Topic: Simon's Curse, metroidvania game based on Simon's Quest

[Wanhus]

mgfcortez, Yeah I know for some graphics do more than the game its self.
I think at least watching steam hours some of my friends "play" 3DMark more than games. =D

Reason why I cant do a game that looks much more vibrant in graphics and resolution is work, school, life and I'm poor.
So I don't have the time to draw so much and I don't have the money to pay for graphics artist.

My main focus with this game is to:
1. Bring this game to those who have not played this as they don't own a console or the game to play (there are no such things as emulators)
2. Fix the many many problems it has (watch Angry Video Game Nerds video on Simon's quest )  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4we8iFk-fY
3. Make it feel more like the other metroidvanias (this affects a lot of things, slopes, jumptrough platforms, saves, etc)
4. Make the game feel more modern
5. Keep the same graphical style but add more color, animations, effects, new sprites, etc
6. Improve the original story by adding more of it
7. Making enemies seem more varied (like fire resistance, etc) and adding more of them
8. Adding more bosses to remove the empty feeling of the original
9. Add more items, secrets and areas

So if those things don't appeal to you then this really is not for you. But yeah it is not a completely new game with fancy graphics.
Thou I also have in the works currently frozen few other non castlevania metroidvania games, thou they might never be released or they get finished much later than this.
But still thanks for sharing your thoughts =)

But you might thou like it if I have the time to add additional playable characters and new game + as those change things a lot.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

If people want a more straight-forward remake, there's always "Simon's Quest Revamped".
This seems more like a Re-Imagining, which is why you can be more liberal with your Metroidvania Features.

Very fond of the slightly-updated NES graphics (sort of that in-between area from the NES to the SNES, or from NES to Genesis).  We have some artists here who may, if they have the time, help you with little things here and there, such as tileset revamping or tiles/sprites retouching.

It's certainly a cool start and I like how even the villagers are saying some new things.

About the saving, you can probably do something like what Majora's Mask did, and have the 'major' save points be the churches in towns, while other areas just have 'checkpoints/spawnpoints' (like the Owl Statues in Majora's Mask, which saved some immediate details but weren't considered a 'major save point').  Just a thought.

[Wanhus]

Jorge D. Fuentes, Thank you =)

I was thinking the same about the graphics direction the between nes and snes when I started making this.
I'm already using the snes castlevania sounds and considering using the snes music or remakes of such.

Even thou I liked the idea of NPC not being trust worthy for me it did not fit castlevania as well.
So I removed the useless chat with something else more worth while.

Saving currently is 3 slotted like in zelda games. You go to a church in town there is a statue you pray by pressing UP.
Then you are healed and save recorded to the chosen slot (chosen when started as in zelda games).
But yes I might add some check points and maybe even a check/save point in dracula's castle.

I intend to improve to dracula's castle a lot as it was a real disappointment in the original version.
I'm not making it a symphony of the night castle etc but I'm making it larger and better.
Even the manors are different from the originals ones as they were also a let down, as they all looked and felt about the same.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

You're welcome to use any music from my Arrangements Archive, as long as you give me a little credit in your credits.
Here's the archive:
**clicky**

Here's a Youtube Playlist (copy the URL to youtube to see the playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0388021BD0FE0FC3

[MooMilk]

I'd say the graphics are a mix of NES and metroid-vania. The environments have repitition of graphics, but alot of variety still. Like a metroidvania does. It's good that there aren't sidwalks everywhere. Good that there are variety. I kinda hope the structure is about the same. Don't go overboard changing everything like Konami usually does with it's remakes SCV IV was a remake 1 and so was x68000 but they have very little in common. Same with castlevania adventure and castlvania adventure rebirth. Try to keep structure very close.

Also, I hope you add music to the boss rooms and close them off when you ent3er the room so you can't skip them. Then dont have them reappear after you beat them.

[Wanhus]

Jorge D. Fuentes, thanks for all the help. I might use some of your music and if I do I will credit you for it =)
Great mixes by the way, liked the choir in bloody tears.

MooMilk, yeah I'm not going overboard with the whole re-imagining. No need to worry =)
Every "manor" will have a boss room.
And yes the doors will close in boss rooms, boss defeated orb drops ( no need for oak stake, removed it permanently ) then you get the item reward.

But no worry I should know what I'm doing... hopefully =D

[MooMilk]

I always liked the oak stake. I just wish it had use outside of opening a crystal. Like it should damage enemies. I also thought it'd be neat if it 1 hit killed dracula or something like that if you get to the end of the game with one. It'd make a neat easter egg. I hope you have a second form planned tho.

[Wanhus]

MooMilk Yeah I considered something like that my self but I decided not to go with it.
Thou if people wish it too much I will add it =)

I will share some spoilers again...


Also people were wondering about the saving so here

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Totally looks like stuff that came out on either the MSX, the early DOS era, or the PC-88.  Colorful but dithered goodness.

[BLOOD MONKEY]

While that looks really cool, you might want to tone down on the lighting just a tad, as it looks a bit overdone.

[MooMilk]

Only the lighting on the wall crystals seem really bright. But maybe they're radioactive or something. Anyway, it makes sense that there's something lighting up the cave cause really they should be dark if it were realistic. They are bright for no reason in the NES original.

Are the candles in town for show only, or can you whip them? Them being in town makes sense kinda. Gotta keep the town lit up at nights. I don't know how they did it in old times, but probably something similar.

[Wanhus]

Bloo, yes you are right. Why they are so big is due to the fact that the crystal were somewhat larger before. Then I made them smaller as the old ones looked like male reproductive organs.
And no one want to go to a cave with shiny D's on the walls.

MooMilk YES of course you can whip the candles, they have a small chance of dropping a small heart also. You are talking about real history to similar times compared to the games times line?
Well Simon's quest takes place in the late 17 century 1698 if I remember it correctly the age of Baroque so yes I would imagine people with money having candles, lanterns and chandeliers.
Poor and peasants prolly had just flat splints burning on their house walls. Like this... or the table version.

[MooMilk]

Not being able to whip the candles would be pretty lords of shadowish. The perfect troll.

[zangetsu468]

Not being able to whip the candles would be pretty lords of shadowish. The perfect troll.

He can't whip the candles because...(hashtag...) Simons Cursed

[MooMilk]

I don't know if you know about this but...

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1032/

There was a re-translation and it is much more accurate to the JP original. It even includes a cutscene in the beginning which uses the story from the JP manual. It also includes a map. I would suggest incorperating those things in your hack, but I hope you can get a better map tho. Maybe SOTN style if possible.