Lord British
Member
Just now hearing of this! Will buy later today 
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Kero Blaster |OT| A Frog for all Seasons (from Cave Story creator 'Pixel' Amaya)
- Thread starter daydream
- Start date
The chandeliers aren't so bad IMO, most of the time you can avoid them if you just keep running forward. Plus, the first ones in each room are pretty friendly - they'll always land on a table or desk so that you won't take damage as long as you don't jump. Great example of well-thought out game design.
No, the worst enemies in the game are no doubts the birds on level 2 (and 7). I've been doing speedrun attempts and I almost always lose time and health trying (and failing) to dodge them.
The boss in level 5 is also annoying, with its unpredictable vines/tentacles.
A friend has been looking into hacking and editing both Kero Blaster and Pink Hour. Figured this might be stuff some of you are interested in: http://saltworld.net/forums/topic/14310-kero-blaster-pink-hour-hacking-and-editing/
He'll be updating it as he goes!
He'll be updating it as he goes!
sixteen-bit
Member
Had no idea this was out. Will buy!
TheGuardian
Member
Any way to get the latest Pink Hour without registering on Playism?
metsallica
Member
You have to register to buy Kero Blaster so you might as well bite the bullet. Do it for Pixel. Oh and also because both games are awesome!
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
You have all four of the weapons you can get on your first playthrough.
¯\_(ツ
I don't know why, but I always envision that she's voiced by Kristen Schaal.
Messofanego
Banned
Thank you daydreaming's sister for the images!
Messofanego
Banned
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Whoops I already got to the end of NG+
The soundtrack pack from Playism is honestly a waste of money. The MP3s are 64 kbps/22 KHz. The music files included with the game are in .ptone format and are playable with Pixel's PxTone player, which includes a WAV writer function, so you can write out the files to higher quality MP3s if you wish.
Buying the soundtrack with the game was a horrible idea. I stop playing, then awhile later I get a tune from the game stuck in my head so I gotta listen to it. I start listening to the song and I get in the mood to play the game. It's a vicious circle.
So I'm having good progress on the last stage of my no upgrade run. Making it to the roof with no lives lost consistently. However there is one problem, the
before the final boss. I can't get past it, and the thing that's killing me about it is that the fight is easy. I know it is! The patterns are so predictable and perfectly dodgable. I just keep making real dumb mistakes. I've got it down to a sliver of life multiple times and then I just choke! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Ahhh that's too bad. I should go and do that. I even got the player on my computer downloaded already. Haven't looked at it much as it's in Japanese and I've been too lazy to find a English patch for it. Though just taking a quick look at the player I think I see the WAV writer.
So I'm having good progress on the last stage of my no upgrade run. Making it to the roof with no lives lost consistently. However there is one problem, the
president fight
Ahhh that's too bad. I should go and do that. I even got the player on my computer downloaded already. Haven't looked at it much as it's in Japanese and I've been too lazy to find a English patch for it. Though just taking a quick look at the player I think I see the WAV writer.
I can't even wrap my head on how you'd beat the final boss with no upgrades. That battle is tense enough with all the upgrades.
It's definitely not going to be on the first try for sure.
The first form shouldn't be too bad, but the second might pose a problem. Still, I think it will be hard pressed to be harder than stage 6's boss without upgrades.Question: Do I start NG+ by answering "no" to "your first time playing?" when starting a new game?
Thanks, I really did! Really awesome and tight experience! Think I'll go Gamepad for my second playthrough. Only need to get it working now, 360 controller should be supported, right?
Eh, primarily, it was a way for me to chip in a little more money. Also, my mp3 standards are way lower than yours, it seems. The soundtrack seems totally adequate to me, haha.
Edit: Also added two reviews to the OP!
Have fun! You're going to love it.
Thanks, I really did! Really awesome and tight experience!
Think I'll go Gamepad for my second playthrough. Only need to get it working now, 360 controller should be supported, right?Eh, primarily, it was a way for me to chip in a little more money. Also, my mp3 standards are way lower than yours, it seems. The soundtrack seems totally adequate to me, haha.
