First off, I've been absolutely thrilled with the immensely positive response that 8-Bit Adventures 2 has received - from an 86 on Metacritic, to a 90 on OpenCritic, to our Very Positive rating on Steam.

If you love the kind of games that Square and Enix were producing on the NES, SNES, and PS1, then you’re the type of player that 8-Bit Adventures 2 was made for!



From now until March 23rd at 10am PDT, you can get 8-Bit Adventures 2 for 20% Off ($15.99 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/733110/8Bit_Adventures_2/

You can also get the incredible Soundtrack for 20% Off ($7.99 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack Bundle for just $23.99 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281060/8Bit_Adventures_2_Soundtrack/

And while anyone can jump into the sequel without any prior experience, I've learnt over the last month that a lot of players really want to get the full story.

So for the next week, you can also get 8-Bit Adventures 1 for 60% Off ($3.99 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_1_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/

The first game's wonderful Soundtrack is also 30% Off ($3.49 USD), or you can get the 8-Bit Adventures 1 Game + Soundtrack Bundle for only $6.59 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/387170/8Bit_Adventures__Soundtrack__Composers_Selection/

Finally, you can also get our experimental, short-story format RPG Tales Across Time for just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/

---

If you love classic Japanese-style RPGs, then I sincerely hope you'll take a look at 8-Bit Adventures 2 and our other games!

For existing players of 8-Bit 2, I'll be releasing a minor bug fix and balance adjustment update very soon. And on the horizon, we also have the Free DLC that I'm working on - as well as the console versions! But more on all that in the coming months ;)
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Subscribe to our Official Youtube Channel
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Buy 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

After seven years of hard work and anticipation, I’m overjoyed to announce that 8-Bit Adventures 2 will launch on PC (via Steam and GOG) on January 31st, 2023!



It’s finally happening, everyone!! =D And while I really wanted to hit 2022, at least we’ll only be one month out ;) If you’d like to help make 8-Bit Adventures 2 a success, then please wishlist the game and spread the word to friends or on social media! While it may not seem like it changes much from the outside, it genuinely does make a massive difference for us, and is sincerely appreciated.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/733110/8Bit_Adventures_2/
If you want to inquire about review codes or coverage, you can contact me via josh@criticalgames.com.au
And please CC Post Horn PR on all messages via: posthornpr@gmail.com

A gigantic thanks to Day of the Devs, Double Fine, and iam8bit for the opportunity to signal boost this announcement through their wonderful event!

A unique version of the 8-Bit Adventures 2 demo with Airship and World Map gameplay will be showcased today at Day of the Devs in San Francisco, California, from 3pm until 7pm PDT. Attendance is free, so if you’re in the area, please go and check out this incredible event!



But that’s not all! The online 8-Bit Adventures 2 demo on Steam and GOG has also been updated to reflect the more polished and finalised state of the full game too. While anyone who’s played the demo before probably won’t notice much of a difference, I wanted to make sure that future demo players would have the best 8-Bit Adventures 2 experience possible – short of playing the full game =)

I’ve also been doing multiple weekly posts on Twitter and Instagram over the last month, and these will be continuing right through to release (with some of the most exciting ones saved for January!). But I also plan to do regular recaps on Steam, collecting my Twitter posts and sharing them with everyone here - so stay tuned for that too!



But what about console players? Well, to reiterate from my previous news post, while Ratalaika Games have been making some great progress on porting, the whole process has taken significantly longer than anticipated due to some unforeseen challenges. When you add console lotcheck on top of that (the approval process to be launched on each platform), the months pile up.

And so, after talking things over with my team, Ratalaika Games, Post Horn PR (a pro-bono marketing team who are very graciously supporting 8-Bit Adventures 2) and several other developers (whose input I’m very grateful for), I’ve ultimately decided to launch the PC version first, work on any bug fixes and updates necessary (updating a game is a lot easier on PC than on console), and then release the console versions as soon as everything’s ready.



I sincerely apologise to console players for this delay, as the plan was always to launch PC and console on the same day. I’ve stuck to and fought for that plan as long as I could (until about the last month and a half); but after speaking further with Ratalaika, it became clear that things had to change. My hope is that console players won’t have to wait too much longer than PC players – and on the bright side, they’ll also receive the Free DLC as part of the base game package, along with any extra fixes and updates for the smoothest and most complete experience.

And just to show you that things are moving ahead, here’s a picture of a (slightly older) development build of 8-Bit Adventures 2 running on a Nintendo Switch console (big thanks to Adrian from Ratalaika for taking this photo for me to share)!



As for PC players, I know that some of you have been waiting for 8-Bit Adventures 2 since late 2015, and so I didn’t feel it was right to delay any longer. Taking this approach comes with some challenges, but I think it’ll be worth it to get the game in your hands. Thank you very much for your patience & support.

I absolutely cannot wait for you all to get your hands on 8-Bit Adventures 2! There are so many big moments, fun characters, challenging battles, and little details or secrets in this game, and I know Sebastian, Jerram, Sufyan, and I are all desperate to share them with you.



8-Bit Adventures 2 is coming to PC and GOG on January 31st 2023, so please wishlist and spread the word if you’d like to support us! And thank you SO much for all the support that we’ve been given so far!

