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[spectrumzx]

Hi guys,

We are a small team of 3 who've been working on this game for some time now, and finally launched it on Facebook. It would be great if you could check it out and give us some feedback. It's just been out for around a couple of weeks so we're still adding stuff and improving the game.

It's a 16bit styled platform game, we wanted to give it a snes/megadrive look and feel, and bring back the times when we used to play games on those systems.

Here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RRvA8dmBEE

You can play the game here:

http://apps.facebook.com/beta_max/?cjg_ref=viral

Any feedback would be really appreciated!

[kidchameleon]

Looks nice

[spectrumzx]

Glad you like it! We're introducing new stuff all the time, we'll be adding another world very soon, and have a few more planned for the near future!

[Theon]

Doesn't look anything like 16bit, bro
Do you mean that it's 16bit because it is a simplistic platformer?

[Bones]

Yea, your title lies.
You may have some pixel art characters, but they aren't 16 bit and your world is all non-pixel art.

Your sprites even use gradients, so please don't mention this game as a 16-bit game, since it clearly is not even within limitations of the style.

[spectrumzx]

Thanks for the feedback. What would you suggest to make it look more retro? Do you think the highres/pixelated don't mix well together? We did this in a best of both worlds mind frame, having a retro (simple if you may) platform game, but with some modern elements. I guess we see it more as inspired on 16bit than truly 16bit graphics, with the limitations this brings on resolution/palette, sorry for the misleading title!

What do you think of the gameplay and controls?

[Bones]

I'd just avoid mentioning 16-bit since it doesn't best describe your games aesthetics.
If anything it's as you said, a retro old-school platformer.
You don't really have to do anything to make it seem retro, I'm sure anyone playing a 2d game understands that it's generally retro in the first place. So I don't think you even need to try and mention that it's retro or related to 16-bit.

It kind of makes it seem like your trying to use the "retro style" as a mechanic, and it's just not working in terms of appearing interesting game play wise.

The game play seems pretty basic, run around, jump on things, hit blocks, collect items, avoid pitfalls, beat the level.
So there isn't really too much to comment on since it's appears like mario atm, I haven't had time to try out the game yet. Just been going off what I'd seen in the video.

Could you elaborate a bit on how the mini-games work? Since I didn't quite get that from the video since the player activated the mini-game but then died shortly after.

[Average Software]

Are you sure you want to name your game after what is probably  the most famous failed media format that ever existed?

The name Betamax has some seriously negative connotations for those of us that remember the VCR wars.

[P-Flute]

It's a cute looking game, but from the trailer alone I think it could stand to be much more visually distinctive.  The background/terrain raises an eyebrow with its Mario influence, and the enemies push it even moreso over that line with their koopa-alike designs.  

The candy pickups blend in with the stage and the (surprisingly numerous) flowers.  Things also don't seem very thematic.  Why candy?  Why a guy with a big fro?  And why all in a big Mario-themed world?  If you stick with the candy theme (is the guy trapped in candyland?) I'd push that a little more in the environments and make the candy pickups quicker to read (simpler, recognized as candy faster.) and push the theme all around.

I don't know how much this helps, as things do look pretty far along.  Good luck!

[RichMakeGame!]

just to add to the theme discussion, when I look at your title image and game graphics, that 'shiny translucent button' effect on everything and bevelled edge squares, it all screams iphone/ipad design aesthetics to me

having said that, in reference to P-Flute's post, some of those 16-bit era games *were* really random in theme zool springs to mind, and james pond (well that one kinda made sense with the christmas toys and sweets, but still pretty trippy) but I still agree about unifying things a bit more. at least in zool *everything* was about candy. I still don't really understand what a ninja from the nth dimension was doing there :]

[volando]

#Average: The betamax format was an excelent video format as a consumer product. Unfortunatelly the VHS took the market because was cheap and supported by the rest of the video companies. I wouldn't consider it as a failed media.

ok.

1. I can't load the game!
2. I wouldn't use the word 16 bit. Looks very contemporary.
3. I would work more on the cover picture, looks empty, it doesn't say anything about the game. Also, as #RichMakeGame! says, it is always cool to wrap up the game with a catchy methaphoar or story.
4. From what I can see in the video, the jump looks a bit stiff. ( but well, i couldn't play it..)
5. Music is cool, nice funk.
6. Is not very appealing for me. But maybe in facebook you might find people who enjoy it.

 

[Christian Knudsen]

Unfortunatelly the VHS took the market because was cheap and supported by the rest of the video companies porn industry.

[spectrumzx]

Thanks for the feedback. We'll take all this on board and try and improve things moving forward.