you develop a reputation as a chanteyman among the plantation's workers, acknowledged for your skill in improvising verses, and belting out tunes that fit the type and speed of the work at hand. Reckoning there's more to the world than a life of servitude on the plantation, you decide one night to escape, craving for adventure, riches and fame. Barefoot and penniless, you eventually make your way to Kinsale, boarding a Spanish merchant vessel at night, undetected. Stowed away on the lower deck, and hiding amongst the crates of cargo, your long and arduous voyage to the West Indies is about to come to an abrupt end...
🏴☠️ CONTROLLER INFORMATION
| GAME BOY | KEYBOARD | ACTION |
|---|---|---|
| D-PAD | ARROW KEYS | In the top-down sections, use the ✚ D-Pad to move your character, or ship in eight (8) different directions. The ✚ D-Pad also controls the cursor on menu screens. During the rhythm battles, the ◄ left and ►right directional options are used to play the corresponding notes. |
| A BUTTON | Z | In the top-down sections, the A button allows you to interact with people and the environment. It is also used to advance long conversations, or select an option in menu screens. During the rhythm battles, the A button is used to play the corresponding notes. |
| B BUTTON | X | In the top-down sections, the B button allows you to cancel a menu, without selecting an option. It is also used to exit the Map and Chanteys screens. During the rhythm battles, the B button is used to play the corresponding notes. |
| START | ENTER | Pressing START while in the top-down sections will display your Player Menu (when it becomes available, after the first tutorial rhythm battle). |
🏴☠️ STARTING THE GAME
When you boot up the game, after all the logos and disclaimers, you will see an introductory sequence, which you can skip by pressing the START button. When you are at the title screen, press START again, to bring up the Start Menu.
New Game: The default (and only) option when you play the game for the first time (or play the game without having saved it earlier). This will permanently erase your previous save file, and create a new one in its place.
Continue: Enabled when there is a save file available. This option will let you continue from the last save point at which you had saved your game.
🏴☠️ SCREEN DISPLAY
Main Screen: This is the screen you use to explore the various towns, settlements and islands of the Caribbean. In this screen, you control the player character from a top-down perspective.
Overworld: This is the screen you use to sail the Caribbean, and move from one location to another. In this screen, you control the player's pirate ship from a top-down perspective.
Rhythm Battle Screens: During a rhythm battle, notes will drop from the top of the screen, marked with ◄ left, ►right, A and B symbols. As soon as they reach the line at the bottom, press the corresponding button to play that particular note.
Map Screen: Through this screen, you can view the entire overworld, and pinpoint your current location. Use the ✚ D-Pad directional options to navigate the different main locations. Use the B Button to exit.
Chanteys Screen: This screen can be accessed through the Player Menu. It compiles the list of chanteys that you have discovered throughout your journey. Use the ✚ D-Pad directional options to select a chantey, and press A once to enter the Playback menu. While on this menu, you can either listen to the song, or go back to the list. Pressing the B button while on the Playback menu will also return you to the list. Use the B button while on the list, to exit.
🏴☠️ SAVING THE GAME
The game can be saved when you visit a Save Location. Save Locations feature a bed, with which the player can interact using the A button. You will be prompted to save the game. After selecting the "Aye!" option, your game will be saved (the previous save file will be overwritten). Exit the save dialogue (by pressing the A button) to continue playing, or turn off the game.
🏴☠️ CREDITS
Game design, programming, graphics and sound by K. C. Apostolakis.
"Bully in the Alley" and "Drunken Sailor" arranged by K. C. Apostolakis. Tunes and lyrics are in the public domain.
"Nomad" written, produced and performed by Wise Astronomist.
Built with GB Studio by Chris Maltby.
🏴☠️ DISCLAIMER
Copyright © 2024 Gortyn Code Games Single Member P.C.
The story, characters and incidents portrayed in this game are fictitious. Any name resemblance with actual persons, either living or deceased is purely coincidental and not in any way intended.
All screenshots show gameplay on the ModRetro Chromatic. Emulators, or any device other than the ModRetro Chromatic, or the aforementioned Game Boy® consoles may run the demo with varying degrees of success or accuracy.