The people who reach out to me about 8-Bit Adventures 2 are always the most wonderfully kind folks I could ever hope to meet, and I’ve pretty much only received polite and positive messages these past 7 years. Given how unpleasant the internet can be, that’s an incredible achievement – and it’s entirely thanks to all of you!

Everyone’s kindness has helped me reach the finish line, and for that I am immensely grateful =)
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Subscribe to our Official Youtube Channel
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

I am thrilled to announce that 8-Bit Adventures 2 will be featured at the Day of the Devs 10th Anniversary Celebration on November 5th! Day of the Devs is the ultimate indie event, and as a massive fan of Double Fine, Tim Schafer, and iam8bit, participating there has been a dream of mine for years. Find out more by clicking on the link or picture below: https://www.dayofthedevs.com/events/



If you’re able to attend the in-person event at the Midway in San Francisco, you’ll be able to check out a brand new section of the demo which allows you to freely explore the World Map in an Airship! Explore cities and dungeons, battle bosses, and just see what you run into. Lots of tweaks were made to avoid major spoilers, and the idea was to give attendees a sense of the game’s immense RPG world.

Unfortunately I won't be attending the event myself (living in Australia as I do, there's a lot of travel costs involved that I can't cover), but the wonderful folks at Double Fine and iam8bit will be running the demo in my stead. A massive thanks to them - without their support, this opportunity wouldn't be possible.

But that’s not all! On the same day, we’ll FINALLY be announcing the PC (Steam and GOG) release date for 8-Bit Adventures 2! Even the cast can't believe it!



Now, I did say the PC release date specifically and there’s a reason for this. While Ratalaika Games have been making some great progress on porting, the whole process has taken significantly longer than anticipated due to some unforeseen challenges. When you add console lotcheck on top of that (the approval process to be launched on each platform), the months pile up.

And so, after talking things over with my team, Ratalaika Games, Post Horn PR (a pro-bono marketing team who are very graciously supporting 8-Bit Adventures 2) and several other developers (whose input I’m very grateful for), I’ve ultimately decided to launch the PC version first, work on any bug fixes and updates necessary (updating a game is a lot easier on PC than on console), and then release the console versions as soon as everything’s ready.



I sincerely apologise to console players for this delay, as the plan was always to launch PC and console on the same day. I’ve stuck to and fought for that plan as long as I could (until about the last month and a half); but after speaking further with Ratalaika, it became clear that things had to change. My hope is that console players won’t have to wait too much longer than PC players – and on the bright side, they’ll also receive the Free DLC as part of the base game package, along with any extra fixes and updates for the smoothest and most complete experience.

And just to show you that things are moving ahead, here’s a picture of a (slightly older) development build of 8-Bit Adventures 2 running on a Nintendo Switch console (big thanks to Adrian from Ratalaika for taking this photo for me to share)!



As for PC players, I know that some of you have been waiting for 8-Bit Adventures 2 since late 2015, and so I didn’t feel it was right to delay any longer. Taking this approach comes with some challenges, but I think it’ll be worth it to get the game in your hands. Thank you very much for your patience & support.



With all that said, please stay tuned for specific details on November 5th! I just wanted to take this opportunity to set expectations and be transparent about what’s going on, as I’d hate for anyone to be disappointed by the actual release date announcement.

On the very, very bright side, 8-Bit Adventures 2 will have a set-in-stone, come-hell-or-high-water release date! AND we get to participate in the ultimate indie event at Day of the Devs - how cool is that?! We’re nearly there everyone =D
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Subscribe to our Official Youtube Channel
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

I'm thrilled to announce that 8-Bit Adventures 2 is participating in Steam's latest Next Fest event - and to celebrate this, the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Demo has received a big update! What does it do? Let's dive in!

For anyone who's already played the previous demo, this latest version features all of the same content. You can once again choose between playing through the game's Prologue, battling your way through an exciting Dungeon, and exploring a Town with a hidden boss battle.



However, this latest update includes a TON of changes, fixes, and improvements. Simply put, this update makes the demo run and play like the final, release-level product! But how about some specifics?

• A massive performance boost, bringing the game up to near rock-solid 60fps performance (this boost accounts for most of the increase in file size, in case anyone was curious!)
  
  
  
• Dozens and dozens (and dozens) of bug fixes which make battles run smoother and ensure everything works as intended. And the game's balance has been improved too!
  
• Enhanced UI elements, such as indicating to the player what percentage their HP/MP is currently at through the use of colour, displaying a character's Max HP/MP when you go to use a restorative item in battle, as well as the addition of an icon which indicates which enemies have rare steal-able items which you don't currently possess!
  
  
  
• Improved support for high refresh-rate monitors.
  
• A Quick Menu button which allows the player to bring up a specific menu with just one press. The exact menu that's brought up can be customised in the Options menu.
  
• The Tutorial sub-menu, which details the game's mechanics, offering an easy refresher if the player ever forgets something. More tutorials are unlocked as you progress through the game.
  
• A new Sprint Mode option that allows the player to choose between Holding a button down to sprint, or Toggling running/walking speed with the press of a button. I'm a Hold mode kind of guy myself, but options are all about figuring out what works best for you!
  
• A Battle Status menu that can be brought up during combat to display a complete summary of the player's party (detailing Equipment, Augments, Statuses, etc.), designed to be a handy reference.
  
