Return of the indie king!

[magus]

cave story creator new game get released tomorrow!



man, i remember when i discovered cave story, it was like the most amazing thing ever, it looked so cool,it was fun and the OST was amazing, actualy amazing don't even begin to describe it







cave story was easily the best indie game i've ever played and to this day i think only the la mulana remake can stands on the same ground

[Himu]

Kero Frog doesn't look at good as Cave Story but I'm still down.

[Himu]

So is this pixel's take on mega man?

The graphics and gameplay really look way less interesting than Cave Story's.

Hopefully it comes to Android.

[Joe Molotov]

I thought Minecraft 2 was coming out.

[magus]

I thought Minecraft 2 was coming out.

get out of this thread right now!

[a slime appears]

I thought King games was making another Candy Crush.

[benjipwns]

I thought King games was making another Candy Crush.

Hope the story is as good as the first one.

[benjipwns]

I admit it, I'm only up to level 34. 

[Raban]

It's weird how much of a step backward this seems to be with regards to complexity and design on Pixel's part. Cave Story is an atmospheric, non-linear, action-adventure game with multiple endings and this looks to be a paint-by-numbers run'n'gun.

I was really looking forward to this a couple years back when he started development, but now it's pretty clear this game is out of my element.

[Raban]

I guess I was. I'll probably give it a shot on PC but maybe that this game costs money is what makes me a little underwhelmed, where Cave Story was freeware and it exceeded my very modest expectations.

[Positive Touch]

demo w/ exclusive levels:

http://www.playism-games.com/games/pinkhour/

[Raban]

Yeah that was 2.5 hours long, but definitely fun.  Nowhere near Cave Story tho.

2.5 hours? maybe on a steam sale

[magus]

well it's not like cave story was that much longer

still a better value than ground zero

[Raban]

in what world can you beat Cave Story in 2.5 hours the first time through? I know that post is your pathetic attempt at trolling but that's stupid even for you.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

also compare 3D sandbox stealth games to retro throwback scrolling shooters, brehs

[close]

[magus]

Uh... This one?



For comparison a speed run does it in a hour and half

also compare 3D sandbox stealth games to retro throwback scrolling shooters, brehs

now that was supposed to be a joke but i didn't expect someone to get butthurt over it

[Raban]

I said first time through, that dude has clearly played the game before. reading comprehension ftw.
and I ain't mad, just shootin' from the hip, bb

[Himu]

Why are you bringing up a speed run and comparing it to a brand new game?

Also I forgot what Ground Zeroes was for a sec. I thought it was the exxxtreme Bomberman get and was confused why Magus brought it up.

[brob]

This looks real cool/cute. Gonna have to buy it tomorrow.

[magus]

Why are you bringing up a speed run and comparing it to a brand new game?

cave story is a game that can be finished in one sitting, if a speed run of one hour and half and a normal playthrough of 2 hours and half can't show it, i don't know what it can... now i can't remember how much i took the first time i played through it because it was like fucking 200X but raban by saying it takes AN ETERNITY the first time is talking with his ass

even assuming you are dying all over the place it's hard to imagine taking it more than 4 hours

so i don't understand why someone would find surprising that this new game last 2 hours and half

[Raban]

now

[magus]

I MAD!!1!

[Raban]

it's gotta come to Steam eventually, right? Anyways the main reason the cost is an issue is because there are plenty of games I could get for $5-8 that offer more than this on either platform. shit, for less than $5, if we're talking strictly iOS titles.

I just dropped $3 on the full unlock for Paint It Back, a game that has already lasted me much longer than 2.5 hours and I haven't even finished half of it. granted it's a very different game than Kero Blaster so not the most apt comparison, but that kinda value proposition is what matters to me when it comes to these sub-$10 games.

forgive my himusplaining cuz I'm clearly bashing on this game I haven't played (I beat Pink Hour tho) and will eventually buy. I'm just a little salty cuz I wanted Cave Story 2.

