Making new games for retro consoles is the best way to keep them alive!
So, for this Ludum Dare, I choose to create a brand new game for my favorite console: the Super Nintendo (SNES). You can play the game online through an HTML5-based SNES emulator. Of course you can also download the ROM file to play it with any SNES emulator you want, and even on a real console if you have a Flash Cart at home!
The game itself is quite simple: 4 SNES are laying around, with only 1 cartridge of a homebrew SNES game for them to play with *(the game is Yo-Yo Shuriken, a SNES game I made in 2019 that was released on cartridge like the old days)*. Using any button you can make the cartridge "jump" so you can move from one console to another. Be careful not to miss the cartridge slot, else you'll fall and it's a game over. And don't let any SNES without a game play session for too long either, or it's a game over too!
A fun fact about the audio: the "shlack" sound that you hear when the cartridge enters a console is an actual recording of the noise made by my SNES power button *(recorded directly from my childhood console, still alive and kicking after 30 years!)*
I entered the Jam as the music wasn't made by myself. Besides music and a couple of sound effects coming from my previous games, all the others parts of this game where created by me from scratch during the event! All in all, I spent about 10 hours in total making the game *(I wish I could have more time, but real life isn't always as you hoped ;))*.
Last but not the least, the full source code is included. I spent about *2 additional hours cleaning up and commenting the code*, as I hope it'll help and motivate you to start making new SNES games too!
I am absolutely amazed that someone would create a SNES game in this day and age. Along with Dreamcast, SNES is my all time favourite console :D Oh, and the game is cool as well! It was a nice little nostalgia trip.
I also have a crush for the SNES. This entry is the most original I have tested so far. Make the cartridge jump from one slot to another is pretty chanllenging. The collision system is not forgiving at all. But that spices up the whole thing. I really enjoyed playing your game. So cool :smiley:
YES! Another LD entry for a retro console! I thought I was the only one who bothered making a retro game this time. And a fun little game to boot :) Only thing I'd have added is variable jump height by pressing the jump button longer, but it's just a small nitpick. Great job!
I did not expect to see an entry for a retro console to appear. The collision is indeed a bit difficult to wrestle with, but I'm impressed it plays really well, looks good too, good job!
Literally keeping a console alive by making a game where you have to keep that console alive has to be one of the most creative approaches to theme i've seen yet. nice job!
Wow really nice, I never had heared about that PVSnesLib library. Im very new to the homebrew world and during this game jam I made my second game boy advance game ever. Apparently we had the same idea only my game is called "Keep the Gameboy alive".
The source code of your game looks very much like mine from a first glance. I use Tonc, http://coranac.com/tonc/text/video.htm as a basis instead of PVSnesLib. So im devinely going to give that library you used a try, some day in the future. The source code of my code is available here if you are wondering or if you want to play it. https://github.com/timostrating/Ludumdare46
Specially the message that you got this done in 10 hours is very impressive btw. That just really shows that once you know what you are doing and understand how these old schools homebrew things work you can make things very quick.
Not sure if it was intentional or it's something on my end, but the music was really crackly and was hard to listen to. Otherwise the game itself was simple but innovative in my opinion.
Awesome entry! Love the idea, the theme integration, and just everything about the game! I love that there's people so dedicated to their childhood consoles that they still make games for them.
lol haha I love the concept, keeping the SNES alive. the game is pretty fun even if I stink at it. I was actually surprised when I failed b/c I didn't line up the cartridge haha. I was like well that makes sense I probably broke the cartridge.
One thing that was a little hard is trying to figure out which one is the lowest. might of been helpful to have something to indicate the lowest one, or possible when any gets below 40% they are red or something like that.
Wow! The gameplay is a bit boring to be perfectly honest, but the gimmick of running on a SNES was absolutely astonishing! I played this on my SNES mini to add to the retro feeling and it fit really well! Great entry!
This was fun, SNES was my favorite console ever. Some good vibes playing this, great work. Unique take on the them also, I wish you had to also blow in the cartridge to help keep it alive haha
A great use of the theme. If I could I would leave SNES alive forever! Simple game, well done and with the particularity of being a game about SNES made for real SNES. The soundtrack fits very well with the game style and games of the original console. With the addition of obstacles and difficulties, a commercial game would become very easy.
It did take a time to understand what I had to do, but when I found it I could move the cartridge in the air it was so much fun! It's also incredible that this is an actual SNES Game, the graphics are pretty and so the movement, well done!
Interesting interpretation of the theme. Nice music and graphics, fits perfectly together. However, keeping the the cartridge alive seems harder than the 4 SNES.
Love the idea, great take on the theme. I do think the game is slightly unforgiving and having the S button as the jump button was a weird choice in my opinion. Overall good job!
Oh boy this was hard! Hahaha, nice entry I love the art style and the music. I think you could have changed the image of the game displayed on the TV to a different image each time and reference other snes games, that would definitely kept me playing for longer just to see how many games I could recognize. But other than that, excellent entry.
Nice! Took a while to get the hang of it - ended up at 52 seconds I think. Always appreciate a game made for an old system. Learning NextBASIC at the moment for the new ZX Spectrum.
Yay SNES! Love the famicom style. Graphics were chunky fab. "Shlack" is my new fav sound effect- tho whne I played on HTML the sounds seemed to bug out. All-in-all, simple, nostalgic, and prolly one of the most real representations of the them this LD. Way to go!
You really need to be on the ball with your... jump targeting? It was fun for a minute or two. No bugs as far as I can tell, very simple but seems to work well.
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Only thing I'd have added is variable jump height by pressing the jump button longer, but it's just a small nitpick. Great job!
The source code of your game looks very much like mine from a first glance. I use Tonc, http://coranac.com/tonc/text/video.htm as a basis instead of PVSnesLib. So im devinely going to give that library you used a try, some day in the future. The source code of my code is available here if you are wondering or if you want to play it. https://github.com/timostrating/Ludumdare46
Specially the message that you got this done in 10 hours is very impressive btw. That just really shows that once you know what you are doing and understand how these old schools homebrew things work you can make things very quick.
Fun game, get a little boring after one minutes ;). Simple but effective.
I love that there's people so dedicated to their childhood consoles that they still make games for them.
One thing that was a little hard is trying to figure out which one is the lowest. might of been helpful to have something to indicate the lowest one, or possible when any gets below 40% they are red or something like that.
but for 10 hours this is a pretty solid game.
Simple game, well done and with the particularity of being a game about SNES made for real SNES. The soundtrack fits very well with the game style and games of the original console. With the addition of obstacles and difficulties, a commercial game would become very easy.
Congratulations on the idea.
Nice Concept! Sorry for my bad english ;-).
Nice music and graphics, fits perfectly together.
However, keeping the the cartridge alive seems harder than the 4 SNES.
Always appreciate a game made for an old system. Learning NextBASIC at the moment for the new ZX Spectrum.