  
  
• Improved Ability/Item descriptions (and animations in a handful of cases) which clarify details which may have been more obtuse or poorly handled in past releases.
  
• Scrolling text in battle! The text displayed at the top of the screen during battle now scrolls as player/enemy actions play out, providing more relevant details. For example, say that there's an attack which deals damage and poisons an enemy. Some flavour text will appear about the attack, followed by a description of the damage dealt. But then the text will scroll down to also state that the enemy was poisoned. This is much more elegant than before.
  
• The Equipment and Augment menus now display character portraits, making the currently selected character easier to discern at a glance. Additionally, Shop menus now also feature character graphics for the same reason.
  
• The game will now pop up "Immune" text if an enemy (or ally) is unable to be inflicted by a particular Status Ailment.
  
• If you get a Game Over, you can now choose to Open the Menu before retrying a battle, allowing you to change up your Equipment/Augments, or heal a character with low HP/MP. This way, you don't have to reload & re-watch any cutscenes if you want to change up your approach to combat.

Honestly, I could go on forever - like how the Warrior's Strong Attack now has an increased Critical Hit chance, the Exit Game menu now allows you to load a save file without returning to the main menu, the healing sub-menu now takes up less space and leaves the currently selected column of the Item menu visible, if an enemy has two damaging Status Ailments affecting them at once the damage numbers will no longer overlap, etc. Truth be told, I doubt I could even remember *everything* that's been fixed or changed haha.

So while on the surface this will seem like a very familiar demo to long-time fans, the goal was to raise the overall polish and quality-of-life features to the standard of the full, release-level game.

On that note, while I can't give as much of an update as I wanted to (and I know you all want), I *can* talk about where the game is at!

I probably have a little under a month of work left on the game myself (although I naturally won't stop testing until release). 8-Bit Adventures 2 is playable from beginning to end - with every battle fully functional and all the gameplay content tested and polished. I've just got to finish up on some cutscene work for the end-game side quests and epilogue, as well as put together the hidden Developer Room (that's been left 'till last as it's extraneous to the core experience).



In case you missed it, while I originally thought that 8-Bit Adventures 2 would be a 20 hour game during development, it's turned out to be a jam-packed 30+ hour adventure (including side quests). And none of that time is spent on filler or grinding; I've tried to make the game wall-to-wall content, so it's been a really big project.

So despite how quiet I've been recently, things have been going really well! I'm at the point where a lot of things are beyond my direct control, so please bear with me; because I'll be delivering every bit of news to you the moment I'm allowed to deliver it!

First of all, I'd like to give a MASSIVE thank you to Sufyan Noor, our wonderful programmer who's implemented all of the above ideas with me. He's done an AMAZING job, and I'm really grateful for all the work he's put in. No matter how hard the challenge I pose to him, he always finds a way to pull it off!

Secondly, a TON of gratitude to Peter Ruibal, otherwise known as fmoo on the Something Classic Discord server. He helped me with a last-minute Steam issue that threatened to derail this demo, completely out of the kindness of his heart. So thank you very much Pete! He's working on an upcoming JRPG called Quartet, which I *highly* recommend you check out because the team behind it are some of the nicest, smartest, most talented developers I've ever met!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1307960/Quartet/

Finally, I wanted to thank everyone who's played the demo in previous years. And especially those who gave feedback! There are several items on the list above which I added to the game *specifically* because of player feedback. Even if something doesn't end up being implemented, I do take everything on-board, so thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! We're at such a late stage now that not much else will be able to change, but I'll definitely be updating the game post-launch so please do feel free to offer feedback if anything stands out to you =D

If you've played the demo before, this update might not seem like a big deal - for which I apologise. I didn't want to spoil any more of the game than I've already put out there. And I also know a lot of people haven't played the demo before, so I didn't want to take development time away from the main game to build a whole new demo (which would've probably taken 3 weeks to a month).

However, everything that's been added in this new update demonstrates a giant step forward for 8-Bit Adventures 2. We're at the point now where the game plays like a final, release-level product - even better than I originally envisioned - and that's incredibly exciting to me!



And don't forget to check out all the other amazing demos included in Steam Next Fest! If you're interested in 8-Bit Adventures 2, I'd say games like For a Vast Future, Jack Move, and Absinthia might be right up your alley =)

Anyway, my journey nears its end, and yours is soon to begin - so please keep your eyes peeled for news. I'll probably give everyone an update on porting progress next time I post (just to keep you all in the loop), and then the one after that will be the release date announcement - followed by the actual release! =D
~Josh

P.S. I'd sincerely appreciate it if you could add 8-Bit Adventures 2 to your wishlist, as this genuinely helps us out (particularly during Steam Next Fest and at launch)! Our most adorable enemy - a puffball named Eek - *really* wants you to do it =P



For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Subscribe to our Official Youtube Channel
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well, and that your 2022 has gotten off to a great start.

This is just a quick update to let you know that 8-Bit Adventures 1, 8-Bit Adventures 2, and Tales Across Time are participating in this week's RPG Maker Festival - a celebration of all things RPG Maker!

As you might expect, 8-Bit Adventures 2 is highlighted on the Coming Soon page (more info on that game's new demo update coming soon), but 8-Bit Adventures 1 and Tales Across Time are available now with special discounts!

