I've just released the first public alpha of Ember Banner, a Fire Emblem-inspired tactical RPG made as a Game Boy Color ROM.
You lead Mara and a company of refugees and former enemies through 12 story chapters. Between grid battles, there's a world map and a small camp for talking to companions, buying supplies, and choosing your squad. You can play in Casual or Classic mode.
I've been going back over the little things that make it feel better to play: readable map sprites, movement, dialogue, menus, and the experience display below. It still needs work, and I'd love to know how it feels to someone coming to it fresh.
The download is free, with no donation prompt. If you have time to try the opening chapter, tell me what confused you, what you enjoyed, or the first thing you'd change. We're building it with our own engine and want player feedback to help shape the next versions.
Download and leave feedback: https://emberbannerdev.itch.io/ember-banner
You'll need a GBC-compatible emulator; one isn't included. The build has been checked in PyBoy and SameBoy, with physical GBC testing still pending.
To be clear about how it's made, I co-developed Ember Banner with ChatGPT. I handle the direction, decisions, and hands-on playtesting; ChatGPT has helped with code, writing, graphics, music, and debugging, including AI-generated artwork. That helps us try feedback-driven changes faster. We also plan to release the engine for making games by prompting, but those public tools are still in development. This download is the game alpha.