Edit: Also added two reviews to the OP!
Just finished my first run. Loved everything about it. Nearly perfect length/pacing. Game was tight and satisfying as fuck! Gotta give Cave Story another shot, but I'm thinking Kero Blaster will end up being my favorite game produced by this dude.
How's new game+ activated? Saying "no" to that question after the credits?
How's new game+ activated? Saying "no" to that question after the credits?
When the
green dude asks if you are satisfied, say no and you'll get NG+.
Spoilers
Anyway, I am super satisfied with the game and I bought the bundle just to support Pixel.
This is honestly the best game I´ve played in 2014 so far. I hope Shovel Knight is as good or even better.
Ok so I havn´t done this myself but I got an idea. In the ending when you have defeated the final boss the frog is in bed all patched up and stuff and to the right you can see the coat hanger.
So did anyone beat the final boss with the coat still on?
Since the ending to Pink Hour was dependant on if you took damage or not maybe this game also has a similar feature!
So did anyone beat the final boss with the coat still on?
Since the ending to Pink Hour was dependant on if you took damage or not maybe this game also has a similar feature!
This is honestly the best game I´ve played in 2014 so far. I hope Shovel Knight is as good or even better.
Bomber Bob
Banned
Finally got to play this game.
Just reached level 4
Soooogooood.gif
Just reached level 4
Soooogooood.gif
Bought this today and beat it. Really love the humor and gameplay, although I still like Cave Story more (just because I love metroidvania). This sort of had a 'shmup made platformer' feel, with the developer's unique flair.
Just a quick question:
I also downloaded and got all of Pink Hour's endings. Very mysterious. Love what this guy can do to make you wonder about a game's world.
Just a quick question:
Are there any alternate endings that we know of? I know Cave Story had some that I didn't even know about first.
I also downloaded and got all of Pink Hour's endings. Very mysterious. Love what this guy can do to make you wonder about a game's world.
Took me long enough, but I finished my no upgrade run. Wheee! Now back to F5'ing in the Guardians of the Galaxy thread.
Final boss spoilers in this picture!
No Upgrade Victory!
That's odd, the borders are black on my screen.
Final boss spoilers in this picture!
No Upgrade Victory!
I'm actually planning on doing this next, shouldn't be too bad with upgrades after doing this with no upgrades....
Not that I know of. To my knowledge so far there is only one ending.
No clue yet other than the Kuro Blaster and it's two upgrades. If you find some more let me know!
That's odd, the borders are black on my screen.
This game is fantastic. The bosses are really well tuned. Several of them have given me a problem until I finally get them down well enough to clear them without damage. Feels good.
If there are any other iOS action platformers that control this well, I'd like to know about them because these is by far the best iOS platforming/shooting controls I've tried.
If there are any other iOS action platformers that control this well, I'd like to know about them because these is by far the best iOS platforming/shooting controls I've tried.
Indeed. This is action controls done right on touch devices. Sadly I can't think of anything like Kero Blaster out there :/ There are some "okay" games like Shadow Blade or Pizza Boy, but they're on an entirely different "tier" to be honest.
The Wheel of Fortune
Member
I think Mutant Mudds controls pretty well, I tried the demo on 3DS and didn't like it, but I tested it here on iOS and found it to be pretty good, I even 100%'d it.
Added Destructoid's review. Their MM comparison (X in this case) was quite apt, I thought.
Guessing it will randomly show up on the eShop (for Nin's new handheld) in seven years.
Guessing it will randomly show up on the eShop (for Nin's new handheld) in seven years.
Good work man! That´s totally awesome! Anyway please report back once you´ve done it without getting hit.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Just started this, finally.
You guys, this game is awesome so far. How is this thread only at four pages at 50ppp? The game doesn't waste my time, it feels aptly designed with respect to player learning and progression (ex: in the first area, you give me a batch of coins and a store to jump into to see what I can purchase), and the weapons are really fun to use. Checkpointing is good.