From 10AM on February 14th (today) through to 10AM on February 21st (Pacific Time), you can get 8-Bit Adventures 1 at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/
Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/
As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out and supporting the final phase of development on 8-Bit Adventures 2!

I was really grateful to be invited to participate in the RPG Maker Festival event. RPG Maker is a big part of the reason I became a game developer; as a kid, it gave me the ability to experiment, create, and learn the basics of development, which I spent countless hours delving into.

Some childhood project highlights being a Kingdom Hearts 1 sequel (which nonetheless focused on Cloud and Sephiroth XD), a Final Fantasy VII Advent Children fan game, a very unfinished Pokemon Gold/Silver remake called Johto Legends, some high school projects (I genuinely managed to submit a video game for a P.E. assignment, which might be one of my proudest accomplishments!), and an "original" work called Paladins vs. Dragoons about star-crossed lovers (taking heavy inspiration from Final Fantasy's jobs haha).

As an adult, RPG Maker has given me a way to tell stories and create the kinds of games I love, despite my very limited programming abilities. It's because of this that I think it exceeds any limitations that it does have. So thank you RPG Maker - and here's to many more years of empowering creators! =D

Stay tuned for more news next week!
~Josh

As a special promotion, from 10AM on October 13th (today) through to 10AM on October 20th (Pacific Time), you can get 8-Bit Adventures 1 at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/
Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/
As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out and supporting the final phase of development on 8-Bit Adventures 2!


I’ve been pretty vague on the topic of consoles for 8-Bit Adventures 2 for a while now, but no more!


I’m ecstatic to reveal that 8-Bit Adventures 2 will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5 (PS5™), PlayStation®4 (PS4™), Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One consoles – simultaneously alongside the Steam and GOG releases for PC!

After our game was showcased at gamescom last year, we received a tremendous number of requests to bring 8-Bit Adventures 2 to consoles. While it’s added a *lot* of extra work to a project that’s already been in development for over 5 years, my goal is to make sure that *everyone* can enjoy this classic JRPG adventure – no matter where you prefer to play. So I sincerely hope that fans on every platform are going to be really happy about this news!


Look at all those logos! ;)

The console versions are being ported by the incredibly talented porting company (and publisher) Ratalaika Games. To put it simply, RPG Maker MV games like 8-Bit Adventures 2 are tremendously difficult to bring to consoles, and without Ratalaika Games a simultaneous release would not have been possible. The technical wizards there have developed their own tools to achieve this, and it even allows me to keep a hand on the wheel – fixing bugs, testing the console versions, and developing any future content updates.

It was fan support that has ultimately allowed us to take this project further than I ever imagined. I’m genuinely thrilled to be bringing 8-Bit Adventures 2 to every major console platform, and I hope the Nintendo, PlayStation®, and Xbox communities will enjoy discovering the grand, character-driven story, dynamic turn-based battles, and ‘familiar yet fresh’ experience that awaits them in this epic new adventure.



For PC players, I realise that all of this console talk probably hasn’t been the most exciting news. Console work has taken up a *ton* of my time this year (along with something ambitious that I took a chance on because I felt it would help the game, but sadly didn’t pan out. I am currently unable to elaborate on this), and it has taken that time away from development on the game. And for that, I apologise – PC players are the ones who have been waiting the longest, and I fully recognise that! But just to be clear, there’s not a finished PC build that I’m holding back from release until the console versions are done or anything crazy like that. There’s just one core build that I’m trying to complete, and each release spirals out from that.

I’m not actually allowed to announce a release date until certain obligations have been fulfilled (and I’ve learnt a lot about best release practices and timings), so there’ll probably only be a month’s notice before the game is released. What I *can* tell you, though, is that we currently have 21 hours worth of completely finished and finalised 8-Bit Adventures 2 – along with a ton of quality-of-life changes and under-the-hood improvements since the last demo was released. I’ve also got some more big announcements to make in the not-too-distant future (one of which in particular I think will make people very happy), so please stay tuned!



On a personal note, I will admit that this year’s been…exhausting haha. There’s been so much to keep track of – both in terms of development, and everything else surrounding the game – that it’s felt tremendously overwhelming. Probably a little too much for one person in retrospect XD At the end of the day, I’m a creative who likes to tell stories and design fun game mechanics, so the business, marketing, and management aspects of development over the last year and a half have required a lot of learning. Going back into lockdown for the past several months definitely hasn’t helped matters either haha!

It’s been an incredibly tough couple of years for everyone, though, and I’ve really had it easy - so I’m saying this to explain where I’m currently at, rather than to complain. After all, while it may be more work for me, it’s good news for the game! I’m lucky that every time I work on and play 8-Bit Adventures 2, I still feel genuinely excited and enjoy the experience very much – despite how tedious game development can sometimes get. Crafting the best possible experience for all of you is what keeps me plugging away, and I’m so, so happy with how the game has turned out. And now that we’re coming to consoles, it really feels like we’re not leaving anything on the table. By the time 8-Bit Adventures 2 releases, I’ll have done literally everything I possibly can to make the game a success – and that’s a good feeling =D



I’ve also been thinking a lot about what comes next. Put simply, I have no intention of doing a 5-6 year project again (I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone haha XD), and so I’ve been toying with two ideas that would provide content-rich experiences and keep me doing what I do best (making RPGs), but would also allow me to release two full games within a 2 and a half year window. I’m also planning at least one free content update for 8-Bit Adventures 2 after it’s released, which I will hopefully be able to begin development of at some point during the porting process (I’d like to release it around a month after launch). This is an idea I’ve had for several years now, and I think it’s a fun basis for optional, bonus story content.

