These are the very first ideas set down on paper for Wizorb. Mostly scribbles in Frenglish. Lots of this have changed throughout the development of the game.
Friends ‘Til the End
April 2, 2012
The entire staff of Tribute Games (Jean-François Major, Justin Cyr and myself) attended the Montreal edition of the molyjam during the weekend. It was our first game jam and even if making a game in 48 hours was really hard, it was actually a lot of fun. Jean-François did the programming, Justin made all the sprites, and I did the backgrounds, title and some level design. Our team also had the extra support of Jean Chan who made the sound effects and the catchy chiptune track. Francis Coulombe provided the art for the gruesome game over sequence and Renaud Roi-Des Monstres Cormier lent his voice (scream) to Bobby, the main character of the game.
For the art style, we tried to go for something close to MSX games.
In “Friends ‘Til the End”, you control Bobby with the left analog stick and Choppy (the helicopter) with the right analog stick. Choppy carries a nuclear missile, so you must bring it to a scientist in order to defuse it. Choppy must always stay inside the range of the remote control, otherwise it will crash which leads to catastrophic consequences.
If you’d like to try it (it’s free!):
Wizorb Smashes Onto Steam!
March 14, 2012
Wizorb is finally coming out on Steam today and it launches at 10% off (which means that you get the game for only 2.69$). The Wizorb game page should go live as we speak, so go check it out!
The Steam version of Wizorb includes 20 achievements and now supports both English and French (vous pouvez maintenant sauver Gorudo en français!).
There’s also a new trailer for those not already familiar with the game:
This release also marks the beginning of new game projects. It’s still too early to reveal anything, but you can follow Tribute Games on Twitter or on our blog to get the latest news. Or you can simply keep checking my blog from time to time ^_^.
Shmup Enemies
February 26, 2012
I did these sprites a while back and I ended up never using them so I decided to post them here (click on image for larger view). I had the enemies of Thexder in mind when I made them. I liked the idea of having this red eye/dot for each one them.
Thexder – Enemies:
Check out the animated versions of these on Thexder Game Shrine.
Ninja Senki Tile Sets
January 23, 2012
These are all the tiles I’ve used to build the backgrounds in Ninja Senki. Many GBA games I’ve worked on in the past had more than twice this amount of tiles just for one environment. Keeping the number of tiles low (more like a NES game) made the task of building level smooth and fast. I could also spend more time drawing each individual tile.
Wizorb Now Available for Mac and Linux!
December 19, 2011
You can now buy Wizorb for Mac and Linux. The game is available via GamersGate, Desura, Gameolith and via our store.
You can also check the Wizorb website: http://www.wizorb.com/
And in case you didn’t notice, we now have a blog on the Tribute Games website (thanks to Jean-François Major). We’re giving away a copy of Wizorb and a Steam copy of Blocks That Matter by Swing Swing Submarine, so go take look!
Wizorb Out Today!
November 7, 2011
Wizorb is now available for PC via GamersGate: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-WIZORB/wizorb
UPDATE: The game is also available on Desura: http://www.desura.com/games/wizorb
UPDATE 2: You can now buy Wizorb directly from our online store: http://sites.fastspring.com/tributegames/product/wizorb
For those not familiar with the game, Wizorb is a fantasy themed breakout game where you take control of Cyrus, a wizard on a quest to save the cursed kingdom of Gorudo.
Hope you enjoy it!
Wizorb Coming to PC November 7th
October 27, 2011The PC version of Wizorb is ready and will be coming out on November 7th via GamersGate! It supports gamepad, keyboard and mouse controls. As you might expect, using the mouse feels more natural than an analog stick for controlling the paddle. It also makes Wizorb rely even more on reflexes which feels great and makes the game a tad easier. If you wish, you can also play the entire game using only the mouse since the menus and the village controls are supported. Along with the new controls are the new icons in the UI to match the type of controls the player is using.
Oh and a Mac and a Linux port are also in the works (^_^).
UPDATE: Here’s the link to Wizorb on GamersGate:
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-WIZORB/wizorb
Wizorb Available Now!
September 28, 2011Wizorb is now available for download on Xbox Live Indie Games! It’s a few hours earlier than expected, but I guess nobody would be disappointed by that ^_^. Here’s a new trailer for the occasion:
Enjoy!
Websites and Release Date!
September 22, 2011Tribute Games and Wizorb websites are now online (thank you Mat for the help!). Check them out! Also, Wizorb is scheduled to be released on September 29th (which is next Thursday) on Xbox Live Indie Games. In the meantime, here’s an awesome illustration drawn by Michael Brennan. We used it for the Wizorb website. More news about the PC version soon.
