NES game development continues on, with a new cartridge set to be released in early 2010.
Sivak Games, which appears to be a one man operation, has an NES game in development called Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril that isn’t just another ROM hack. Battle Kid is a fully original creation that Sivak plans to release only as an NES cartridge sometime in January through RetroZone.
Comparing Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril to Mega Man is inevitable, though Battle Kid himself bears more of a resemblance to the main character from impossible indie platformer I Wanna Be The Guy. From trying Battle Kid‘s demo, the game feels exactly like a mix between those two games as well.
Players will jump and shoot their way through around 550 different rooms, collecting items and fighting over 30 enemy types and at least 8 bosses. Completing harder difficulty settings will provide passwords that unlock features such as a boss rush mode. Sivak expects to charge around $30 for Battle Kid‘s cartridge, which will not come with a box but will be made out of brand new parts (not re-purposed NES cartridges) and colored a transparent green.
NES development may not be anything new, or old, or… well you know what I mean, but aside from some sprites which I don’t care for Battle Kid looks like a new fun way to get some use out of that ancient NES you pretend you don’t play Duck Hunt on everyday. It’s at least a defiant jeer against the man who doesn’t want us to play NES games anymore.
A ROM will not be released alongside Battle Kid‘s cartridge, as Sivak Games is under contract with the assembler of his cart to not do so while it’s in development. It’ll be old-school all the way for Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril.
(Via: Joystiq)
