For the last 2 years, I've been working on a fangame called
OH JOES! (A Proto Man Adventure), which has now been released. The premise is that Proto Man must recover his stolen Proto Shield from a fortress full of Sniper Joes and their ilk, and the overall tone of the game is lighthearted and occasionally ridiculous. The game can be beaten in under an hour, but there are multiple paths, multiple difficulty settings, multiple playable characters, and lots of secrets (from collectable JOES letters to hidden power-ups to silly Easter eggs) to keep the gameplay fresh. There's even alternate language options, including Spanish, French, and German. It's more of a puzzle and strategy game than it is a traditional Mega Man game—you CAN force your way through everything, but the challenges are specifically designed to get you to think before you act.
Why a game about Joes? After playing the official games and numerous fangames, I got tired of seeing the same few Joes used in the same few ways—blocking boring hallways, guarding the tops of boring ladders, etc. I wanted to make a game that showcased some of the different and creative ways Joes could be used, mainly by combining them with a variety of gimmicks from across the Classic series. If this sounds like your kind of game (and admittedly, it's not for everybody), check out the game's official page for download links, more screenshots, and a full list of features:
The game is still growing and changing as bug reports and suggestions come in, so check back periodically for updates.
Lastly, if you're interested in some behind-the-scenes stories, I'm writing an ongoing series of blog posts that cover the major aspects of designing this game. Here's what I've got so far:
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OH JOES! Developer Diary #1: Timeline of a Dream-
OH JOES! Developer Diary #2: Programming-
OH JOES! Developer Diary #3: Level Design-
OH JOES! Developer Diary #4: Music
« Last Edit: May 20, 2018, 04:47:44 AM by Flashman85 »
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