#screenshotsaturday Showcase – 23.01.16

There were a lot of good #screenshotsaturday images this weekend, but I’m sticking to my established format (Jack B. Nimble plus two other games that catch my eye). There’s only so much time I can dedicate to writing blog posts, I have a game to make after all…

Developer: http://noonan.design/
Game: https://twitter.com/jackbnimblegame

It’s time for me to show the second of three new levels in the Jack B. Nimble, this time, Rocky Rapids.

This level came about as a result of wanting to change the form of the slow down mechanic – rather than a static patch of grass I thought it would be interesting if a slowly bobbing tide could slow the player down at timed intervals should they wade through it.

In practice it works quite well, though there’s a few balance issues thanks to the tide being controlled by dice rolls… random numbers can sometimes suck.

Last week I hoped I’d be starting on the final level, however, there were too many niggling things in Green Grove and Rocky Rapids for me to feel like I could move on. Next week perhaps.

Developer: https://twitter.com/Vaaasm
Game: https://twitter.com/haltgamedev

I don’t know a whole lot about Halt, but it looks nice and that’s what #screenshotsaturday is about. I get some Adventure Time vibes from the sprite art, and the gameplay looks somewhere between Megaman and Contra.

The Twitter description states that the game is a “post-cyberpunk platform shooter with exhilarating action, eye-popping art and a thrilling tale”; doesn’t tell me much, but I eagerly await seeing more progress on this one in order to get a better idea of what the game is about.

Developer: https://twitter.com/JasonP_
Game: N/A

A rather cute looking (currently untitled) Castlevania-like from Jason Pickering. Obviously I’m a huge Castlevania fan (I’m making a Castlevania-like of sorts myself) but I’m also into that Pico-8 aesthetic that’s been doing the rounds as of late; maximum detail with minimal pixels.

While the game appears to break some pixel art “rules” by clearly leaving the pixel grid and relying a lot on alpha transparency, I really like how it all comes together. I just hope there aren’t any rotated pixels – that’s something the pixel art snob in me just cannot get past.

The game currently lacks a name, with the developer currently referring to it as the “castlevania game” for the time being. Very much wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve.

Come back next week for another #screenshotsaturday showcase!