One of the two Goblorblikes released during DD56, JUMP GOB is nothing less than an inspiring ode to yesdevving. A competent reconstruction of the first four levels of the original Super Mario Bros. (1985) made in under two months by a novice developer, this demo is a wake-up call to all nodevs and brutally mogs the crabs. It's an honor to be witnessing this tale firsthand.
You know, though, that anons can be pretty cynical when it comes to the commercial viability of 2D platformers. Going forward, while I do believe that attempting to remake the rest of SMB wouldn't be the best route to follow (though an impressive feat regardless), JUMP GOB could still embrace the pervasive influence of its main source of inspiration and play the rest of its development straight, distinguishing itself by being either Not Mario™ With a Gimmick or a kaizo-style clone for hardcore players... but it could also follow some totally bonkers path, like unexpectedly having Worlds 2 and beyond each play like a different NES classic. Which warp pipe to take now is for TOPGOB to decide.
Bugs: it seems like running straight into a moving platform instantly propels you forward. This kills you in Stage 1-3. Super Gob reels around the flag pole smoothly, but Li'l Gob apparently updates his position instantly, making the screen clip to the side in a jarring way. Suggestion: I'm not asking for fully rebindable controls yet, but please add a simple toggle for arrow key movement. Many late millennials like me grew up on emulators where the equivalent of A/B keys were assigned to our left hand and you'd move with the right one. Playing a NES clone with inverted controls was rather challenging.
Playthrough: ~10 minutes. Died on 1-4, but I'll try again someday.
Might as well be a romhack, and I think that's exactly what you're going for. I don't have anything else to add, it's extremely faithful to the source material, even including similar secrets. Great stuff, even if there are a couple of bugs.
The movement felt more juicy than blorb’s, but music and levels more boring. I have to complain that in (iirc) 1-3 the first jump is much harder, or impossible, if you still have the wizard hat from the level before. Also if you jump into enemies from below (as they are falling/jumping down a ledge) with wizard hat, you don’t deal damage from below with the hat. Rather you first take damage, then trigger the "jump on head" interaction and kill the enemy. But the idea/style of the wizard hat is cool.
It seemed to me that once I was somehow able to jump out of an abyss before/instead of losing a life. Idk if it really happened, I was only half looking at the screen, maybe you find it in the recording.
Anw, you said you made this game for practice - it turned out well enough. I’m interested to see the game you actually aim to make. Good luck!
I know it is your first project, but it is competently made. Good job! I also like the music a lot. The movement and air control feel different to mario, so sometimes it is slightly more difficult to control the goblin.
I finished quickly mostly because I watched people play, so I knew what was coming.
I'm amazed how fast you were able to replicate original Mario Bros. Gob is harder though, especially castle was much more intense.
For a small game there's not much that I can add as I think it's feature complete. there are some minor things that could be improved.
Secret room is a dead end, hidden block or exit would be appreciated, otherwise you have to wait till the timer ticks down.
After you die your coin counter resets, that's not how Mario games operate. Moving platforms change direction instantly and they should slow down first, it makes these jumps much more difficult.
Small game window and control scheme. Your game could *really* benefit from adding an option to have left shift for jump... Just kidding, but rebindable keys and resizable window/fullscreen is pretty important.
With the bugs, I died when two enemies were close to each other, stomping at them both killed one and second killed me in the same time.
I found a blind spot - when jumping you can hit a block but you wil not destroy it.
Anyway, great game! I actually like your take with goblin attacking dwarf fortresses. You can expand it and make more interactions, maybe a bigger castle? I'd experiment with the concept a little more, there is a hidden potential here.
Well, I have nothin really to add, this play like the first super mario bros and I have no complain. I must say, you make me laugh with that ending. Well done.
I found an issue where you can hit bricks from below as hat gob but fail to break them during the first stage. Apparently, it's caused by lack of horizontal space because it's easier to recreate on bricks that are close to a pipe/tower.
Plays well for a first project. Though, the lack of elevation to reach the top of the flagpole is questionable. The pipe in the 2nd level also lets you lob fireballs and maybe rotate. I look forward to seeing how you implement bosses with 4+ moves if those exist in your next project.
The only weird thing I noticed was this interaction with moving platforms where hitting them from the side while falling causes Gob to teleport down to the ground, but it's not a big deal because if you're hitting the side of a platform and there's nothing below you you're gonna die anyway.