[brob]

well-made run and gun game for $8. let's whine about it not being a metroidvania and also free. lmao

[Himu]

entitled gamers itt

5 dollar games who cares

[Raban]

well-made run and gun game for $8. let's whine about it not being a metroidvania and also free. lmao

I would've paid $8 for a sequel to Cave Story look I ain't saying this game isn't good. it's on me for expecting a different game based on personal assumptions. I can live with that L.

[Himu]

demo w/ exclusive levels:

http://www.playism-games.com/games/pinkhour/

This is really good.

Normal mode is pretty standard but it's basic Mega Man fare, and if you like that feeling of going through levels with finesse while consistently holding right, I suggest it. Hard mode is a different pickle. It takes the Mega Manisms to a very elaborate extreme: long jumps while shooting enemies that are blocking your way and platform landings. Hard mode is a much more exciting and enticing mode, and if that's at all indicative of the full game, consider it bought. In videos and screen shots, the simplistic art style is off putting because it looks like a complete step back from Cave Story in terms of charm and detail, but while playing it, I notice it still has the details and subtleties that made Cave Story's art so good (clock changes time in office wall, hedgehog lady's character design and her office). It looks nice while playing it.

I'm going to put my trust into Oscar's word. He knows his action platformers and what I played from this demo was pretty damn good. I'm not sure I'd like to play it on mobile given the type of game it is, but I'm willing to try.

Great demo, thanks.

Can't believe I'm gong to be giving Nyan money. Haha.

[Raban]

I bought the first game three times across DSi, 3DS, and PC. Real talk I would've paid $60 for a full-on sequel to Cave Story, but it doesn't matter what I'd pay cuz it ain't happening. I kinda understand why Pixel would do a smaller project, he's only one dude and it took him five years to make Cave Story. He probably doesn't wanna get stuck on one project for that long again.

I followed the development of this game on his blog and even with a significantly shorter dev time, he seemed to run into some frustrations and at one point had to trash the whole project and start over. Regardless, I will buy this game. I'm just still without income and don't have enough money to spare on yet another game right now.

I only meant to express that I wished this was Cave Story 2, but I guess I came off as more of an entitled douche than I intended.

[Raban]

it's not fair, but it's the truth. oh well I'll play this game and probably like it

[brob]

I couldn't get the xbox360 controller to work, but it plays fine with keyboard controls too. Prolly need to fiddle with some drivers or something.

[magus]

i got around to play this and eeeeeehhhhh i feel disappointed

it's not a matter of this game not being cave story or not being a metroidvania,it's just that while the music and retro pixel art is still top notch, the rest of the game is not that much fun to play... the reason is because kero blaster feels a lot more sluggish than cave story, the way the game control is that as long as you hold the shooting button you keep shooting in that direction so it's possible to keep shooting right while walking backward to the left, but that also means that if one enemy is attacking you from the above and another from the side you have to shoot the enemy on the side,release the button, press up and then keep pressing the shooting button and it feels awfull, why can't i just press up and shoot in all the direction i want?

most enemy are stationary and shoots you from afar or just bum-rush you so the end result is that you spend most of the game picking enemies sloooooooooowly from a safe spot rather than actualy dodging attack since as soon as something come's at you, you can just run away back to your safety zone while still hitting the enemy,this is made worse by the fact that you are quite frail and actualy die in 2 hits (although you can buy health power up... i ended the game with a max of 5 hearts i think) and i can't help but think that the reason the game play this way is because if they made it a faster-paced action game it would have been hard to play on mobile phone's

similiary the weapon you get are all quite gimmick, there is a laser gun, a wide shoot, a bubble blower that make bouncing bullets and a flamethrower, you get the bubble blower upon ending stage 2 and ehy coincidentaly stage 3 is full of enemies that are placed in a way that they can only be hit by bouncing bullets! right after you get the flame thrower, the game throw you in an ice stage where most enemies are weak to the flamethrower and it feels super forced like if they gave me a mouth gun and sent me to candy land! Later in the game you also get a jetpack, remember how fun it was to zip all around with the jetpack in cave story? there is a jetpack in this game too but in this game it just let you do a weak double jump that is barely needed...

