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

You can watch the premiere of the brand new 8-Bit Adventures 2 trailer LIVE on August 30th at 7:40am Pacific Time, exclusively on IGN's Gamescom Studio show!

For the full schedule, you can check this link here: https://www.ign.com/articles/gamescom-2020-schedule-date-start-time-how-to-watch?sf127367411=1


If you miss the reveal, please check out the video above (it'll go live after the trailer airs on stream). I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity, so I hope you’ll all watch along with me if you’re able!

And for German speaking fans, 8-Bit Adventures 2 was featured on Webedia's Gamescom stream – presented by the wonderful Ann-Kathrin Kuhls, with new footage and a message from me talking about the game's art direction/what we hope to achieve.


After watching, don’t forget to check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Demo, available on Steam right now!

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

And 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 makes a big impact on Steam’s algorithms and will help us gain more visibility close to release!

Thanks so much for all your support! It’s been a lot of work to prepare for Gamescom 2020, but I absolutely can’t wait for everyone to see the trailer! Let me know what you think ;)

Click on the blue button next to this news post to set a reminder for the trailer premiere time. I hope to see you there!
~Josh

For more information and updates, please:

• Visit our Official Website
  
• Follow us on Twitter
  
• Join us on Discord
  
• Wishlist 8-Bit Adventures 2 on Steam

Hey everyone, it’s been a while! Sorry for the radio silence. I’m wearing a few too many hats at the moment and have been struggling with time management – most of which I can’t talk about, but it’s all related to 8-Bit Adventures 2 (fingers crossed everything will work out and I’ll be able to explain in future!). Regardless, I didn’t want to miss the July Monthly Update! …In August, just like always ;)


But let’s start off with some exciting news – 8-Bit Adventures 2 is going to be showcased at Gamescom 2020, as part of their digital event! I’m sure most people reading this already know, but Gamescom is one of the largest gaming events in the world. It normally takes place in Cologne, Germany, but due to the current situation was moved online. Not only did this mean that I could submit 8-Bit Adventures 2 (normally travel costs would make it impossible for me to participate), but the move to digital also means that Gamescom 2020 is completely free for everyone to attend!



I’ll also be debuting a brand new trailer for the game! Making a meaningful, exciting trailer that shows off new stuff and keeps the spoilers to a minimum is tricky, but I’m doing my best haha. There might be some overlap with past trailers for anyone that’s been following the game since the early days, but there’ll be plenty that’s new as well. I’m really excited to finally show off some of the animations for Trio Abilities ;)



The event runs from the 27th to the 30th of August, so I hope you’ll check it out and consider showing some support for 8-Bit Adventures 2! =D


I also want to say a special thank you to an awesome fan - @Zepht on Twitter and Steam – who shared a link to my Twitter account with a website looking for indie games to spotlight. Because of that, I’ve now had the pleasure of doing an interview with the wonderful @Gamey_Jamie of ‘By Gamers 4 Gamers’ (BG4G). We talked about 8-Bit Adventures 2, indie dev challenges, what I learnt from making the first game, how Jerram approached the art design, and more! I always like to speak fairly candidly, so I hope it’ll be interesting to read =)

The interview is out! If you want to get a peek behind-the-scenes of 8-Bit Adventures 2, please check it out here: https://www.bg4ghub.com/8-bit-adventures-2-interview-with-critical-games/






Also a big thanks to everyone who’s streamed or recorded videos of themselves playing the demo! It’s been really helpful and insightful to see other people actually play the game. I learnt a few things, but the most important was that a lot of people out there have way more modern, powerful set-ups than I have access too! XD



Several videos show the game running super fast, and this seems to be related to the refresh rate of the player’s monitor. There is an option that fixes this in the Options menu called ‘Synch Monitor FPS’, however no one turned it on haha. So I’ll be updating the demo to turn this feature on by default. This won’t change existing players’ configuration settings, but anyone new who downloads the demo will have this option turned on for them. If you notice any issues, this can be easily turned off from the Options menu, but theoretically turning this on should just result in a smooth, correct-speed experience for everyone - without any detriments for players with lower tier hardware.



This upcoming update will also fix a bug with the Defend command, as well as make a couple of adjustments to the Prologue’s organic tutorials (these tweaks were also inspired by watching recorded playthroughs).

None of this really makes much of a difference if you’ve already played the demo, but I just wanted to let you know! These changes will be made in the coming weeks, prior to Gamescom.




