Who doesn’t like a game with a little atmosphere? Deadeus (pronounced “deddyoos”) is an indie horror title for the original Game Boy – or its emulators – and it has plenty of it. The game has been available for some time as a “your own price” download, but is about to get a physical release in a suitable black cartridge, whose pre-orders close next Monday. If you are a fan of retro games, or the genre, you should definitely play them, and if you have the necessary hardware, it should fit perfectly into any large collection.
Don’t be fooled by Deadeus‘Pokémon-style graphics and gameplay. This game has dark tones and is even more delicious for that. The contrast between the Nintendo trees of the 90s and the picket fences with the themes of worship, ritual and murder could not be more stark, but it seems totally appropriate. You wouldn’t know how to play, but most of the game was made by one person and is a great showcase for Chris Maltby’s GB Studio development tool.
Like most good horror stories, Deadeus starts with a nightmare. An angry god comes to our protagonist at night hungry for meat. Satisfy that hunger and he can spare the village, but there is a catch – you only have three days to find out how, and with 11 endings available, all decisions are important.
“The idea of the game that came mainly from a comic book that I’ve been writing for a long time, I had this little piece that I could call a story and put in this Game Boy game. […] everything is drawn from that, all the art is mine and, and everything based on this story. ”Adam Birch, Deadeus‘creator told Engadget.
It makes a lot more sense when you know that Birch is an artist by profession. He works with user interface design for UK game developer Coatsink and makes his own macabre designs. A scan of his original pieces is all you need to know that any game he played would always have dark touches – the scenes, in particular, take you from the cozy vibe of RPG to the weak point of any oddities going on in this city forgotten by God you inhabit.
Adam Birch
About that city; is where you will spend all your time. I mean, this is not an extensive landscape with warp stations and rival villages. You can navigate the playing area very quickly, but it doesn’t seem too limited. Deadeus‘Time mechanics means that each new day brings new things to find and discover and it also clearly adds a layer of strategy depending on which narrative you follow. No spoilers here, but there are definitely things you can miss on the first day that will keep you from encountering some of those 11 finals.
Birch admits that while the mechanics of time allow the relatively small world to expand in other ways, it has also introduced some challenges. GB Studio makes game development much simpler, almost without code, but with a project like Deadeus, also presents the potential for many bugs – characters that appear on the second day that should not be there, for example. All of this was resolved, of course, but it added some unexpected challenges.
Of course, there are far greater limitations when doing something for a decades-old platform. Especially if you like art. “With a Game Boy screen, there is a limit to the number of unique eight-by-eight pieces you can place on the screen. You can’t just draw a complete picture, whatever you want. So it was almost like a puzzle putting it all together, ”added Birch. You can see below how some of his designs had to be reduced to work on the small screen.
Adam Birch
Birch’s decision to use GB Studio also helped him find a partner for the physical launch. Some publishers have contacted him about producing cartridge versions of Deadeus, but it was with Spacebot that he ended up going. The team had already done something for itself with Dragonborne, an RPG also made with GB Studio.
But why strive to launch a game on a cartridge that requires special hardware to run? Especially if the same game is actually available for free? “I just wanted to put what I did there for people to play and with the lowest entry barrier. So this is free. “Birch said. “I wanted anyone to be able to play, and that was important to me.” But a physical release was always something he was considering, “it was one of the things that was always on my mind, I just didn’t know how it was going to happen”. Spacebot was the answer.
The development of indie games, particularly in the retro realm, is easy to see as a rarity. But its appeal is also easy to explain. Platform limitations make work more manageable for individuals and small teams. In addition, the previous catalog of titles to be inspired is huge and varied. And, of course, there is the seductive pull of nostalgia – even decades later, watching a game you played on a real Game Boy (or modern physical emulation hardware) still looks magical.
Adam Birch
Back in our nightmare-infused village, things soon start to get weird. City dwellers are beginning to imply that this is not the first time that an angry deity has threatened the city. People close to you confide that strange things are happening and that they too are having the same nightmare. As with gender, inconsequential statements often hide vital clues. Sometimes, however, they are just unimportant statements. The fun is guessing which is which.
Don’t expect endless hours of games. Even with 11 endings to discover, you can reach a complete end in less than two hours. At this point, you should have enough clues to get back and find the other stories relatively easily. But you will enjoy doing this, and at least one plot is sophisticated enough to really make you think about the time and strategy to avoid a very easy dead end. This one, in particular, is not yet finished.
On Birch’s part, he says he still feels a little awkward about the whole indie game developer thing, but he’s already working on his next title, which looks even more elaborate. “Probably my favorite Game Boy game is Super Mario Land 2. And that’s the biggest inspiration [for it], ”But of course, Birch wants to add his own cadaverous touches to it. “What if we did that, but like, a lot darker and kind of based on a story?” Super Mario Land 2 with Metroidvania aspects and globs of moody atmosphere? Register me.
You can download Deadeus here or pre-order the physical launch here.