K-Jo Chases the cheeses (WIP)

[Leonardo Santiago]

Hi everyone.

 

I have been working on a game with only 4k that was challenging, fun and that looked like games from the 70s and 80s. So "K-Jo chases the cheeses" was born!

 

The biggest challenge was to put all the concepts imagined in just 4kb, using batariBasic as the main programming language. For that I had to adapt some functions, rewriting them in Assembly, which made me learn more about the language and optimized the game in size and performance.

 

There are 60 stages with 10 different mazes. Every 10 stages, the color of the walls changes, characterizing a new house. There are 6 houses with 10 stages each, totaling 60 stages. The amount of cheese to be collected starts at 4 (at the first stage), and at each new house (10 stages) is increased by one. The time you have to complete the stage is always the same: 40 seconds.

 

[ UPDATE ]

Very limited demo version:

• 10 levels
• 4 cheeses on all levels
• All available game challenges

 

K-Jo_Demo.bin or  Play K-Jo on Javatari

 

 

Advertisement :

 

 

 

 

Promotional Vídeo:

 

 

You can also watch James and Tanya playing the full version at ZeroPage Homebrew.

 

 

 

Leo

 

Edited February 27 by Leonardo Santiago

[Armscar Coder]

I saw this on ZPH and was super impressed, especially for 4K.  I love the sound and action of the mouse scurrying from one place to the next.  Can't wait to give this one a try. 

[CapitanClassic]

This is a nice example of the Sliding Ice Puzzle (trying to remember the first example of this type of game I have played, but cannot remember.)

 

Very impressive getting so much game play in under 4K. It’s funny how VHZC and you were both working on puzzle games in the same genre.

 

 

[+TrekMD]

That looks fun!

[Bomberman94]

Game looks great - maybe a Test/Demo File for us possible? 🤗

[ZeroPage Homebrew]

8 hours ago, CapitanClassic said:

This is a nice example of the Sliding Ice Puzzle (trying to remember the first example of this type of game I have played, but cannot remember.)

If you remember, please post the game, it would be very interesting to know where this play mechanic came from!

 

- James

[MarcoJ]

The game looks fun - saw it on the show. Nice one.

[CapitanClassic]

12 hours ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

If you remember, please post the game, it would be very interesting to know where this play mechanic came from!

 

- James

Did some research, still don’t have a definitive answer, but learning interesting things along the way. Unfortunately, the number of games released in the early 1990s as shareware for Windows 3.x (I think I played it here first) were numerous, an my memory is full of holes.

 

I don’t know if the game mechanic has an official designation, or a common name, but this research paper called them Ice Sliding Puzzle game.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01170310/document

Quote

Sliding/pushing puzzles are classical problems used for entertainment. In a sliding puzzle, entities (often described as robots) are moving around on a grid, and trying to reach a final position. Everytime a robot starts a move in a direction, it slides and cannot stop until it hits another element on the grid (a wall, a block or another robot). In a pushing puzzle, the entities often may stop a move without hitting a wall, but mostly they are also allowed to move some inert blocks by pushing them. Pushing games are known for example as Sokoban, but can also appear as enigmas in video games

The paper puts the games in the same genre as Sokoban (1982) (dubbed PushPush games). The goal in Sokoban is maneuver boxes by pushing them in the cardinal directions onto their intended target location. For a 2600 equivalent, see Andrew Davie’s new game. These boxes don’t slide, but move one square at a time.

 

(https://atariage.com/forums/topic/293315-sokoban/
 

 

Around the same time, in the arcades, Pengo (1982) included a bonus mechanic for lining up 3 indestructible blocks. The ice blocks in Pengo can be pushed, and slide until they meet an obstacle. 

 

The Amiga got in ice sliding puzzle game similar to the bonus mechanic in Pengo in 1989, Roll-Out. The object of which is to push smiley faces into target boxes while avoiding enemies.

Apparently, the Pokémon games since Gold/Silver/Crystal (1999) have all included this puzzle mechanic in their games to get past certain areas (Ice Cave). These are probably closest to the mechanic we are interested in, since you are the sliding “block” in this game, and must maneuver yourself from the entrance to the exit.

 

 

Still appears to be popular as a genre. A new game Maze Slider was released last year in steam with the same mechanics.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262260/Maze_Slider/

[Leonardo Santiago]

On 2/21/2021 at 9:55 AM, Leonardo Santiago said:

Hi everyone.

 

I have been working on a game with only 4k that was challenging, fun and that looked like games from the 70s and 80s. So "K-Jo chases the cheeses" was born!

 

The biggest challenge was to put all the concepts imagined in just 4kb, using batariBasic as the main programming language. For that I had to adapt some functions, rewriting them in Assembly, which made me learn more about the language and optimized the game in size and performance.

 

There are 60 stages with 10 different mazes. Every 10 stages, the color of the walls changes, characterizing a new house. There are 6 houses with 10 stages each, totaling 60 stages. The amount of cheese to be collected starts at 4 (at the first stage), and at each new house (10 stages) is increased by one. The time you have to complete the stage is always the same: 40 seconds.

 

 

Very limited demo version:

 

• 10 levels
• 4 cheeses on all levels
• All available game challenges

 

K-Jo_Demo.bin 4 kB · 1 download

 

or

 

Play K-Jo on Javatari

 

 

Advertisement :

 

 

 

 

Promotional Vídeo:

 

 

You can also watch James and Tanya playing the full version at ZeroPage Homebrew.

 

 

 

Leo

 

 

Now a demo and an Exclusive Advertisement 😆

[daniel.inforede]

Vou baixar agora a Demo e avaliar a mecânica do jogo em uso. Estou curioso para ver isto na prática!

Parabéns Leonardo.

[Bomberman94]

Games played well - fast and addictive! Sometimes I think the dot that occasionally blocks a way is a bit unfair/not avoidable. Maybe some more „bells and whistles“ and of course more levels and we are there 👌🏼

[Leonardo Santiago]

7 hours ago, Bomberman94 said:

Games played well - fast and addictive! Sometimes I think the dot that occasionally blocks a way is a bit unfair/not avoidable. Maybe some more „bells and whistles“ and of course more levels and we are there 👌🏼

 

This is just a demo, the full game has a total of 60 levels and was designed to fit in 4kb. I have only 16 free bytes. 😁

[alfredtdk]

I loved the demo version. Will the full version be in cartridge or digital media?

[Andregus]

Very nice! 🙂

[Fierodoug5]

This is a very well done game and very fun! Fantastic 4K game! 

[Bomberman94]

16 hours ago, Leonardo Santiago said:

 

This is just a demo, the full game has a total of 60 levels and was designed to fit in 4kb. I have only 16 free bytes. 😁

😳WOW - full game containing 60 levels in only 4k ? That’s awesome and of course no „bells and whistles“ really needed - gameplay is the most important part 😉

Edited March 1 by Bomberman94