To make sure you don’t miss any news in future, I recommend following @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter, as that’s the best way I’ve found to keep up-to-date!

You can also check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website for more info and screenshots, or check Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalGamesDev

And don't forget to visit the Critical Games Creator Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33038547
Follow that page or wishlist the game to be notified when 8-Bit Adventures 2 is finally released!

Finally, you can also join us on the official 8-Bit Adventures 2 Discord server:
https://discord.gg/aKf2tr4

As always, thanks so much for reading this everyone. I know I didn’t talk about the game itself that much, but rest assured - I’m working on it. Hopefully the images, animated GIFs, and upcoming trailer make up for that. I hope to see everyone at Gamescom! =D
~Josh

8-Bit Adventures 2 is featured in the Steam Game Festival from June 16th to June 22nd. In celebration of this, a brand new Demo has been released for the game, and we’re holding our first ever AMA on our Discord channel, June 17th at 7pm PDT!


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


Download the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Steam Festival Demo and enjoy up to 2 hours of RPG action! It's divided into three levels - Prologue, Dungeon, and Town - so you can play them in order, or jump into any one you like. Enjoy strategic, turn-based battles, challenging boss fights, unique dungeons, an unforgettable soundtrack, and vibrant 8-Bit inspired visuals.

If you love turn-based JRPGs, and want more than a throwback, you won't be disappointed.



Once you're done with the demo, please join us on Discord, on Wednesday June 17th at 7pm PDT for the first ever 8-Bit Adventures 2 AMA!

And in another exciting first, it looks like we might have all 4 members of our development team on the AMA too! So if you have any burning questions about art, music, or programming, you can ask the experts =)

The AMA will go for roughly 2 hours. You can ask questions, give feedback, get demo tips, or just chat RPGs - whatever you'd like! I'll also be available for questions throughout the whole Summer Festival - either on Discord, Twitter (@CriticalGamesAU), or here on Steam. I'm always happy to chat, so please feel free to say hello!
~Josh

I hope everyone’s been doing okay this past month, and that you and your loved ones have stayed safe and healthy in these difficult times. I’m sorry this update’s a little late, but I’ve got some exciting news to share about an opportunity for us and a new demo for all of you. So let’s dive right in!

8-Bit Adventures 2 will be participating in Steam’s upcoming online festival! Here’s what Valve themselves say about the event:

#Discussions_QuoteBlock_Author

The Steam Game Festival is an event that shines a spotlight on games set to be released within the next year. From June 9th - 14th, check out upcoming releases, try them out with time-limited demos or short playable experiences, connect with the developers behind the games, and add games to your wishlist for a reminder when they release!

Basically, it’s a great way to fill that E3-shaped hole in your schedule by actually *playing* upcoming games, rather than just watching them! This type of digital event is still a bit of a new frontier for the game industry, but as someone who lives in Australia (and wouldn’t ever get to attend the big physical events) I’m really interested to see how this goes. It’s also a good excuse for me to update the game’s Steam page, so I’m in the process of changing the descriptions and replacing old screenshots with nice, shiny new ones.

So what’s the 8-Bit Adventures 2 demo going to include? Well, RPGs are a little hard to demo, as they’re designed to be more of a slow burn, where you settle into the world/characters/mechanics. So to try and convey as much as possible, I’ve divided this demo into 3 separate “levels” – the Prologue, a Dungeon, and a Town. These can be selected from a menu at the start of the demo, so you can jump into whichever section you want! Although I do recommend playing them in that order =P



The Prologue is the opening sequence of 8-Bit Adventures 2. It’s a short, dangerous trek through a desert at sunset, which eases you into the basic controls and mechanics, making it a great place to start your journey!

Next up, the Dungeon should be very familiar to players of the First Look Demo from 2017, as it once again features the Processor. However, a lot of changes have been made since then, and so I hope returning players will enjoy seeing how far we’ve come! For anyone who’s never played it, the Processor is a gritty, industrial-era town currently under the occupation of an army of clockwork soldiers. Steam-powered tanks roll through the streets and your journey from the open City to the carefully-guarded Foundry will be a perilous one.



Finally, the Town provides a more peaceful slice of 8-Bit Adventures 2, allowing the player to relax, explore, and talk to the weird and wonderful people which inhabit Stonecrest. I’m still working on it, but I’m considering transplanting an optional boss from a different town into this one, just as a fun bonus for the demo. Finally, if you try to leave, you’ll get a scene which shows an overview of the World Map that awaits in the full game.