Also, this is a me problem, but when I saw the piranha plant dwarves I thought they were going to chug those spears at me and I tried stomping them lol It's a mistake that's only going to happen once, but it'd be clearer that they're piranha plant reskins if they were looking up instead.
I'd say that's well executed. Two things: I got a "shell" stick inside a block by attempting the infinite 1-up trick, and I think the game needs edge push/corner push to help with the overall jumping.
I always thought the first mario game was the best.
I managed to get the game to work on linux with steam's proton and PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command%
>sprinting jump and hitting my head on moving platforms going down bounced me into pit
I lost all my lives in 1-3 twice.
I could never get end level flags
I had multiple moments in 1-3 where I felt having the hat made it worse for me, because I kept bumbing my head and falling down.
It is not clear where checkpoints are when you get them.
I have not beaten it yet, but I will at some point. I will leave the rest for the stream
Edit: Ok, I finished it. It took me multiple attempts. I had runs with 5 and 6 lives left in 1-4 and I would lose them all.
The ending made me chuckle, but I was hoping for something else ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
It took me a while to realize holding jump also effects jump height. It is not something I am used to and I don't remember if og mario did that.
I did not like how even after getting the fireball staff touching fireball rods would still make me lose the whole hat instead of just losing the ability to shoot.
there is a big difficulty spike at 1-4, but I think that is not the worst given how short the game is and that is the last level.
It actually REALLY bothers me that you don't keep speed if you let go of the direction key while midair, unlike in mario. It may be a small thing but it really stands out.
I do not care for lives / game overs in a demo like this. I know, that's how mario works, but for demo day it feels unnecessarily frustrating having to replay levels to get back to where you were (yes, I got a game over in level 3, yes I'm NOT COPING).
I went to SMB to check, and I do feel that the moving platforms in 1-3 are way too hard compared to mario's 1-3. Gob doesn't jump high enough for how far / how fast they move IMO.
Comments
One of the two Goblorblikes released during DD56, JUMP GOB is nothing less than an inspiring ode to yesdevving. A competent reconstruction of the first four levels of the original Super Mario Bros. (1985) made in under two months by a novice developer, this demo is a wake-up call to all nodevs and brutally mogs the crabs. It's an honor to be witnessing this tale firsthand.
You know, though, that anons can be pretty cynical when it comes to the commercial viability of 2D platformers. Going forward, while I do believe that attempting to remake the rest of SMB wouldn't be the best route to follow (though an impressive feat regardless), JUMP GOB could still embrace the pervasive influence of its main source of inspiration and play the rest of its development straight, distinguishing itself by being either Not Mario™ With a Gimmick or a kaizo-style clone for hardcore players... but it could also follow some totally bonkers path, like unexpectedly having Worlds 2 and beyond each play like a different NES classic. Which warp pipe to take now is for TOPGOB to decide.
Bugs: it seems like running straight into a moving platform instantly propels you forward. This kills you in Stage 1-3. Super Gob reels around the flag pole smoothly, but Li'l Gob apparently updates his position instantly, making the screen clip to the side in a jarring way.
Suggestion: I'm not asking for fully rebindable controls yet, but please add a simple toggle for arrow key movement. Many late millennials like me grew up on emulators where the equivalent of A/B keys were assigned to our left hand and you'd move with the right one. Playing a NES clone with inverted controls was rather challenging.
Playthrough: ~10 minutes. Died on 1-4, but I'll try again someday.
Might as well be a romhack, and I think that's exactly what you're going for. I don't have anything else to add, it's extremely faithful to the source material, even including similar secrets. Great stuff, even if there are a couple of bugs.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2138119332
your stream starts at around 2:02:00
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2138025997
Had to realise this game isn’t well suited to be played on the side and came back later with more focus.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2138176335
The movement felt more juicy than blorb’s, but music and levels more boring. I have to complain that in (iirc) 1-3 the first jump is much harder, or impossible, if you still have the wizard hat from the level before. Also if you jump into enemies from below (as they are falling/jumping down a ledge) with wizard hat, you don’t deal damage from below with the hat. Rather you first take damage, then trigger the "jump on head" interaction and kill the enemy. But the idea/style of the wizard hat is cool.
It seemed to me that once I was somehow able to jump out of an abyss before/instead of losing a life. Idk if it really happened, I was only half looking at the screen, maybe you find it in the recording.