Use of the Game Boy® name intends to identify format compatibility only. Use does not imply endorsement.
This software is provided "as-is", without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.
Download
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Development log
- ModRetro to Publish Chantey for the ModRetro Chromatic81 days ago
- Chantey (Prologue) v1.1 releasedNov 02, 2023
Comments
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This is amazing! GuitarHero, Jack Sparrow, Tenacious D, killer pixel art and four AA batteries all boldly sailed into a maelstrom together!
I love shanties, chiptune, and retro gaming so this game looks like a must-have in my book! I can't wait to play it on real hardware. Fingers crossed you all end up selling digital versions too for those of us collecting on flash carts.
This was bonkers hard for me to play on a keyboard since the key layout (although standard) was flipped to what my thumbs would be doing on a handheld console. I couldn't make my brain accept the flip. But that just makes me want to play on my GB all the more!
Only complaint is the flash before the portraits appear in the dialogue boxes. I love the artwork. Once it's on screen it really sells the immersion. But the flash on every new set of words became a bit jarring when reading through a conversation or a set of instructions.
For real, watching intently for the full release!
Wow! Thank you, probably one of the nicest reviews I've read so far! Appreciate it!
(You'll be glad to know I also found a way to fix that portrait flash, so stay tuned!)
I recently got an Analogue Pocket and this may have been the most fun I've had on it thus far <3
I've found that a lot of recent rhythm games don't quite capture the satisfying feeling I used to have with them, but Chantey gets it right!
Hope to see the full game someday!
Thank you so much for this comment, it really made my day!
The game is in full development at the moment, and I'm excited about the new features, songs and challenges the full version will feature!
You can follow updates on my X and website!
Cheers!
Graphics is absolutely insane... 11/10.
Thank you! Been meaning to try out Cold Nights since it fell on my radar, looks awesome as well!
Thank you so much!
As a fan of the whole pirate aesthetic and rhythm games, this is a fun demo, and a nice twist on an adventure RPG. The concept is inventive, the dialogue is witty, and the mechanics are taught in a way that feels natural. Looking forward to the full game.
If I had one criticism, the in-game font is really hard to read. This is a 160x144 screen, after all. The splash screen has a more readable font, so please consider at least having an option to switch to that one.
And I’ve never used GB Studio before, so I don’t know how hard these are to implement, but I also encourage QOL improvements like diagonal movement and using stairs from any side.
Thank you, both for your kind words and your feedback! I am glad you liked the demo and the direction this is going in.
As I'm currently implementing the full version, I am committed to implement a new font, since it this has probably been the #1 request from several different players. I've indeed also been thinking about implementing a more Zelda-like movement system (8-directional, as opposed to the current Pokemon-like 4-directional one). They're on the backlog!
Guitar hero on the game boy with pirates, what's more to ask for?
Thank you for your comment, and for promoting Chantey on your awesome channel! Been subscribed for some time now, and always looking forward to your new GB stuff!
thank you so much for your support as well! Keep going making awesome games :)
This project is incredibly inspirational, as someone who was looking to see how other folks had implemented music games in GB Studio. The art is mind-blowingly good, with some great nods to classic games (Zelda, Warioland, etc.), and the story and gameplay are fun.
Can I ask a couple questions about how you implemented this, especially the music battles? Do the button symbols just drop in rhythm with the bg music (or spawn and then drop)? And then the button presses trigger the failure sound fx (which overrides the music) if you don't hit them correctly?
Thank you for the encouraging words - you are far too kind!
Regarding the implementation, depending on how complex your scene is (in terms of Actors, animating parts, tile count, etc.) you could do both methods that you mention - in my case (quite complex scene with lots of animating parts), I found that "spawning" the notes via a script worked best. The sound effect is actually very simple - I detect note collision with an invisible collider just below the buttons - if a collision happens, I play the sound effect.
I hope this helps!