All up, I’d say there’s around 1½ to 2 hours of content in this demo, so I hope you enjoy it when it launches with the Steam Festival on June 9th. I’ve really wanted to get something playable out for a while now for all of you; it’s not the full game, I know, but I hope it helps to make the wait a little easier =)

This new demo means that the First Look Demo will be taken down very soon. I’m planning to still archive it on my website: www.8bitadventures2.com but it will no longer be accessible via Steam (because I have to use the same Demo page to upload this new one). I apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

I’m sure some of you are probably wondering about your save file from the First Look Demo, which the game told you to hang onto. Back when I put it together in 2017, I thought I’d set everything up correctly; that save file would activate a trigger in the full game before starting normally from the opening sequence, and the player would receive a small bonus in their inventory as a thank you for being a long time fan. Unfortunately, I apparently didn’t set it up well enough. As the game has changed so much since that 2017 demo, that save file messes with all kinds of things and just doesn’t work properly. So, naturally, I don’t want anyone to start the game with it. As recently as March I thought I could still get it working, but after further testing, it doesn’t seem to be possible (although if I have any ideas, I’ll keep trying).



So I’ve been trying to think of a different way to reward long time fans, but I haven’t been able to figure out the right approach yet. I’m really, really sorry about this; I know some of you have been holding onto that save file for years, and I wanted to reward you because it really does mean a lot to see that. If anyone has any ideas of what they’d like to see in that regard, please do let me know!

I guess this is kind’ve like my own version of Banjo Kazooie’s Stop-n-Swop…never thought I’d have to say that =P

In terms of progress, a lot was achieved in April. I can now say that Act 1 of the game (if you break 8-Bit Adventures 2 up into the standard 3-Act structure) takes roughly 7 hours to complete, particularly if you’re exploring and chatting up NPCs. This Act includes 5 towns, 7 dungeons (+ the prologue), 11 boss fights, and a bunch of stuff in-between. So hopefully that gives you an idea of the pace of the game – there’s a lot of content, and not really any wasted time or filler.



With all the data from these first 7 hours, I also completed implementing and balancing the Augment system – which allows players to equip various special bonuses and passive abilities. It’s always been functional, but a system like that needs a lot of testing and planning (and also needed to be made distinct from Accessories and other equipment), and that’s the hurdle we’ve crossed.

Augments include passive effects like increasing your stats by a percentage, making healing items more effective, boosting the critical hit rate, protecting allies from damage, adding status ailments to your normal attacks, counter attacking, blocking certain ailments entirely, automatically adding buffs to the party (either at the start of battle or in an emergency on low HP), and so on.

Each character has a total of 5 Augment slots that unlock as they level up, meaning 35 slots accessible across the whole 7 character party. There are 69 Augments available in the game; so all up, you can equip half of that total. I’m really curious to see what interesting combinations players will come up with – I’ve found a few fun ones that I didn’t expect myself!



I’ve also been really happy with how useful characters’ various Abilities have proved during testing. For example, there’s a dungeon with explosive enemies which are protected by their fellow foes. So before you can damage the explosive enemy, you need to defeat its allies (and you don’t always have much time before it blows up!). However, while those allies block *damage*, they don’t block status ailments. So if you use one of Charlie’s recently acquired Abilities to inflict the Berserk status, it prevents the explosive enemy from blowing up, giving the player time to defeat the other monsters without the risk of major damage. I believe that kind of utility is one of the most satisfying things about a JRPG move-set.



In fact, I think Naoki Hamaguchi said it best in a recent interview about Final Fantasy VII Remake:

If you only give the player one method of doing something, they don’t really get the impression that they’re playing, right? They’re just doing what they’re told.

Having multiple options available, and multiple things that a player can do, is very important. It means that when they pick the right one, they feel clever and skilful as a result.

That feedback cycle is very important. RPG combat provides lots of opportunities to make decisions - from the different abilities, to how they use them on different enemies. When you make the right one, it makes you feel good - I think that’s always important to think about when designing battles.

Honestly, that perfectly sums up what I’ve tried to achieve with 8-Bit Adventures 2, and what I’m hoping will make the combat feel satisfying and fun to RPG newcomers and veterans alike.