Anw, you said you made this game for practice - it turned out well enough. I’m interested to see the game you actually aim to make. Good luck!
LET ME RESIZE THE WINDOW.
Other than that I wouldn't change anything, good job. I "rescued" the princess.
I beat the game, fulfilling my gobo duty. Video:
I know it is your first project, but it is competently made. Good job! I also like the music a lot. The movement and air control feel different to mario, so sometimes it is slightly more difficult to control the goblin.I finished quickly mostly because I watched people play, so I knew what was coming.
I'm amazed how fast you were able to replicate original Mario Bros. Gob is harder though, especially castle was much more intense.
For a small game there's not much that I can add as I think it's feature complete. there are some minor things that could be improved.
Secret room is a dead end, hidden block or exit would be appreciated, otherwise you have to wait till the timer ticks down.
After you die your coin counter resets, that's not how Mario games operate. Moving platforms change direction instantly and they should slow down first, it makes these jumps much more difficult.
Small game window and control scheme. Your game could *really* benefit from adding an option to have left shift for jump... Just kidding, but rebindable keys and resizable window/fullscreen is pretty important.
With the bugs, I died when two enemies were close to each other, stomping at them both killed one and second killed me in the same time.
I found a blind spot - when jumping you can hit a block but you wil not destroy it.
Anyway, great game! I actually like your take with goblin attacking dwarf fortresses. You can expand it and make more interactions, maybe a bigger castle? I'd experiment with the concept a little more, there is a hidden potential here.
Cute Mario 1-like. It feels a little bit faster than the original, which is good.
I don't get the control scheme. Let me run with shift and jump with space so I can play this with one hand from the goblin resort games room.
This is neat as a little unassuming demo, but if you expand it to more worlds it's probably a good idea to have original mechanics.
Loved the art and music. The hat hitbox is a bit large, maybe you could reduce it a little.
Well, I have nothin really to add, this play like the first super mario bros and I have no complain. I must say, you make me laugh with that ending. Well done.
Finally, some gob.
I found an issue where you can hit bricks from below as hat gob but fail to break them during the first stage. Apparently, it's caused by lack of horizontal space because it's easier to recreate on bricks that are close to a pipe/tower.
Plays well for a first project. Though, the lack of elevation to reach the top of the flagpole is questionable. The pipe in the 2nd level also lets you lob fireballs and maybe rotate.
I look forward to seeing how you implement bosses with 4+ moves if those exist in your next project.
I like the idea of cloning a game down to even its iconic mechanics but still having its own visual identity.
Reminds me of stuff like Secret Maryo Chronicles and FreeDoom.
Mario if he green
The only weird thing I noticed was this interaction with moving platforms where hitting them from the side while falling causes Gob to teleport down to the ground, but it's not a big deal because if you're hitting the side of a platform and there's nothing below you you're gonna die anyway.
Also, this is a me problem, but when I saw the piranha plant dwarves I thought they were going to chug those spears at me and I tried stomping them lol
It's a mistake that's only going to happen once, but it'd be clearer that they're piranha plant reskins if they were looking up instead.
I'd say that's well executed. Two things: I got a "shell" stick inside a block by attempting the infinite 1-up trick, and I think the game needs edge push/corner push to help with the overall jumping.
already played it back when it first released.
solid all around, very fast progress, it was pleasant to follow its development
Mogs blorb.
Cute gobbo, love the nose.
I always thought the first mario game was the best.
I managed to get the game to work on linux with steam's proton and PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command%
>sprinting jump and hitting my head on moving platforms going down bounced me into pit
I lost all my lives in 1-3 twice.
I could never get end level flags
I had multiple moments in 1-3 where I felt having the hat made it worse for me, because I kept bumbing my head and falling down.
It is not clear where checkpoints are when you get them.
I have not beaten it yet, but I will at some point. I will leave the rest for the stream
Edit:
Ok, I finished it. It took me multiple attempts. I had runs with 5 and 6 lives left in 1-4 and I would lose them all.
The ending made me chuckle, but I was hoping for something else ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
It took me a while to realize holding jump also effects jump height. It is not something I am used to and I don't remember if og mario did that.
I did not like how even after getting the fireball staff touching fireball rods would still make me lose the whole hat instead of just losing the ability to shoot.
there is a big difficulty spike at 1-4, but I think that is not the worst given how short the game is and that is the last level.
My rival... we meet at last.
Great job, and looking forward to goblin wizard!