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.
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!
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!
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.
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 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...
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
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!
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.
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Who did the cover art? I'm interested in trying this game but worried it's AI art since there's no credits!
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!