To make sure you don’t miss any news in future, I recommend following @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter, as that’s the best way I’ve found to keep up-to-date!

You can also check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website for more info and screenshots, or check Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalGamesDev

And don't forget to visit the Critical Games Creator Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33038547
Follow that page or wishlist the game to be notified when 8-Bit Adventures 2 is finally released!

I sincerely hope everyone stays safe and healthy in the months to come. It’s been difficult watching the news and seeing all the awful stuff that’s been happening around the world, but you’ve all been in my thoughts. I hope the demo is something to look forward to, and I’m really excited for you all to go hands-on (and to get your feedback!).

As always, thank you all so much for your understanding and patience with me. I hope 8-Bit Adventures 2 can add at least a small bright spot in 2020 =) Please do your best to stay safe and healthy and I’ll see you at the start of June!

Oh, and May the 4th be with you! ;)
~Josh

Hey everyone, it’s been a while! We all know what’s been going on in the world, so I’ll just say that I sincerely hope everyone out there is safe and healthy; and hopefully not going too stir crazy from being stuck at home.

My thoughts go out to everyone at this difficult time, but I know that we’ll get through this. 2020 doesn’t have to be a “wasted” year, nor does it have to belong to some virus. Circumstances are difficult around the world, and I don’t want to minimise that for a second; but there’s still a lot of good to be found – even if you’re stuck indoors!

I’ve had a lot of opportunities to help family members and other people I know over the last month, which has been time consuming (sorry 8-Bit Adventures 2 fans!) but also very much worth doing. On the fun side of this, though, was buying Animal Crossing to play with my Grandmother – partly to try and give her more activity and mental stimulation. She has trouble with the controls, but she did surprisingly well – especially seeing as the last game she played was Kirby 64’s multiplayer mini-games in 2001! We got her camp set up, gave her tools, and I made her a birdhouse =P I don’t know when we’ll get to do it again due to current restrictions, but she genuinely seemed to enjoy it and said it made her use her noggin, so it was definitely worthwhile haha.



And honestly, I think this situation is a time for video games to shine. Not just for keeping us all connected and interacting with each other, but also for helping us stay positive and happy. I always approach game development with the perspective that a game is a kind of “conversation” between the developer and the player. The developer presents ideas or mechanics, and the player decides how to perceive and utilise them; there’s this moment-to-moment back and forth, as the game shifts from player directed to developer directed over and over.

I’ve been playing Threads of Fate on PS1 recently (a pretty obscure Square Soft title from 1999) and that game’s just a sweet, earnest, feel good adventure – with way more narrative depth than I expected at the start. It’s not exactly what I’d call a good game mechanically, but its charm wins out over any flaws, and it always left me feeling cheerful and optimistic. And that’s what I adore about video games! I’ve played so many titles like that over the years; and right now, I think we could all use a bit of that =)

So my personal recommendation? Hunker down with some old favourites – ideally anything which features a cheerful vibe, whatever makes you happy – and see what messages those developers left for you. I personally have always found games like that to be really helpful in lifting my spirits and bringing a positive attitude to the people around me!

Anyway, with that tangent out of the way, let’s get out onto some 8-Bit Adventures 2 talk!



So March was, once again, a slightly compromised month. The first week featured the memorial service for my Aunt, so the start of the month was really still about supporting family and getting back into routine. Zepht, Klara, Pierre, Seamus – thank you all very much for your condolences and consideration; it was sincerely appreciated! Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone! And then, with everything else that’s gone on, and trying to be helpful and supportive to people I know, that’s eaten up another chunk of time.

BUT, the month got off to a great start and progress has still been good all the way through. With the turn order bug for battle fixed in February, I finally was able to move forward in my testing. The first hostile area of the World Map was properly tested (a set number of enemies randomly spawn in different locations and chase you down if you get to close), and I also had to test what happens if the player attempts to backtrack to areas that you’d never normally bother to return to.



The really fun part about this was that it’s where the game starts to feel like a fully fledged classic JRPG; when the player can temporarily go off the rails and poke around in places for no other reason than because they can. I loved doing that as a kid, because it made the world feel more real and tangible – even though I wasted a lot of time haha XD

Anyway, moving on from there, you might’ve seen me talk about completing testing for the 5th dungeon on March 9th via Twitter. There are no standard enemy encounters in this one - instead it features a mix of light puzzle solving sprinkled between two boss battles. I tried to find lots of little ways to vary up the dungeons in 8-Bit Adventures 2 and particularly to make sure that no dungeon overstays its welcome (Sylph Cave in FFIV, I’m looking at you 0_0).