But sticking firmly in the present, I’ve just revamped the old Critical Games Youtube Channel. It now has current trailers and branding, as well as a playlist with over 21 minutes of Music Samples from the 8-Bit Adventures 2 OST! All future 8-Bit Adventures 2 videos will be uploaded here, so please check it out and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/CriticalGamesDev



Anyway, the future is looking very bright! If you’re a long-time follower of 8-Bit Adventures 2, thank you so, so much for your support – I’m sincerely, immensely grateful. And if you’ve only just discovered 8-Bit Adventures 2, then welcome! I’m over-the-moon that you’re taking an interest in the game and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts =D Talk to everyone again soon!
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Subscribe to our Official Youtube Channel
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

Hi everyone! I’m excited to reveal that 8-Bit Adventures 2 is a part of DreamHack Beyond – and the event begins TODAY!

https://dreamhack.com/beyond/

What is DreamHack Beyond? It’s a fully digital, online convention that’s styled like a point-and-click adventure game. It features demos, cosplay, tournaments, game booths, and even a story-driven adventure – all rolled into a unique online multiplayer experience with a gorgeous, Cartoon Network-inspired art style! Seriously, I’ve gone hands on with my booth area, and I’m incredibly impressed with what they’ve built.


If you like JRPGs and chatting with quirky NPCs in games, I think you’ll really enjoy this. In fact, I’m an NPC in DreamHack Beyond too! So you can chat to "me" about 8-Bit Adventures 2 inside the game ;)

Speaking of which, you can find my doppelganger at the 8-Bit Adventures 2 booth in Hive 3!

To join the event, all you need to do is claim your FREE ticket here:
https://dreamhack.com/tickets/dhb1

I am incredibly grateful to have been invited to show 8-Bit Adventures 2 at DreamHack Beyond, and I honestly think this is one online convention you won’t want to miss. Especially if you’re currently in lockdown like I am here in Australia!

To celebrate the event, I’m also running some discounts! From 10AM on July 24th through to 10AM on July 31st (Pacific Time), you can get 8-Bit Adventures 1 at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/

Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/

As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out and supporting the final phase of development on 8-Bit Adventures 2!

I’m very sorry for the radio silence; I haven’t wanted to do any big updates for a while, as I’ve been working at a really good pace. That said, I’m still responding to everyone that leaves me a comment here or on social media, and am active on Twitter (@CriticalGamesAU) and our Discord channel. But I know plenty of people don’t look at those, so I’ll be sharing some of the updates I’ve made there in this post.

But just before that, I apologise for how quiet I’ve been on announcements this year. A whole big string of them is on the horizon (lots and lots of things I’ve been trying to plan and organise finally coming to fruition), but I’m trying to find the best time to do so. 8-Bit Adventures 2’s development is going really well, though!

I'm waiting until the game is actually finished to announce a release date, as the last thing I want to do is disappoint anyone again. But I know how frustrating that is for all of you – and I don’t for a moment take your patience and support for granted. I’m incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people looking forward to 8-Bit Adventures 2, and I’ll always be upfront and honest about things whenever I’m asked =)

However, I can say that I have 15 hours of completely finished, polished, bug tested, finalised game - with the remaining hours partially finished (I'm predicting around 23-24 hours, depending on the player - but a lot of the late game content is a little more free-flowing and player driven, as you have the freedom of an Airship, and can tackle a bunch of sidequests, so it's easier on development - compared to the more scripted, heavily directed content that comprises the bulk of the game). So the last few months have been extremely productive! I’m honestly feeling a bit exhausted haha, but I feel like I’m making constant, significant progress, so that’s a great feeling =D

Anyway, onto sharing some of those updates!

First up, let’s look at a new addition to 8-Bit Adventures 2: the Battle Status Window! With the push of a button, you can view the whole party's details in a handy little window; Stats, Equipment, Augments, and current Status effects (as well as how long those Status effects have left before they disappear)!



When you have a six or seven character party, this window can really help you stay on top of who has what, and will help you decide which allies to swap in or out.

Next up is the Autosave system! While not the most visually exciting thing to show, it’s essential to a modern RPG. So whatever happens, you’ll always have a back-up!



For something a little bit different, here’s an update I posted about running around in the large, neon-lit City of Sounds - one of the 29 dungeons featured in 8-Bit Adventures 2. Here you'll face electrified guitarists, enemy-buffing backup drummers, and tone-deaf singers with killer vocals!

Unfortunately, I can't share this one directly as the GIF file is too big for Steam, but you can check out the tweet here: https://twitter.com/CriticalGamesAU/status/1396106620954824711

And finally, back in May, 8-Bit Adventures 2's performance got a big boost! The game now has a rock-solid 60fps frame rate, and this has made a tremendous difference to the feel of the game. For example, enemies spotting you on the World Map used to cause a lag spike, but not anymore! Note: I had to compress and cut this one a little to fit it on Steam - sorry about that!



