Broke Studio have just successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign for an upcoming GBC game called The Fallen Crown; A Metroidvania, created by Atavist Games and made with GB Studio. The game is currently still in the alpha development stage, so the expected ship date is about a year out. If you choose to back the project, there’s plenty of options including a $12 rom-only, a $50 complete in box and a few more. There’s a demo available for anyone interested, which I did a playthrough of in the livestream above. There’s less than two weeks until the campaign ends, so act fact if you’d like one:
Pre-Order: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brokestudio/the-fallen-crown-a-new-metroidvania-for-gameboy-color
Download Demo: https://atavistgames.itch.io/the-fallen-crown
While the available ROM is just a short Alpha version, I really liked what I saw so far. The graphics were excellent and the music was catchy. I also felt the controls were fluid and only had two things stand out: First, I think it would be awesome if the final version had multiple continue slots. Maybe I’m weird, but I liked how in Super Metroid, I could copy my save to another slot and go back to it if I wanted to. Or, more than one person could have a game going on the same cart.
Now, this is 100% preference, but I enjoy games where getting weapon upgrades and attacking enemies is part of the core gameplay. In its alpha state, The Fallen Crown already has weapon upgrades, with different features like one set of armor is more powerful, but you can’t jump as high while wearing it. I love stuff like that, however the hit detection and enemy damage felt more like a “stab and back away” game…which is totally fine and many exploration games have you at least start out cautiously navigating around the enemies. My personal preference always leans towards games that – at least once you’re into it with a weapon upgrade or two – encourages you to attack with a satisfying response when enemies are defeated. If the attacking in The Fallen Crown stays the same in its final form, I’ll still be happy I purchased. But I’ll be happier if it’s tweaked a bit.
Now, as always, whenever you back a game that’s unfinished, there’s no guarantee you’ll get it. Broke Studio has made a good reputation for themselves, which certainly helps ease any concerns. For me, the game looks cool enough to take the risk and I’m happy to back it.