the bosses are fun, they are varied, colorfull and require you to pay attention and dodge shit properly rather than just hide but honestly it feels like every stage is just a chore you have to do before they'll let you eat the cake and as a result the whole game suffers from it

there are some story element that i tought were done decently but they never go anywhere...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

like cave story there is some sort of obscure force (this time represented by dark blobs) that is some vague represention of mental trauma, these blob have taken hold of the cat president the frog you control work for and of several teleporter scattered around the world and it's the job of the frog of getting rid of them by shooting the shit out of them



i found the idea of a cat president with sunglasses, an angry demeanor and a troubled past kinda funny but the game never tells you what about her past is so troubling in the first place which is disappointing

[close]

the game is also really short, more short than i could ever think, in fact i finished at 1 hour and 40 minutes mark, and i'm pretty sure i could have done it even quicker if i never died... after finishing the game

spoiler (click to show/hide)

there is a new game+ mode where the frog get recolored gold and all your health power up get taken away leaving you with only 1 HP (but you can rebuy them back so what's the point?) and you keep all of your weapon upgrade's,there is a new weapon to use and finishing the game twice unlock a boss rush,honestly it all feels like pointless addiction

[close]

here's a review which i think explains this game problem better (although in a somewhat pompous sounding way)

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/kero-blaster-world-search-game/

[Raban]

I finally have a little money to spare and was this close to buying it today, but after your review I dunno... maybe I'll just play Cave Story again

[Himu]

Remember that it is Magus who doesn't like much of anything and that the games demo is much better on hard mode.

[Raban]

but I even read the review he linked and it's more or less in line with the impressions I got from the demo. the actual stage in Pink Hour is filled with "friendly" enemies and boring, static platforming, even on Hard mode. that Killscreen review makes a good point by comparing the stage enemies to the bosses. the latter actually try to kill you, while the former are just kinda bouncing around not giving a damn what you do. This is extremely contrary to the style of game Kero Blaster is drawing influence from (e.g. Mega Man) where nearly every enemy is doing their best to stomp your ass.

I will still get this game at some point to support Amaya, but reading those impressions makes me feel like I can probably hold off a little while longer. if my 360 wasn't broken I'd probably go for Super Time Force instead of this for my retro-throwback scrolling shooter.

[Raban]

sorry Oscar, but I can't trust Sega stans

I didn't find the regular enemy behavior in this to be different from Mega Man.  Some are aggressive, some are just hanging out, being in the way.

I do think the game is probably best played on the hardware it was designed for.  I had no trouble moving my aiming around the way mags was talking about.  But I disagree with a lot of what he said.

do you mean iOS? really? don't you loathe on-screen buttons?

[Himu]

[Raban]

Well if that's the case the lower pricetag on iOS makes it easier to swallow. And normally I agree with your "controls they're designed around" sentiment but I've always been extremely skeptical of virtual buttons. Eugh.

[Himu]

Virtual buttons are fine in 2014. Titles like Mage Gauntlet control as well as a title like Secret of Mana with a normal controller would control.

[magus]

i see in the ios version you have this virtual joystiq to decide in which direction you shoot

in the pc version, you shoot by keeping X pressed and the joystiq is locked in whichever direction you were facing when you pressed X and when you want to change direction you have to release X to stop shooting,change direction and then keep shooting again

honestly after a while it stops being a problem, but the first boss you face keep shooting bullets in the air which you need to shoot down so i found it annoying when i got hit simply because i forgot to release X before pressing up

i guess that explain why oscar didn't have any trouble aiming

[Raban]

hey Oscar I gave your TouchArcade review of this game a read and I think my big conflict with this game is what you state here