That does help a bunch, thanks! So it's almost like the notes are mobile enemies that you try to kill with buttons before they land. That's a really smart way to adapt what GB Studio is designed to do. Seems like the hardest part, then, is writing the script to spawn the notes in line with the music?
Lovely graphics and sound design, had fun with some of the dialogues haha. Played it for a bit and managed to get the "You Rock" on 2 of the songs after multiple tries (I suck at rhythm games haha).
Amazing work!
Thank you so much! Likewise, NUNYA is absolutely spectacular!
The atmosphere, graphics and overall gameplay of this game is so well done that it definitely deserves a physical release.
Thank you for this, really appreciate the comment (especially from someone with so many GB games under their belt already, WOW)! If enough people show an interest in it, a physical release might be a thing to consider moving forward...
This is so cool and creative, I love it! (And I'm terrible at it)
Thank you so much for these kind comments, coming from a fellow developer, they mean a lot!
Amazing game! Gorgeous design.
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Your stuff is amazing as well!
lovely prototype! Stunning pixel art and the idea of the game is brilliant!
For me personally it could've had a bit less text overall. And the very first rythm battle was quite hard. I would think of maybe some short introduction of the buttons for the lines, and some sort of very easy and slow song to get started and get a feel for it (and get me thinking I've actually earned the "you rock" :D because I absolutely sucked xD
Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for the feedback and kind words, I really appreciate it!
I also agree to your points - this is a demo/prototype and some of the features and choices in it are not final, but demonstrative. In terms of submitting the game in time for the jam, I ran out of time to do more music and get the notes to drop in sync - the final game will indeed have different songs (the whole point will be to collect them) with varying levels of challenge as you progress! There's also going to be additional elements in the rhythm battles, where, in the final game, it will actually be possible to fail them. There are also going to be some 'relationship' mechanics with your bandmates, which will make the more challenging battles later in the game a little bit easier.
Great work on this. Wonderfully charismatic pixel art and the rhythm gameplay is super fun and well executed. Could you code in a sound effect that could cancel out/play over the guitar note if the player doesn't successfully play it in time (if the guitar note used channel 2). Might be a nice feedback effect during the song. Rad game!
Thank you so much for your feedback! Indeed, a sound effect was part of the plan and I intend to incorporate them in a future version as I work towards the fully-featured version, but I did not manage to put it in in time for this jam...
Once more, thank you, Feed IT Souls is an absolute gem!
This game looks and plays amazing. I envy your spritework, it is something else! Very well done, congratulations!!! Awesome piece of art here! I would love some kind of collaboration between your game and mine (Glory Hunters). Hit me up at X (@2think_ds) if you are interested. Congratulations on such amazing game, I truly loved it!
Thank you so much for your encouraging words and review! Coming from the developer of Glory Hunters, that really means a lot!
I am not a Twitter/X user, but you can find me on Facebook if you'd like to chat!
Ha ha ha. You are making me blush, it is what it is, your game literally rocks! Ha ha ha. Sent a message over Facebook. Ha a great weekend!
WHAT? A GUITAR HERO ON THE GAME BOY???
WITH PIRATES?????
Well done, my friend. Well done.
Thank you so much my friend, I really appreciate your feedback, your games are absolutely gorgeous!
Looks promising! I dig the art direction and the rhythm gameplay is impressive for the Game Boy (although I'm terrible at rhythm games - is it actually possible to fail? because I don't know how I succeeded). Settings screen does not appear to work and I found the font a bit hard to read. Really solid pixel art though :)
Thank you for your kind words, and for playing the game, I hope you enjoyed!
As this is a prototype/early alpha the idea was to demonstrate the direction of the project and the feasibility of the rhythm sections on the hardware - therefore, in this version, as you noted, you can't actually fail in the rhythm parts (although I am implementing mechanic for this to be released in a future version - basically it takes you back to the sequence before the enemy spotted you).
'Settings' I wasn't able to complete during the jam, so I put it low on my priority list for the compo - it's supposed to control dialogue speed and some game mechanics related to the rhythm sections.
As for the font - I tried to do a handwritten "piratey" font to match the setting, but I see how it needs more work.
Thanks for the feedback!