The next town-style location and 6th dungeon have also been tested; however what I’ve spent most of the month doing is implementing and testing new bug fixes! Sufyan (the programmer) has done a lot of work this past month, and some really important features and fixes have been implemented. For example, we now have a proper battle transition!



Most of them aren’t very visual, or at least not very exciting to talk about, but they make the game a whole lot better. It feels so much more solid and final to play now than ever before! And that’s been really helpful for me, because it makes balancing the game a lot easier. Now that the characters are gaining more Abilities in my playthrough, it’s been really fun to experiment with them.

For example, I can put Charlie into a Parry Stance (which lets his block most forms of damage for 3 turns) and then use Warrior’s Decoy ability to make all single-target attacks focus on him. Or swapping slower party members in on faster characters’ turns when I need a quick heal or to use some other ability (e.g. swapping out Thief to bring in Robot so that I can use his Heal Ray to keep the party alive). It feels really satisfying to run rings around normal enemies like this - fun stuff if you love turn-based battle systems!



One of the other cool things that’s been added this month is a Palette Shader effect for battles and fade transitions. Essentially, this removes opacity and transparency effects from the game, and instead uses specially made palettes to fade to white and black, or flash the screen. It probably doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a big difference visually and brings us a lot closer to the enhanced, faux 8-bit aesthetic we’ve been aiming for. That’s how fades and other effects were done on the NES – in simple terms, they’d alternate between palettes; for example, swapping a lighter colour for a darker colour on the NES palette and stepping down, colour by colour, until they reached black, for a fade out.

There’s still a lot of fixes and tweaks for Sufyan to make, but there’s one from March that I do have to mention…

Simply put, the humping glitch is finally fixed! Long live the humping glitch!



...I might've spent more time doing this than I'd care to admit haha.

So what’s next in April? Hopefully a lot more fixes (it’d be ideal if we could have all of the fixes/tweaks I need from Sufyan done by the end of April – but we’ll see what happens), and a lot more in-game progress! Next up for my testing is a city under siege which concludes Act 1 of the story, followed by two big towns, a court sequence where you’re your own lawyer, and a very familiar optional dungeon for players of 8-Bit Adventures 1 to revisit. So it should be fun! …Assuming the game doesn’t decide to break every five minutes =P Ah, the joys of game dev!

As much as I know I’ve let you all down with constant delays and the speed of production, I am glad in some ways to not be releasing just yet - given the current situation. A game like Final Fantasy VII Remake will be fine because it has such a big fan-base, but a smaller title like mine really relies on word of mouth and being featured in the media. While I’d really love to have it out for you all to play right now, I think it’d be very difficult to have a successful launch in the current climate.

Of course, it’s a moot point anyway because the game isn’t ready haha, but I just wanted to comment about that. I’m thinking about release every day, and I’m aware that all of you who’ve stuck by me – some since even 2015! – are all waiting for this. I know how hard it is to wait for a game you’re excited to play, and it means the world to me that people feel that way (this is the first game I’ve ever made where that’s been the case!). So when I finally figure out what that right time is, you’ll be the first to know =)

To make sure you don’t miss any news in future, I recommend following @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter, as that’s the best way I’ve found to keep up-to-date!

You can also check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website for more info and screenshots, or check Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalGamesDev

And don't forget to visit the Critical Games Creator Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33038547
Follow that page or wishlist the game to be notified when 8-Bit Adventures 2 is finally released!

I hope this update lets you know how things are going; and I truly hope things are well with all of you too! At least, as well as they can be =)

Now if you'll excuse me, Final Fantasy VII Remake has just been released early in Australia, and I've been losing my mind over that while writing this! XD Honestly, it's surreal getting something first here (almost 2 weeks early) because when I was a kid, we were always the last! Not to brag about it though (sorry international people) =P I'm crossing my fingers that everyone else will get the game this week too! I'll probably tweet some spoiler-free thoughts once I get to start playing, if anyone's interested.

All the best, and please stay safe and healthy! =)
~Josh

Hi everyone,

You might be wondering where the February Update post is, so I just wanted to let you all know what's going on.