As hard as it is, you have to leave your Cave Story baggage at the door, because Kero Blaster is its own thing, and you're not going to be able to appreciate it fully if you're focusing on what it's not.

the thing is, I'm not confident I'm capable of checking my Cave Story baggage, even if I want to. back when that game came out it was so unique; this outstanding intermission in the theatre of the rapidly-failing AAA games industry. but Kero Blaster, good or not, can only be a miniscule tone ringing out in the cacophony of indie retro throwback games we see released these days.

it's arresting just how much this game provokes me to contemplate how much the industry has changed since Cave Story was released, the things that made me fall in love with that game in the first place, and how my expectations for games in general have grown substantially. all without having even touched the game itself.

sorry if that sounds like a bunch of navel-gazing bullshit, but I commend this game for its mere existence challenging me in ways I doubt the actual game could ever approach.

[Himu]

back when that game came out it was so unique; this outstanding intermission in the theatre of the rapidly-failing AAA games industry.

Um. Are you remembering things right?

2004 was one of the best years in gaming ever, especially for AAA titles - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Metal Gear Solid 3, Farcry, Chronicles of Riddick, Half Life 2, The Sims 2, Ninja Gaiden. Niche titles like Alien Hominid, Outrun 2, Katamari Damacy. New innovative hardware in the Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable (in Japan). 2004 was gaming at its proverbial height.

More than that, Cave Story wasn't even that unique, nor unlike titles we were playing on the GBA already - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Metroid: Zero Mission, for starters. It was Metroid with a cute story, nice difficulty curve, and cute art. Big whoop. What made Cave Story so amazing at the time was that it was high quality AND was made by one guy, which, at the time, was seen as unfathomable. The fact it kicked ass was the icing on the cake.

[Raban]

I'm not sure the English translation of the game was out that same year, at any rate I didn't play it until at least 2006 when the 360 had been out. my mistake.

[Raban]

cross-posted from the "what are you playing" thread, just to fully chronicle my 180 on this game

so himuro gifted me Kero Blaster and I just finished it at a minute over 3 hours...

alright, fine. Oscar was right, this game is pretty sweet. the cuteness factor goes a long way to aid my enjoyment and the different level themes are creative and fun. the bosses are intense and frenzied just like they are in Cave Story but this is by no means even half the game that Cave Story was. however, obviously that doesn't mean it can't be great in its own right. the approach to enemy variety, placement, stage construction, weapon tactics etc. are all very Professor F and I couldn't stop thinking about Mega Man while playing, save for the boss fights. I'd consider that a good thing. music is jammin, the visuals are charming, and the story (while perfunctory) does its job well.

I'll also concede that while this game uses virtual buttons, they never failed me (except once when my contiguous play period was so long that my screen was too coated in finger-grease to read input), and the learning curve is fairly slight.

one thing I don't understand, though, is y'all mentioned a NG+ mode and I can't seem to access it. after the credits I can either pick up from my save (prior to the final boss) or start a new game, which resets everything. what am I missing?

buy this game, y'all, but on iOS. I'm sure if I got this on PC I'd be a little less warm to it.

[brob]

PC version is good. u just hella buttbothered about being 100% wrong

[Himu]

I don't know. I can see their point. On hard mode in the demo, for instance, there's a part where you avoid the rock. The character does an odd thing when trying to go back to avoid the rock. It's like he had tank controls but on a 2d plane. The controls are clearly meant for iOS.

[Raban]

PC version is good. u just hella buttbothered about being 100% wrong

I just beat yellow-frog mode and then I did a 6-minute boss rush, 6.5 hours logged. good stuff the bosses are a lot of fun, my favorite has to be the scarf-wearing anthropomorphic clock.

I also found a hidden weapon called the Gero Blaster, but it's really awful and can't be upgraded according to gamefaqs there are more pieces to it in earlier levels, MMX style. will report back when I collect 'em all. it's a shame there's no stage select or way to keep replaying the levels once you've beaten yellow-frog mode tho

[Raban]

I dare you to beat mama, bitches