All of these improvements are thanks to our amazing programmer Sufyan Noor, so a round of applause for him please! He’s doing amazing work adding this last coat of polish to the technical side of the game, and implementing the Quality of Life elements I’ve designed.

Lastly, I also wanted to share this awesome, adorable piece of fan art that Starzee posted on our Discord! It's the 8-Bit Adventures 2 cast if they were made into plushies, and I absolutely LOVE it (and want to buy them haha)! Thanks so much for creating it and letting me share your work Starzee =D



I'm sorry I don't have more to announce, but there's a lot to come (I've got announcements related to seven different companies in the long-term!). I'm so, so incredibly grateful for all of your support - every comment truly means a lot to me. But please, don't forget to check out DreamHack Beyond - I'm very grateful to be a part of it, and I genuinely think it's going to be something special. I'm looking forward to hopping on myself! =D
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

Hi everyone! It’s been a while, but I’m back to share some news and highlight a very exciting playable event that 8-Bit Adventures 2 is taking part in!


8-Bit Adventures 2 has appeared at Gamescom and Toyko Game Show, but it’s never been at an event like this. IWOCon is a fully digital, online, playable game convention – basically a playable theme park for Indie titles!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1422300/IWOCon_2021/
You can download the game here on Steam, using the link above! Create your unique pirate character and set sail for the IWOCon Islands with your very own vessel (you can even fire the cannons, or dive your vessel underwater to see what lurks beneath the convention!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3PUfCkByP8
Every island features a variety of Indie Game Booths, and you’ll fill up your in-game passport as you explore all of the different titles that the convention has to offer. 8-Bit Adventures 2 has an awesome 3D booth situated on the Love Islands (clearly the event organisers recognised our game’s romantic soul haha), but you’ll have to discover it yourself in the IWOCon app to see what it’s like (no spoilers here!) ;)



The event will be live from March 26th through April 2nd (during which a bunch of great streamers will be covering it), but the IWOCon game on Steam will remain online even after the event is over. You can find a bunch of the amazing indie games featured in the event at the link below – some of them are even discounted, too!

https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/indieworldorder/sale/IWOCon2021

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in the chat for an 8-Bit Adventures 2 Demo Stream being held by CDI Arcade on Twitch at 11:30 PM on Monday EST. So come on by to say hello and asks questions if you’re interested! =D

https://www.twitch.tv/CDiArcade

It’s truly incredible what the team behind IWOCon has achieved, and they’ve done it all completely for free and purely to support indie developers. It’s the most unique and creative convention I’ve ever seen, and I’d sincerely appreciate it if everyone would check it out and support them! They really deserve it.

So download the IWOCon game on Steam and set sail for adventure! =D


From 10AM on March 27th through to 10AM on April 3rd (Pacific Time), you can get 8-Bit Adventures 1 at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/

Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/

As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out and supporting the final phase of development on 8-Bit Adventures 2!


I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet this year – I’ve had my head down working very hard, and we’ve also had a bit of a family health scare, so things have been a little bit hectic haha (not to mention the Steam Festival that we participated in earlier this year).

Before we get onto the progress update, though, I want to say a massive THANK YOU to all of you. Not just for your continued support and kind words, but for helping us hit a new milestone. 8-Bit Adventures 2 has now been Wishlisted by more than 13,000 players!! That’s an absolutely incredible number, and far beyond what I ever imagined when I first put the game’s Steam page up (I remember I was amazed when we broke 100 haha).



I know wishlisting seems like a small thing, but it makes a massive difference – the more wishlists a game has, the more opportunities it gets for visibility on Steam once it’s released. So hopefully we’ll continue to grow even more from here, but the 13,000+ Wishlists we have puts us in a really good position. So thank you everyone – it really means a lot!




So first things first; a lot of my time so far in 2021 has been spent sorting out arrangements to get 8-Bit Adventures 2 onto consoles. It’s involved a lot more time and work than I’d originally expected to get each platform organised (I’ve filled out a *lot* of paperwork =P), but I’m happy to say that we’ve been even more successful than I’d hoped!

Please be patient a little longer for the announcement of the exact platforms, but I can say with confidence that no matter where you play, everyone will be really happy with what we’ve achieved. I think we’ve managed to meet pretty much every player’s request, so I’m really excited about revealing more =D



Our team has also invested a lot of time recently working on something pretty special…that we may or may not ever be able to share with all of you haha =P I realise that’s incredibly cryptic, but I unfortunately can’t say anything more. It’s something we’ve all put a lot of hard work into for a long time now, is related to 8-Bit Adventures 2, and would be absolutely incredible if we could make it a reality for players. There are just a lot of very difficult factors at play, and it all depends on whether or not things work out. But stay tuned – we’re working hard on a lot of things and trying to make the release of 8-Bit Adventures 2 as special and successful as we possibly can!

As for the game itself, new fixes and tweaks are getting introduced, player feedback is being implemented, and it’s in a really good state – it just needs more balancing, polishing and play-testing. The main issue has been that I’ve been trying to do a bunch of these massively involved, extra jobs and have been spreading myself very thin (especially dealing with family as well). But with consoles just about sorted out, I’m looking forward to hunkering down and getting this last portion of development finished and the game (finally, FINALLY) ready for porting and release!



