Naked Snake
Member
official spiel said:
Rocketboat - The Game is a 2.5D action/adventure title that spans multiple genres and follows an indie rock band into space where they unravel a sinister intergalactic conspiracy!
Though primarily a 2.5D platformer, Rocketboat intertwines elements from RPGs, space shooters, and music timing games.
The Game uses a unique graphic presentation that mixes simplistic pixel art with modern 3D rendering techniques. Rocketboat tells a complex, humorous story via its many memorable characters. The games soundtrack is derived from the real rock band Rocketboat.
I first learned about this game two weeks ago, from a cool dude I've been following on Facebook for a long time (Leo Eddie Riveron, I think he's a programmer on the game). I knew he's been working on a game for a while but didn't know anything about it, until I saw a screenshot he posted one day and I was impressed and immediately intrigued.
I asked him if there are more screenshots/info and that I'd like to write about the game on NeoGAF, and he was kind enough to give me private links where I was able to learn more about the game and download and play a beta of the complete first level. And I loved it. (my detailed impressions are further in the OP)
The developers are calling this level/demo as "The Game" (I guess to differentiate it from the band of the same name), and it will be released for free this spring for Mac, PC, Linux, and Android. Wii U pending.
GayGamer.net said:
I read through their Kickstarter campaign page (not public), and let me tell you, I've seen some awesome shit. Sadly I'm not at liberty to share anything from there; Leo told me they have a particular reveal strategy and asked me to respect it.
I'll say this: Their plan for the full game, including scope, narrative depth, and gameplay is ambitious and sounds awesome to me.
Luckily, there's a semi-in-depth article about the game on GayGamer.net
MUSIC, SPACE AND ABBY MARTIN; A PREVIEW OF ROCKETBOAT THE GAME
GayGamer.net said:Abby Martin recently shared the announcement of her inclusion in Rocketboat The Game across social media. Abby is an artist, activist and former host of her own show, Breaking the Set on RT America. In Rocketboat the Game, a 2.5D platformer based on the music of adventure rock band Rocketboat, Abbys character sheds light on an intergalactic conspiracy on her in-game show, Raising the Bar. We reached out to Abby and Josh Hanchar or Rocketboat the Band to get the story behind the game.
Abby answered, Its pretty awesome to see myself as a video game character fighting an information war of planetary proportions. Never having grown beyond NES obsessed, I was really excited when Josh sent me an eight bit image of me on set (in the game its called Raising the Bar) and told me about Rocketboat.
Josh answered, In addition to using cut scenes to tell the story directly, Rocketboat uses TV news parodies to provide a secondary narrative which comments on plot events as they develop. Without giving too much away, the mainstream news channels will be reporting on events one way, while Abbys character will be reporting the truth. Itll be a lot like real life.
Josh continued, I briefed (Abby) on the story and showed her some artwork and she was really encouraging and supportive. I have such admiration for Abby and I agree with probably 99% of the things Ive heard her say, which is more than I can say for almost anyone. For those unfamiliar, I highly recommend checking out her work. Shes also a very inspired visual artist, as evident on her site abbymartin.org.
An example of cross-media marketing, Rocketboat is the name of the Chicago-based adventure rock band. In 2012, the band released a self-titled album which blends punk, jazz and game soundtracks. We first heard the album on Bandcamp. Their music is also available on Google play, iTunes, CD Baby and Spotify. Rocketboat The Game is based on the lyrics of this album and illustrates the larger narrative of the Rocketboat Universe. We asked Josh about the orgins of his band and music.
Josh answered, Before we were a band, Marc (Adrian), Collin (Magdaz), and I started creating songs together as a fun collaborative experiment without expectations. It took us about six months to write the entire album and another year to arrange, record, mix, and master. The sci-fi fantasy narrative was not something we deliberately intended to do given our inner geek, it just became an inescapable inevitability once we wrote a song called Rocketboat and then decided to make that our band name.
As a result of having three people trying to include their own ideas in the song writing, many of the lyrics on the album contain double or triple entendres. Whereas one listener may hear a verse and think, Oh, this is a breakup song, another might be able to visualize blasting off toward the moon in a space ship. Still, others may be able to spot some light meta jabs toward commoditized pop music and the state of the mainstream record industry as a whole, he continued.
Though there are several reoccurring themes and characters throughout the album, its all abstract enough to give people room to interpolate and derive their own meaning. The games story is rooted in my own creative interpretation of the songs.
Listening to this song after hearing the chiptune version in the game was a weird experience. I really dug the tune in the game (there a few different ones in the beta I played), very catchy. The album version is cool and has interesting lyrics, but it hasn't grown on me yet. I only saw the video today.
Its unfair to label Rocketboat The Game as just a 2.5D platformer. Taking a cue from the music or Rocketboat, the game itself blends many genres: RPG, shooters and rhythm games. Even the graphics are a blend of Capcom-style sprites juxtaposed against 3D environments. The game tells a humorous and complex story. We want to know about Joshs influences.