Last weekend, a dearly beloved member of my family passed away - my Aunty Carol. It's been a very difficult time for my family and I - both in the lead-up, and now that it's happened - and consequently I haven't prepared my usual monthly update. I haven't had much time this week to rectify that either, as I've been helping to prepare for my Aunt's memorial service. Honestly, in my downtime, I've just been turning off and collecting Pokemon haha - it's funny what we go back to when we're dealing with something like this =P

She and my Uncle have given me money every birthday to help fund 8-Bit Adventures 2 - even when I told them not to worry. My Aunt always gave me her love and support and believed in me. My deepest regret is that she won't be here to see the release of my work after all this time, but I'm going to do all that I can to live up to the faith that she placed in me. She was already going to be included in the Special Thanks section of 8-Bit Adventures 2, but the end of the game will also now feature a dedication to her. One of the themes of our story is about what it means to live a full life - and she was a woman who exemplified exactly that; a life filled with family, friends, and love.

On the brighter side of things, in case you missed it on social media, after 3 long months, the 8-Bit Adventures 2 battle system is finally working again! When Sufyan (the programmer) sent this fix to me, I let out the biggest sigh of relief you can imagine haha. There are still plenty more bugs to fix, but we've been back on track for testing again - and things are feeling really solid =D

Anyway, I just wanted to write this quick update to let you all know what's going on. I'll be alright, and the game is moving along - I just wanted to clarify why there's no proper February update. I sincerely apologise for that and hope to speak to you all again soon =)

~Josh

A late Happy New Year to everyone! I know 2020’s gotten off to a rough start (certainly here in Australia), but the generosity and solidarity I’ve seen from ordinary people around the world to help combat every new challenge has been really inspiring. I know we’re all working to help each other and make this the best year we possibly can! And for me, part of that means releasing 8-Bit Adventures 2 and hopefully making a lot of people happy – even if only for a few hours =)

So let’s kick off this release year with the January update for 8-Bit Adventures 2!

Okay, so let’s start with the good news – Sufyan (the programmer) is finally back home and working on 8-Bit Adventures 2 again! He’s sent me a couple of requested tweaks so far and is working on fixing the major issue which has left the battle system broken these past few months. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re in a much better position than we were when I last spoke to you. Hopefully in February everything will finally be fixed and I can start zooming along again with testing.



For anyone who’s been following this whole saga, I really can’t apologise enough for the delays here (this completely caught me by surprise too), and hopefully I’ve been open enough in communicating what’s going on. Unfortunately, this has been one of those things that’s just completely out of my control, and so all I’ve been able to do is wait - and keep working on other things.



Thankfully, I’ve been getting a lot of things done! Including a few extra odds and ends that I wasn’t sure were going to make the cut – such as a hidden Black Market for enterprising adventurers to discover (an Airship might be required to find it, though!). I’ve also been doing final mapping and detail passes on some of the optional dungeons, a couple of which needed some expansion. I mentioned in December that we’d just passed 800 individual maps that make up the world of 8-Bit Adventures 2. Now we’re nearly at 850 maps – which should be the final tally (there are just a couple more optional areas I want to add, seeing as I have the opportunity while waiting for the battle system fixes).



So things are definitely looking up! …Buuuuut it’s still not an ideal situation.



Last month, I showed off some of the concept art made by Jerram (the artist). This time, I thought I’d include some more – but with a little extra context. So let’s take a brief, simplified look at the process of making monsters for 8-Bit Adventures 2!



In general, I like to introduce two or three new enemy types per unique environment, as I think this helps to keep battles feeling fresh and varied; as well as maintaining a sense of mystique (as the player has no idea what any new foe might do). So there are really two factors that went into my monster concepts. Either I’d consider the environment I wanted them to inhabit and think up a design which fit, or I’d come up with some ability or unusual quirk/mechanic for an enemy and imagine it from that basis.



As you can probably tell, a lot of my monster concepts are a little quirky and strange. Part of that is the influence of the Mother/Earthbound series, but in general it’s JRPG tradition to skew towards the weird and wonderful when it comes to common enemies. I personally like this approach – not only because I think it adds to the world’s personality, but because it keeps the game feeling more unique and surprising when your next foe can range from utterly bizarre to deadly badass.



Of course, this only works when you have a unifying visual style that can make these two extremes feel coherent, and that’s where Jerram came in. I’d describe my vague ideas for the enemy, providing the most relevant references I could find, and then he would take that information, filter it through his own imagination, and turn it into something dynamic and vibrant!



Generally no revisions or debate were required; it just took one pass and we’d both be in total agreement about the design. Occasionally I’d make a tweak or comment (or Jerram would make a change himself), but generally it was a seamless flow from idea, to concept art, to enemy sprite – which all turned out far better than I could’ve ever imagined! Jerram did an amazing job creating a cast of fiends that are both memorable and filled with personality; many of their battle animations also really helping to express that.


The Grinning Ember – one of the few enemies to get a re-design (and an attitude change!). I'm pretty sure Jerram was the one behind these alterations =)

The last thing our monsters needed was a name; and when you play 8-Bit Adventures 2, you’ll quickly learn that I have an affinity for alliteration, puns, and silly jokes – some of which might only make sense to me XD But sometimes these quirky names generated ideas too! For example, in the City of Sounds dungeon, I was trying to come up with enemy designs and thought of the name ‘Electric Guitarist’, which immediately struck a chord with me. As this is a high-tech area, the idea of an electrical enemy was perfect, along with the musical connection and name pun. This then lead to the idea of a whole band of enemies who are stronger when they fight as a team - and this really gave the area an extra dose of character - and a more distinct identity.



Obviously this is a pretty simple breakdown of the process (especially for Jerram - there's a whole lot of amazing design work on his side of things!), but I hope you enjoyed this quick look at some more concept art from 8-Bit Adventures 2 =)

I’m not sure if this is of interest to anyone here, but in my spare time over the past 9 months, I’ve written a six-part essay - titled Kingdom Hearts III: A Conclusion without a Story - which analyses Kingdom Hearts III’s approach to storytelling; viewed both from the perspective of a player, and a writer/game designer.

Click here to check it out!


My intention was to examine the game’s structure, ideas, and mistakes, and draw out numerous lessons that could be applicable to the reader’s own game – all centred around a main hypothesis. The hope is that anyone can read and enjoy it, but that developers can gain a lot more from the topics explored.

But the reason I bring this up is because, in this essay, I analyse Kingdom Hearts III through the same kind of lens that I apply to 8-Bit Adventures 2. So if anyone is curious about my perspective or approach to game design, story telling, or character building – especially in the context of a JRPG – you might find it interesting! Or at least get a sense of where I’m coming from with my own work =)

To make sure you don’t miss any news in future, I recommend following @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter, as that’s the best way I’ve found to keep up-to-date!

You can also check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website for more info and screenshots, or check Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalGamesDev

And don't forget to visit the Critical Games Creator Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33038547
Follow that page or wishlist the game to be notified when 8-Bit Adventures 2 is finally released!

I’m sorry for the lacklustre update to kick off the year, but I hope the news that Sufyan is back on the job and working on those fixes as we speak adds a tinge of optimism to the post! Believe me, I’m biting my fingernails and counting the hours in anticipation of that – I can’t overstate how big of a challenge this issue has been over the last few months.

So let's cross our fingers and look forward to a February filled with progress and success! And I mean that for every single one of us, to be clear =) I hope you all have a wonderful month and I'll see you in the next update!
~Josh

Told you I’d be back earlier than usual! Yes, Christmas time is here and so is a jam-packed December Update for 8-Bit Adventures 2 =) We’ve got a lot to get through (plenty of fun visual content too!), so I’ll skip my mad ramblings this time and jump straight into the content!

If you missed my previous posts, the website IndieDB has been running their annual competition highlighting indie games, and thanks to our wonderful fans (all of you!) we made it into their Top 100 – which is absolutely fantastic! But the competition isn’t over yet; now we’re in the running for Top 10 Upcoming Indie Games.

Getting onto this list would gain 8-Bit Adventures 2 even more visibility, and would be a definite feather in our cap. We're up against 42 other games, so every vote matters. You've all done more than enough already; but if you can keep supporting 8-Bit Adventures 2, I'd sincerely appreciate your vote =)

If you’d like to support us, please follow the link below and click the big red ‘Vote’ button next to 8-Bit Adventures 2! It'd be the best Christmas present you can give me ;)

https://www.indiedb.com/groups/2019-indie-of-the-year-awards/top100#vote62132



For the next week (until 10:05 AM on January 2nd 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)!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/370300
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!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/461710
As I've said before, these discounts won't get any lower in the future, so now's the time to buy!

As has always been the case, every purchase goes towards 8-Bit Adventures 2's development. Most things are now fully paid for (thankfully!), but we've still got a few things to cover, so any and all support is greatly appreciated!

Last year in November, I released a sizzle reel showing off some scenes from the game. The video was unlisted, and while some of you may have already seen it, it never got many views. So I’ve cut out the initial minute-and-a-half of me giving an old progress report and re-uploaded the 2 minute sizzle reel portion of the video. So if you haven’t seen it, please check it out below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eST6W2_aP3Y&feature=youtu.be
I really wanted to make a new one this year, but these things take quite a bit of time and with the battle system’s turn order still in shambles (more on that below), it doesn’t make things easy. So I think at this stage I’ll make a final trailer closer to release and leave it at that. Don’t want to get *too* spoiler-y!



So as you might’ve gathered, the bugs I’ve been complaining about these last couple of months (especially the turn order part of the battle system being broken) still aren’t fixed. Sufyan (the programmer) has had things in his work life that have taken all of his time up and put him under a lot of stress, and he’s just trying to cope with it all as best he can – working around the clock. He’ll be back in (and is very much looking forward to) January though, so hopefully we’ll be able to get back on top of it all in the very near future. As always, I just want to be open with you guys on what’s happening =)



But let’s get onto the fun stuff! I wanted to show off a few more locations that you haven’t seen before – in fact these are some of my favourite dungeon aesthetics in the game. Specifically, we have a deep forest near Estriatus that’s connected to a fan-favourite subplot in 8-Bit Adventures 1, an underwater cavern that serves as the lair of an ancient ocean-dwelling beast (the diving suit returns!), and an abandoned, ruined prison complex which was once used to hold the Glitch and is now run by broken down, insane robots.



It probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but the game contains over 800 individual maps - which is a lot haha! In addition to the massive amount of content in the main quest, this includes both meaty optional dungeons and small, one-off areas you can discover by exploring the World Map.



I’ve really tried to make 8-Bit Adventures 2 feel content-rich without sacrificing pacing or bloating the game. It’s a tricky balance to get right in a genre that so often leans too far one way or the other – I’ve definitely played some JRPGs that felt too long for the wrong reasons. So I often look to Chrono Trigger (one of the best paced games ever made in my opinion) and the scale of their content for inspiration (the size of dungeons, the number of enemy encounters, the structure and speed of battles, and so on).



I think the world of 8-Bit Adventures 2 has become really fun to just explore and run around in now that everything’s connected up. Truth be told, whenever I complete an area, I spend several minutes just sprinting around in it XD Mainly because I’m trying to see if any odd tiles stick out to me or if anything needs a last minute adjustment (I need to make sure everything looks and feels right) but…I also do it because it’s fun haha.



If you’re like me, then you enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes content from the games you play – especially concept artwork! Well, Jerram (the artist) gave me pretty much everything he ever drew for 8-Bit Adventures 2 (over 100 sketches) and I thought it might be fun to show this off – as something different for the end of the year! I personally enjoy concept art that looks a little rough and early (sorry Jerram! =P), but I've tried to include a mix of types. I’ll definitely release all of these drawings in some form at one point, but here are just a few fun selections I made =) Enjoy!















To make sure you don’t miss any news in future, I recommend following @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter, as that’s the best way I’ve found to keep up-to-date!

You can also check out the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website for more info and screenshots, or check Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalGamesDev

And don't forget to visit the Critical Games Creator Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33038547
Follow that page or wishlist the game to be notified when 8-Bit Adventures 2 is finally released!



I’ve said it all before, but thank you – every single one of you reading this – so much for all your continued support and excitement for 8-Bit Adventures 2. 2019 has been a rough year in some ways, and failing to release the game in a year that I was *so* confident about definitely didn’t help that. But whatever happens – by hook or by crook – 8-Bit Adventures 2 is getting finished and released!

I know I say this all the time, but I honestly can’t wait for all of you to play it. I develop games to make people happy – that’s my goal - and there’s no greater joy for a game developer than players actually *playing* your game! I think even the most ardent of perfectionists (of which I can definitely be – at least, I take the time to get things right haha) wants that.

I want to wish you all Happy Holidays, a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year full of wonderful possibilities and joy! Thank you everyone and I’ll see you in 2020! (You just can’t get rid of me haha =P)
~Josh