So we should have a lot of exciting announcements as the year goes on. We’ve been able to take 8-Bit Adventures 2 further than I ever imagined when I started development five years ago, and that’s largely thanks to everyone who’s supported the game. It’s because of your comments and wishlists and enthusiasm that we’re able to get the game released on consoles - so from the bottom of my heart, thank you everyone! =D



I know it’s been an incredibly long wait, but we’re going to make this release worthy of your faith, patience, and support - I promise!

In the meantime, please give some of that amazing support to IWOCon this week and I hope to talk to you all soon! If you ever have any questions or comments you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to hit me up ;)
~ Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone! I’ve been incredibly busy, and I felt like my time was better spent on the game rather than writing updates at this point (especially as I don’t really want to spoil anything more than I already have XD). But I have returned to deliver a final round-up for 2020 and explain what’s going on, as well as deliver some (hopefully) exciting news about getting 8-Bit Adventures 2 onto console!

It’s a big update, so let’s start off by getting the easy stuff out of the way!


There’s just 11 hours left (sorry I’m so late!), but you can get 8-Bit Adventures at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/

Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/

As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out!


I also wanted to shout out the How Do I Jump Podcast who interviewed me back in September! If you're excited for 8-Bit Adventures 2, or just love RPGs, please check it out here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/how_do_i_jump/8-bit-adventures-final



We talk a lot about 8-Bit Adventures 2 and RPG design, but I also get to ramble on about Final Fantasy and Legend of Dragoon! Talking with Peter about this stuff was a ton of fun, so I hope you all enjoy it =D


IndieDB is currently holding their annual Top 100 Indie Games of 2020 competition, and if you’re able, I’d sincerely appreciate it if you’d consider voting for 8-Bit Adventures 2 =)

The competition is designed to “make sure great games get the attention they deserve, without being buried under a mountain of asset-flips and achievement grabs” and in an increasingly oversaturated market I think that’s a fantastic idea!

8-Bit Adventures 2 actually made into the Top 100 last year thanks to your votes and it gave us some extra exposure and visibility. So if you have a moment and would like to support the game, I’d be ecstatic if you could head over to the 8-Bit Adventures 2 IndieDB page and click Vote Now before December 11th!

https://www.indiedb.com/games/8-bit-adventures-2



You can also win some PC games like Chivalry, Total War Warhammer, Subnautica, and many more just by voting. So whether you vote for 8-Bit Adventures 2 or someone else’s game, I’d definitely recommend getting involved!


Okay, so with all that out of the way, let’s talk about what everyone really wants to know.

If you’ve been following 8-Bit Adventures 2 over the course of this year, you’re fully aware that things haven’t gone as planned. This has been a very busy year, and lots of things have taken a toll on development. That includes some not so nice things like the death of a close family member at the start of the year, the whole 2020 pandemic situation, a team member contracting COVID (he’s okay now, thankfully!), and so on.



But it’s also included some really wonderful and exciting things – specifically a bunch of online opportunities which 8-Bit Adventures 2 never would’ve had under normal circumstances. We released a brand new demo in the Steam Summer Festival, participated in Gamescom where I debuted the game’s final trailer on IGN (and was interviewed by German gaming website Gamestar), 8-Bit Adventures 2 got selected to take part in the Tokyo Game Show, and we’re participating in IWOCon in the near future (an indie focused digital convention that you can actually explore like a game)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlDLMlHeGMM
Before this year, I’d never been able to participate in any kind of events (as I live in Australia, so the cost of travel and set up made this sort of thing impossible). And what I learnt is that events like this take a *tremendous* amount of work – far more than I ever expected!

I went from creating a polished demo in May/June (along with preparing for the event, setting up a Discord, etc.) to preparing multiple videos and a demo update for Gamescom in July/August (which also required dozens and dozens of lengthy emails to organise things), to handling Tokyo Game Show in September (and my first brush with translating promotional material for 8-Bit Adventures 2).

I’ve also tried to respond to every single comment about the game that I’ve been able to find, so that’s taken some doing (especially since Youtube kept marking my replies to the several hundred comments on the IGN videos as spam, so I had to rewrite them all three times XD). And that doesn’t even include the six or so other events that 8-Bit Adventures 2 didn’t get into (but all of which required a lot of time to submit – for example, putting together submission videos or writing pages and pages about your game).



There’s also been a ton of behind-the-scenes work and communication on things that I can’t share yet - but hopefully will be able to at some point ;)

To be clear, none of that’s me complaining – I am BEYOND grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given this year! The fact that over 100,000 people saw the IGN videos and social media posts combined genuinely blows my mind – especially since almost every response I’ve seen to the trailer and demo has been highly positive =D It’s all just to say that this year has seen me taking on a lot of new jobs/challenges, and consequently a massive amount of time was spent on taking advantage of these promotional opportunities rather than actually developing and finishing the game.

On the one hand, I’m incredibly frustrated with myself for not being finished yet. Truth be told, I’ve been afraid of writing this, as I sincerely hate letting everyone down – especially those of you who have been so incredibly patient with me these past 5 years since 8-Bit Adventures 1 came out. To all of you, I am deeply sorry.