And the jams are pretty good so far, too. I kinda have to admit that I'm enjoying this more than Pink Hour, which I felt was decent.
You guys, this game is awesome so far. How is this thread only at four pages at 50ppp? The game doesn't waste my time, it feels aptly designed with respect to player learning and progression (ex: in the first area, you give me a batch of coins and a store to jump into to see what I can purchase), and the weapons are really fun to use. Checkpointing is good.
And the jams are pretty good so far, too. I kinda have to admit that I'm enjoying this more than Pink Hour, which I felt was decent.
charlequin
Banned
Near-stealth release on a storefront that no one checks regularly, unfortunately. Hope they're able to get a little bit more exposure for the game, at least from word of mouth.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Booooo. I'd thought that the game's OT would have more posts, though, considering the number of Cave Story threads GAF has had since 2006 (at least by search result constraints). However, I have to concede that the strongest threads about Cave Story are the WiiWare thread and the 3DS threads.
I think the iOS version of the game seems to be getting more word of mouth where I am, though. Though that's more likely because a lot of people here have migrated to mobile.
I do think the idea of it being "Not Another Cave Story" might hurt it a little to people who wanted another one. At the same time, I guess not being on Steam / not being on a console or handheld might have hurt it given the amount of "is it coming to platform x" comments I've seen.
Anyway, I finished it! Regarding post-credits:
I answered "no" post-credits, so I can look forward to playing the game again in different constraints. The NG+ mode screams replayability.
Short but sweet. It handled like a dream. I thought it would've been clunky but a lot of the frog's mechanics works well in terms of the level design. The aesthetics might not look great at first glance, but it works very well in context. And even if the aesthetics don't seem to lend themselves to decent animations at first glance, I was oftentimes surprised by how nicely everything from NPCs to the PC to enemies animated. This is demonstrated at first glance when you boot the game up and start playing past the start screen.
The start screen is a fairly brilliant introduction to the game. I know comparisons have been drawn to Mega Man X in that it shows you the potential of the game in terms of what the player can do. Unlike MMX's title screen, you're actively doing everything to see what you can do with the blaster. Sure it aptly demonstrates the actual title of the game, but at the same time, it's effective in the player learning how to control the game (and also test out controls if you've remapped them). The control, handling, and physics are pretty solid, with the jump momentum not feeling like it's inadequate or completely broken. the water physics feel good. The double-jump feels pretty decent, too. Unlike the game's demo "Pink Hour", I found that the platforming was easier.
The music is very good. It's a shame that the soundtrack that came with the game's soundtrack bundle isn't that great in terms of audio quality, but the soundtrack in-game is very catchy. The samples used for each theme sounds great and the melodies are composed well-enough to linger in your memory, right down to the final boss theme. I'm very pleased with the Building, Stage 5, Stage 1, and Store themes, simply because while they're simple in terms of melody, the samples used are pretty clean and the bass/percussion stand out.
The environments may look simplistic, but that's Pixel's style. There's a lot of depth in simplicity, and there's a large abundance of colour throughout every stage. The PC/NPC/Enemy designs work well in conjunction with the character animations.
Most of the combat in the game relies on not necessarily trying to match your enemies' attacks or their heights, but it's normal run n gun standards of using the right weapon and dodging as fast as you can. New enemies are introduced at a decent pace and it's not too hard to learn how to dodge and strike. The four main weapons work fairly differently and they have different ranges and work very well in different situations. Much like in Mega Man, you'll find yourself using weapons at different times to get through stages more efficiently. I found that the weapons were well-balanced.
I never felt like the game was wasting my time and I appreciated that it trimmed fat that could have been there (ex: levels being too long, more upgrades than required, etc). It was fairly easy to get the upgrades if you needed them. The game doesn't even waste your time with respect to checkpointing, either. If you die in an area, the game checkpoints at every screen so you don't waste your time doing the entire area all over again unless you game over. And even if you game over, you get to keep your weapons and upgrades.
I think Pixel did a good job with Kero Blaster, and I'm glad he's experimenting with a genre that isn't Cave Story. While some may avoid this game for not being another Cave Story, I think they'd be missing out on a game that doesn't overstay its welcome and has some of the most solid platformer controls of the year.
PRjumpman124
Member
Does anyone know why there isn't a way to gift this game from playism's website like the rest of the games there?
metsallica
Member
I sincerely hope trin + team are doing whatever they can to get this going on Steam. Will really help, at least visibility-wise. Sales might be great through Playism though, who knows!
I gifted my entire work team Cave Story the year it released on Wiiware, I'd love to do the same for Kero Blaster. Good question.
Yeah, there is no way I would have ever found out about this game if it wasn't for this thread and the previous one. Also if I wasn't such a fan of Cave Story there is probably no way I would have bought this outside of Steam or GoG. I wish this game got more exposure, but it's just the way it is I guess.
Anyway, I beat the final boss with the jacket on.
Anyway, I beat the final boss with the jacket on.
There is actually some kind of change! Though nothing you are hoping for probably.
The only thing that changes is that the frog is wearing the jacket all throughout the ending. The only spots where is he not wearing it is when he is being picked up by the cat scientist dude and when he is in the hospital with the body cast (also no, the jacket is not on the hanger). So yeah, nothing special. However, it's still nice that there is some kind of acknowledgement that you beat the game with the jacket on.
One thing that makes me think that we are missing something is that when I was browsing the audio files with the pxtone player, there are two audio files that I haven't heard before. kb_fanf_safe.ptcop, which sounds like another kind of fanfare when you defeat a boss, and kb_station_b.ptcop, which kind of reminds me of Cave Story in a way. From the way the songs are set up, it kind of sounds like the latter audio file plays in between the song where you enter the train station at the end of stage 6 and the song that plays in the station at the start of chapter 7. Hmmm.
The only thing that changes is that the frog is wearing the jacket all throughout the ending. The only spots where is he not wearing it is when he is being picked up by the cat scientist dude and when he is in the hospital with the body cast (also no, the jacket is not on the hanger). So yeah, nothing special. However, it's still nice that there is some kind of acknowledgement that you beat the game with the jacket on.
One thing that makes me think that we are missing something is that when I was browsing the audio files with the pxtone player, there are two audio files that I haven't heard before. kb_fanf_safe.ptcop, which sounds like another kind of fanfare when you defeat a boss, and kb_station_b.ptcop, which kind of reminds me of Cave Story in a way. From the way the songs are set up, it kind of sounds like the latter audio file plays in between the song where you enter the train station at the end of stage 6 and the song that plays in the station at the start of chapter 7. Hmmm.
BudokaiMR2
Member
Part of the problem is that Pixel doesn't like programming as much as he likes making games.
Working on Steam implementation for a month isn't his idea of a good time. It will probably happen in the future but for now he is happy with the sales we are getting directly on Playism along with the sales on iOS.
Also, the idea that getting it on Steam will suddenly open the flood gates are somewhat misguided, especially in Steam's current state. We have a great relationship with the people at Valve but it is still really really really hard to get any sort of exposure on the store with so many titles going out.
If/when we release Kero Blaster on Steam, we are going to be have to be very careful about timing. It is a very important title to us for obvious reasons, so we have to make sure we pull it off perfectly.
Otherwise, the normal gamer who may or may not know about Cave Story will just see it as another 2D platformer with retro graphics.
A good example was our last Steam release Gunhound EX which is also a really great game in a genre that I believe people would eat up if they knew about it.
It got knocked off the store page in record time thanks to a flood of games by Humongous Entertainment.
The game came out in the beginning of this month and there have been so many releases it isn't even in the New Release scroll anymore.
Long story short, it is easier for us to sell a game on a platform we have full control over. Steam is no longer some special golden ticket for developers.