Josh answered, Im wearing my influences on my sleeve as I attempt to stand upon the shoulders of giants. At first glance, the Mega Man, Kirby, and Mario series are obvious influences. Besides those, Im really treating this as an opportunity to smash together several different things that I like from many of my favorite retro games. Its either a really good idea or Im just drunk on nostalgia.
For instance, I was always a fan of how Star Wars games such as Shadows of the Empire for Nintendo 64 and the Super series for Super Nintendo switched up the gameplay between platforming and vehicle-based levels. I feel like this genre-switching mechanic further engrosses players since it lets them experience a fictional universe in multiple ways. More importantly, it prevents the gameplay from becoming too monotonous, he continued.
My biggest influence for the story, writing style, and vision for the overall visceral experience comes from Shigesato Itois Mother series in particular Mother 2, known as EarthBound in America. I think referring to EarthBound simply as a video game downplays what it actually is: An interactive piece of contemporary art that brilliantly integrates pop culture references, social commentary, humor, and emotional connection. It features an often avant-garde soundtrack, incredible plot twists, and multi-dimensional characters (both figuratively and literally.) With the exception of the somewhat-repetitive turn-based battle system, it remains perpetually interesting to the very end, he continued.
Though many other games have since incorporated these elements, Rocketboat definitely draws from some very specific titles: Zelda II Links Adventures side scrolling town levels with interactive NPCs; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Arcade Games cut scenes between levels, the ability to choose your character, and even in-game advertisements (though ours are parodies, not Pizza Hut!) Metroid-type exploration and Gradius-style space shooting are both present as well.
Josh used Unity to develop Rocketboat The Game which will be released this spring 2015 on Mac, PC, Linux and Android. The game is Joshs first game dev project. So, we wanted to know how he developed his sense of game design and whether he would recommend Unity to other devs.
Josh answered, I actually havent played video games much these past several years, so Im a little behind. When I do manage to get around to playing, Im also constantly analyzing though Im hardly a game design snob nor am I qualified to be. With Rocketboat (the Game), all Im really trying to do is create an experience that Id personally want to have, with a story that I feel needs to be told. From a more objective game design perspective, my goal is to keep it constantly interesting in as many ways as possible, whether its by gradually introducing new gameplay elements, switching genres, adding plot twists, or even simply by framing new types of camera shots.
Josh answered, Were sitting on a lot of new music that is ready to be recorded, though weve only recently begun testing out these new songs on stage. The current plan is to release the new collection via multiple EPs and also through another full-length album. We have no set timeframe for any of this, since were in no particular hurry.
Collin is working on a graphic novel that tells a very different story based on his own creative interpretation of the Rocketboat Universe. His vision takes a completely fresh approach from mine, though Ill be really surprised if our universes dont unintentionally end up having some overlap, he continued.
My impressions of playing the beta of "Rocketboat - The Game" (which is essentially a polished demo that represents the first level/chapter of the full game that will be later Kickstarted):
I played this two weeks ago and I've been wanting to post about it here ever since but been too lazy/busy to put together this large OP.
In short I loved it. It surpassed my expectations. The graphics are vivid and clean, with some nice lighting special effects and camera moves. Catchy and upbeat chiptune music. The controls are tight, although in this level there is only directional control and jumping. So the level is pure and minimal platforming, but I found level design inventive and challenging. With tight jumps over bottomless pits, twists and surprises in platform and enemy placement, and a 3-hit life bar, I reckon you'll be seeing the Game Over screen a few times before you beat it. I got to the end boss on my 3rd try, with a full set of lives, but I got my ass kicked. But hey, I was told that I'm the first person outside of the development team who made it to the boss! [/brag]
There are checkpoints along the way but the Continue option is not working in the beta I have, so running out of lives means starting all over. You can select a different character at the beginning and after each death, but it currently doesn't affect anything other than looks (this will change in the full game). There are branching paths, health items, extra lives, and other collectibles strewn about, some in secret not-so-easy-to-find areas.
Gamepad is supported and recommended (I played with Dual Shock 3, emulated as 360 controller on Windows). Game has graphics quality and resolution options, I played it maxed out and it ran smoothly. I tried DSR downsampling but it didn't seem to affect the image quality. Forcing AA from the drivers did make the edges smoother (not really needed though, it looked fine without it).
You can't play it yet, but it should be released soonish. I'll try to answer questions based on what I know and can talk about if you have any, but I think I covered most everything already.
Just to be clear, I'm not affiliated with the developers in any way. I'm just a fan who is excited to introduce a game on GAF for the first time.
Company site - presentdaymedia.com
Game site - rocketboatgame.com
Facebook - facebook.com/rocketboatgame
Twitter - twitter.com/rocketboatgame
