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.
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 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!
The 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 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!
Tribute 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.
Jean-François Major, Justin Cyr and I have been working together for several years and we also developed Wizorb together during the past 6 months. So, we decided to join forces and form our own video game company. Justin is an awesome pixel artist, animator and aspiring sound designer and Jean-François is our mastermind programmer.
We chose the name Tribute Games because when we make games, we want to pay tribute to all the cool games from our childhood. We’re passionate indies aiming at making entertaining games with a focus on pixel art and classic game design (sometimes with a modern twist).
Here’s the animated version of our logo:
The cool jingle accompanying the logo was created by Geoffrey Roy.
Our first game, Wizorb is coming to Xbox Live Indie Games in the upcoming month (the PC version will follow). Wizorb is actually going through the review process before being released on XBLIG. We don’t have a precise release date yet but it’ll materialize in the next few weeks.
I hope you’ll enjoy our games!
Wizorb is a Breakout-style game (aka block kuzushi in Japan), a genre that was born with the original Breakout game by Atari in 1976. During the development of Wizorb, I’ve played some very well known Breakout clones such as Arkanoid, but I’ve also discovered a few very cool obscure titles like Ghox. So, I thought that it’d be interesting to post about some of these Breakout clones.
Arkanoid (Arcade, 1986)
Probably the most famous game of the genre. It might be a Breakout clone but it definitely surpassed the original game with the incorporation of sophisticated game mechanics, perfect controls, and a cool sci-fi theme. The NES version is pretty good too and has its own “Vaus” controller.
Devil’s Crush (TurboGrafx-16, 1990)
This is obviously not a Breakout clone, but it’s my favourite pinball video game of all time. Devil’s Crush is also the game that motivated me most to make Wizorb. I played it a lot when it came out on the Virtual Console in 2007.
Block Block (Arcade, 1991)
A straightforward fantasy-themed Breakout clone by Capcom. Its gameplay is somewhat similar to Arkanoid but incorporates some elements of pinball games (like bumpers). The game was part of Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 released in 2006 on PS2. Unfortunately, the controls were poorly ported, thus making the game nearly unplayable.
Ghox (Arcade, 1991)
I had never heard of Ghox before DrDerekDoctors told me about it in a thread on TIGForums. Even though I’ve discovered it only late during the development of Wizorb, they share some similarities: both games blend the Breakout genre with a fantasy theme. Ghox features huge bosses, branching paths, a 2-player coop mode and a crazy bomb power-up (the ball explodes into a dozen balls). Another particularity of this Breakout clone is that you can move your paddle in 8 directions within an area at the bottom of the screen.
Devilish (Sega Genesis, 1992)
The story of Devilish is about a prince and a princess who were transformed into stone paddles by a demon. Although Devilish is a lot similar to Ghox, it features a unique offensive/defensive paddle system. When playing the game alone you can move the red paddle anywhere on the screen in order to push the ball farther up while moving the blue paddle at the bottom of the screen to prevent the ball from going off-screen. Devilish also features vertical and horizontal scrolling levels. A remake of Devilish was released on Nintendo DS in 2007 (which I haven’t played), but unfortunately it got poor reviews.
Firestriker (SNES, 1994)
A lot like Devilish, Firestriker lets you control two characters: one for offense using the d-pad and one for defence using L & R. This time though, your characters aren’t paddles but knights and wizards whom can strike the ball to attack enemies and blocks, but they can also take damage when hit by enemies or projectiles. The game supports 2 simultaneous players and features a neat world map to navigate in-between levels. However, the visuals look a bit rough compared to Devilish and Ghox.
Kirby’s Block Ball (Game Boy, 1996)
A charming Breakout clone by Nintendo starring Kirby. The game features several bosses, multiple paddles, a world map and some cool mini-games. Kirby’s Block Ball has a slow pacing thus making it easier and maybe more accessible than most Breakout clones.
Shatter (PS3, 2009)
A super polished Breakout clone with an innovative game mechanic that lets the player push and pull the ball and items inside the level. Shatter is a really solid update of the genre and is available on PSN and PC.
And there are many more that I’d wish to try, but time doesn’t allow it these days… I will post more news about Wizorb very soon, so stay tuned!
Here’s the box art for Wizorb. This epic illustration was drawn by Stéphane Boutin who also happens to be the artist who made all backgrounds for Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game.