But on the other hand, there is a silver lining. Thousands more people know about 8-Bit Adventures 2 now and are interested in the game, and that’s going to lead to a much more successful launch. Additionally, I received a massive number of comments and messages from people requesting a console release. Switch was definitely the most popular, but Playstation and Xbox had plenty of interest too!

Consoles had always been a long-term hope of mine, but I figured that stuff would have to wait until after the PC version was released. Thing is, after getting all of that extra attention, I’ve started to rethink that approach. As a small developer with a few games under my belt, I know that if you get any chance to make your game a success (through reaching games media, Steam algorithms, etc.), you only get one - and that chance comes at release. Obviously there are some games like Among Us which get a second go around, but you definitely can’t count on that. So having 8-Bit Adventures 2 available on consoles *as well as* PC on day one would mean that everyone interested in the game can immediately pick it up and play it. I’d also say it increases the likelihood of reviews and media coverage quite significantly.



As such, I’ve been speaking to a porting company, who have developed specific software for transitioning games developed in RPG Maker MV from PC to console and have very reasonable turn-around times. Additionally, the way they approach the conversion means QA testing and bug fixing for the ports shouldn’t be nearly as big a challenge as it otherwise would be.




To be clear, this isn’t an announcement of specific consoles (I’m not able to do that yet); rather, a statement that this is my goal and I’m working on making it a reality at the moment.

Now I know that the things I listed above are all really business reasons about why this approach is better. If you just want to play 8-Bit Adventures 2 on PC, there’s not really a benefit for you to this change, and that really sucks – I know =/ I’ve felt a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. I sincerely don’t want to disappoint anyone, but after spending 5 years of my life on 8-Bit Adventures 2, I also want to reach the maximum number of players and make it the biggest success I possibly can. Especially since that’s the only way I’m going to be able to continue making games in future =P



The responses I’ve had from players and fans this year has convinced me that 8-Bit Adventures 2 has the potential to be a success, and I’m *SO* grateful for that. All I can ask is that you all please give me the extra time needed to finish the game once and for all, as well as get it on as many platforms (and to as many people) as possible.

And if you want to get in touch and let me know your thoughts, please feel free to do so! You can reach me on email, Twitter, Discord – wherever! Time zone troubles aside, I’m pretty much always around =)

Anyway, I sincerely apologise for any disappointment and trouble this might cause. As always, I’m honestly just trying my best. And you know, I’m actually pretty excited about this – we’re going bigger with this launch than I ever imagined! It’s crazy to think of how far we’ve come since the first game’s release in 2015…and I sincerely owe it all to you guys for your incredibly kind words and support, without which I wouldn’t have even made a sequel!

Thank you everyone =)



Regardless of current circumstances, I hope you all stay safe, healthy, and have the best possible December 2020 you can. Let's all put the year behind us and make 2021 something special!
~Josh

I'm thrilled to announce that 8-Bit Adventures 2 was selected as one of the indie games to be exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2020! Operating as a digital event, TGS will run for the rest of the week - from the 23rd to the 27th of September (Japan Standard Time) - and there'll be a ton of great games on show, everything from indie to AAA!



It's a genuine honour to be selected for TGS, a game show that - especially as a fan of JRPGs - I've excitedly followed every year since the early 2000s. Its always been one of the most storied events in the industry, so I hope you'll check it out!

You can learn more about TGS 2020 here: https://tgs.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2020/

Or check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Exhibitor Page: https://tgs-online.eventos.tokyo/web/portal/309/event/1214/module/booth/33324/21477

And don't forget - anyone can play the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Demo, available on Steam right now!




Steam's also holding their own Tokyo Game Show 2020 event, and in celebration of this I've put several of my old games on sale!

From 10AM on September 24th through to 10AM on September 28th (Pacific Time), you can get 8-Bit Adventures at 60% off! That means you can own it for just $4 USD! You can also get the fantastic Remastered Soundtrack 30% off ($3.50 USD), or the Game + Soundtrack bundle 45% off (that’s only $6.60 USD)!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/370300/8Bit_Adventures_The_Forgotten_Journey_Remastered_Edition/

Additionally, my most recent game Tales Across Time is also participating in the sale, making an already cheap game even cheaper! You can now get it 20% off - that's just $2.39 USD!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/461710/Tales_Across_Time/

As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy if you're interested in checking these games out!


I'd also like to give a quick plug to the 8-Bit Adventures 2 SoundCloud page! So many people loved the music in the recent 8-Bit Adventures 2 trailer and wanted more. Well, we have 20 music samples for your listening pleasure already on our SoundCloud, so please feel free to check them out: https://soundcloud.com/8bitadventures2

The soundtrack is composed by the wonderful Sebastian Cruz (also known as Carfonu). He composed the music for the first 8-Bit Adventures as well, but he's absolutely outdone himself this time - creating a phenomenal 78 song soundtrack. If you like 8-bit or RPG music, you won't want to miss it!



Finally, if you’d like to support 8-Bit Adventures 2, please consider adding the game to your Steam wishlist – it might seem small, but it genuinely makes a big impact on Steam’s algorithms and will help us gain more visibility as we approach release!

Thank you all very much for your support (especially after the Gamescom trailer launch - that's been amazing!) and I hope you all enjoy TGS 2020! I'm excited to see what the week brings =D
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Listen to Music Samples on our SoundCloud
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam