Wait a second, a monthly update that's actually *in* the month it's named after?! To answer your first, and frankly most obvious question: no, I'm not some shadowy impostor who's killed Josh and begun wearing his face as a kind of grotesque mask in order to usurp development of 8-Bit Adventures 2 - I just had the extra impetus of the Steam Autumn Sale to get this out a little sooner than usual! The December update will probably be a lot earlier than usual too, so please keep an eye out for it =)

Without further adieu, let's charge into the fray!



For the next week (until 10:05 AM on December 3rd 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, but we've still got a few things to cover, so any and all support is greatly appreciated!

I'm not actually going to bore you all with bug reports haha, but that's definitely continued to be a big theme in November. Unfortunately Sufyan (our programmer) hasn't been able to address any of the bugs I've been dealing with this month due to personal circumstances. To make matters worse, due to a fix that didn't quite work at the end of last month, battles have been left a tad broken. So the situation hasn't been ideal, but I've still been making progress and am basically at the end of what I'd call Act 1 (assuming we break the game into the traditional 3-Act Structure). Once we squash some of those battle bugs, things will definitely be a lot easier to test, but for now I've just been doing what I can.



Sebastian (our composer) just sent me his final track - a whopping 6 minute long Credits theme - which plays over the ending of the game, and is utterly beautiful. It conveys the emotions of the characters so well, and I couldn't be happier with it. I think that when everyone gets to the ending, it'll make you feel exactly the way the end of a grand adventure should make you feel =)



A lot of the work I've been doing is pretty steeped in spoiler territory, so I won't say too much (and I'm trying not to show much either!). One of the jobs I've tackled is trying to make the Processor (the environment from the First Look Demo) a little more lively. Tanks roll around on the roads, Clockwork Soldiers guard street corners, and the bodies of poor, defenceless worker robots litter the city.



It's actually a little crazy how much things have changed since the old demo, and working on this area really drove that home. And that's in regards to menus, animations, fonts, the removal of random battles, the addition of sprinting, plus battle system and story tweaks. Honestly, it feels good to see!



I'll also note that I got past the point in 8-Bit Adventures 2 (around the 5-6 hour mark, depending on your speed) where the player gets the final additions to their tool-set; specifically party switching (as now you have more than 3 characters), the Robot's 'Part' system (he doesn't have normal abilities, but instead equips 'Parts' to extend his repertoire), & Augments (a special equippable which can enhance a character's stats & provide all kinds of unusual effects). Basically, my intention was that by the end of 'Act 1' (as explained above) the player should have complete access to all of the game's mechanics; with the final two dungeons of this act allowing them to start exploring these mechanics. Thankfully, that's worked out pretty well!



Thanksgiving naturally isn't celebrated in Australia, but I hope everyone who does partake enjoys the holiday and has plenty to be grateful for this year. I know I'm certainly grateful for all of you - especially for sticking by me in this long, long development cycle! And I'm also so, *so* grateful for Sebastian, Jerram, and Sufyan - without them, making this game would've been impossible, and they've all done such incredible work. Thanks guys =)



I truly thought there was no way in the world 8-Bit Adventures 2 wouldn't be released in 2019, and grappling with that reality has been a little crushing these past few months. To spend such a large chunk of your life working on a project like this is kind've terrifying haha. But we've come this far, and I'm trying to be as transparent and open with all of you as I can be (while also not saying anything stupid or super spoiler-y =P). I'm gonna get it right and I'm gonna get it out there.



To recap on the year a little, the content's pretty much all there; all I'm doing is just testing, polishing, tweaking, balancing, and bug fixing. All graphical assets are done; all music is composed; the game is playable in some way from start to finish. Hey, we even have a decent website now! 2019 has been the year where all the pieces have really, finally come together and it's made me very confident in the quality of 8-Bit Adventures 2. Has the year been challenging? Yep. Has it gone the way I wanted? Definitely not. But I've worked hard, done my best, and I think it's all paid off.

...I'm definitely making a smaller game next time though XD



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 think I covered most things above, but as you can see from my image choices, I'm trying to really avoid big spoiler content at this point. Hopefully these updates are still interesting to read, and give you a solid insight into where we are/what I'm doing. As I said, I should have the December update out much earlier than normal too, so please keep an eye out for that!

Oh, and have you guys been watching the Mandalorian? It's like a live-action Genndy Tartavosky production (i.e. Samurai Jack); so precisely paced, allowing everything room to breathe and developing its characters with minimal dialogue. Its plot isn't going anywhere fast, but I'm really enjoying it! His Dark Materials has also taken me by surprise. As someone who knows nothing of the books, I've gotten really invested haha.

...As you can probably tell, I never have any idea how to end these things XD But I hope everyone has an absotively splendificus start to the holiday season!
~Josh

Hey there, great to see ya! How’s everything going? Had a good Halloween?

Oh, me? I’m just writing the October 2019 update for 8-Bit Adventures 2! …Yes, I know it’s the 2nd of November. For some reason, that’s just the way I’ve ended up doing this. Eh, don't think too much about it. The months go by so quickly now haha. But enough small talk with myself – let’s get into it!

First off, Happy Halloween for the other night! I posted this little GIF on the actual day (via Twitter @CriticalGamesAU), but in case anyone missed it…

In 8-Bit Adventures 2, you'll find ghosts and ghouls galore! But despite all the fiendish foes you'll face, on this Hallows' Eve, I thought a stroll amongst the graves might be a more appropriate treat...



But these ain't your average, mindless Zombies. They may be maggot-ridden, but they're on a mission - to stop you from reaching their master, no matter the cost! Poor guy - that looks like it hurts...



This month will probably be a little light on the details, but I always like to show off a new batch of screenshots and animated GIFs! I’m approaching the end of testing what I consider ‘Act 1’ of the game (based on a 3 Act structure), so if you’re hyper concerned about spoilers…well, this update should be okay, but we’re getting to a point where I’m being extra mindful of what I show – while also trying to keep things interesting haha.



Oh, and don’t mind the names for Warrior/Thief/Mage – these images are taken from my personal save file (they’re actually the same names I used when testing the first game too!).

Jerram (the artist) has now totally, fully, 100% finished his work on 8-Bit Adventures 2, so give him a round of applause! He’s done an absolutely incredible job, and a lot of my time in October was spent implementing the ending assets he’s made, as well as many other odds and ends which enhance the look of the game, and frankly make it feel polished and complete – such as the final battle transition effect (which I’ll definitely be showing in the near future!).



We’ve still been contending with some very tricky bugs, but Sufyan (the programmer) has been hard at work taking care of them. There’s still plenty more to do (I just ran into one a couple of days ago where every time I defended in a particular battle, my character would get faster XD), but we’re on the road to making 8-Bit Adventures 2 airtight by release!

One of the dungeons I worked on this past month is the Ocean Cave – which is so dark, that unless you’re standing near a light source, you can’t see! These battles are pitch black and enemies appear only as vague outlines – which actually alters their moveset a little. To even the playing field, you'll need to lead them close to one of the many torches before starting the battle. This will let you fight them under optimal conditions, helping you see and revealing their true forms!



But if you do get stuck in the dark, don’t worry – Emma is blind, and fights using her other senses, so she’ll be your secret weapon! If you get caught like this, it’s usually best to put Charlie on support, using Items or Abilities to aid her. But the monsters here are no joke (well, power-wise anyway =P), so be careful and try to put yourself in the best position possible!



Another thing I wanted to briefly touch upon is team attacks! In 8-Bit Adventures 2, we have Combo (2 people) and Trio (3 people) Abilities which combine your party members’ various skills. To gain one of these special team-up attacks, both characters must have learnt specific Abilities. For example, Love’s Shield requires Thief to have learnt First Aid, and Warrior to have learnt Shield Wall.



These abilities can be activated by any of the participating characters (except Robot – he functions a little differently), however they also drain AP/MP from everyone involved - so be careful you don’t overuse them. Otherwise, your whole party might end up running on empty!

Also a minor mention, but the Escape Amulet from the first game returns in 8-Bit Adventures 2 (it’s one of the things I set up this month)! If you ever need to get back to the entrance of a dungeon in a hurry, just open up your Key Items and use the Escape Amulet to zip straight back to the entrance. Leaving the dungeon will re-spawn all of its enemies though (at least, under normal circumstances), so you’ll have to decide if it’s worth the risk!

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!



As usual, I’m afraid it’s not the update we’ve all been waiting for – but I just want you guys to know that I’m still here and doing my best to get everything done. And you know, I’m really happy with how everything’s turning out! This might be a bit of a strange highlight, but emerging onto the Xanthus Desert section of the World Map for the first time felt really satisfying. I know I made the thing, but there’s something about a fully realised World Map that still just feels *right*. I’m hoping to deliver RPG veterans a lot of those moments – not just references that play to nostalgia, but moments that capture the style and feel of games long past in a new context.

And I guess on a grander level, I hope to tell a positive story about the things that really matter in our lives; one that embodies both a hopeful optimism, and a sense that we can overcome any obstacle. I feel these elements – the sense of “striving for a better tomorrow”, as Hironobu Sakaguchi once put it - were key to making so many JRPGs into beloved classics. We’ll see how I do, but essentially I want people to leave my games feeling happy and re-energised, rather than frustrated or depressed. In these troubled times, I feel like making people smile is the most helpful thing I can do with my work. Hopefully 8-Bit Adventures 2 will make you smile too! =)
~Josh

Phew, I’m so glad the August update’s done, now to get back to- Wait, what do you mean it’s the 1st of October?! Uh…well then, I guess we’d better get on with the September update!

Yes, while my understanding of calendars might be a bit iffy, I once again come bearing screenshots and insights into the seemingly ‘never-ending story’ that is 8-Bit Adventures 2’s development. Thankfully, that movie *does* in fact have an ending…which may technically be grounds for a false advertising lawsuit, but in our case makes me very optimistic! So hop on your nearest Luckdragon, and let’s get into it!

September’s been an interesting mix of swift progress and frustrating roadblocks.

On the bright side, Jerram has finished the ending and is just wrapping up the last few odds and ends; after which, that’ll be the graphical assets completely and totally 100% finished! Obviously I can’t show you anything from it, but the ending looks utterly fantastic and is by far our most ambitious cinematic sequence in the game. This took a *lot* of figuring out – particularly trying to convey the emotions of the scene - but I really think we leave players on a high note. Jerram really went above and beyond here! But while I can’t show you the ending, I can show you one of my favourite shots from the opening!



Beyond that, I’m currently testing and tweaking the game at the 3 and a half hour mark. Even though hour-wise this definitely isn’t anywhere near as far as I’d hoped to be by the end of September, there’s a big reason for this - which *is* a type of progress of its own.

Basically, this has been the month of bugs haha. To give you some idea of what a difference they make, one large city area with no bugs took only a day and a half to finish, whereas one particular dungeon took a week and a half – partly due to cutscene issues in a big story sequence, but predominantly because of bugs. So while I’ve been trying to play through the game, I’ve also been spending a lot of time trying to figure out, document, and (in cases where I’m able) fix some very tricky problems with the game. Sufyan (the programmer) is currently working on a lot of fixes for me, so things should be a lot smoother once they’re implemented.



A lot of the problems have been things which only really reveal themselves if you’re playing the game in a linear, long-term form; like players will once it’s finished. For example, Thief has a passive ability which gives her a massive speed boost on the first turn of battle. But, at some seemingly random point in my playthrough, that ability just suddenly stopped working, which consequently throws off the turn order that the player’s supposed to have for every battle with her in it. And that then compounds with a bunch of other bugs, making balancing battles pretty tricky! Of course, that’s why it’s so important to test games as a whole, rather than just in vertical slices – you run into all the conflicts between different, evolving systems that way.



While it’s disappointing (and often hair-pullingly frustrating =P) to encounter these problems at a point when I desperately want to make rapid progress…they had to be found. Much better that I run into this stuff now than you guys at launch! So even though it can be a little disheartening, bug fixes are an important kind of progress too.



But the actual content I've completed has been pretty significant as well; both in terms of big story events, and the long-term progression of various gameplay systems. This makes it a little tough to show things off, but I’m making sure to stay well away from any big spoilers!



*Please Note - there are a couple of bugs on display within these battle GIFs with the enemy HP bars, and Omega Burst gauge. Apologies for this, but I still wanted to show them off!*

Some of the battle GIFs demonstrate the ways in which enemies can work together in battle. For example, the Molten Man and Lava Lady – when both foes are alive in battle – can combine their powers for a Red Hot Combination attack. Whereas the Rampaging Ram, with its randomised attacks (which will either attack the party or its own allies) can accidentally enrage The Hibernator, forcing the player to think on their feet (that bear is an enemy you want to keep docile for as long as possible!).



It’s a small touch, but I’ve also changed the way that shopkeeper dialogue works. We’ve all been there; we just want to buy a few dozen potions, but every time you have to skip through the shopkeeper’s opening and closing dialogue. The text gives the game some personality, sure, but it’s frustrating on repeat visits when you’re just looking to buy.



So what I did is open up the counter of every store. The first time you speak over the counter, you’ll get the full dialogue. But every time after that, now that you’re acquainted, you’ll just see a quick and easy menu that gets you right into buying and selling. And if you want to read the full dialogue again, just talk to the shopkeeper from behind the counter and they’ll be happy to have a good chinwag!



As I've said before, 8-Bit Adventures 2 is a mixture of old and new; both in its attempt to blend retro and modern game design, as well as in its environments which include the majority of locations from the first game (albeit re-designed!). As you can see below, the Volcano is one of these areas. It was a bit of a tricky dungeon in the original, but this time you've got a few more tools and tricks at your disposal - and a much better balanced game haha. Of course, even though you'll meet new enemies (as you can see above), there might be a familiar face or two to greet you...and maybe blow you up. Who can say? ;)



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!



Everything I said in last month's wrap-up still holds true, so there's not much I can add at this point (I recommend reading it if you haven't!). It was just really important to me that I take the time to check-in with you guys, and let you know how we're going - both the good and bad. And to be clear, most of it *is* good! If you guys could see the full, spoilerific picture that I can see...well, I'm extremely hopeful that everyone will be really happy with what we've created here =) Because even though the speed at which I'm making progress can feel incredibly demoralising, I'm really proud of what we've achieved and I honestly can't wait for all of you to see everything 8-Bit Adventures 2 has in store!

On that note, for anyone concerned about this update format, I'm absolutely conscious of spoilers, and am doing my best to keep that stuff to a minimum =P I hope you all have an awesome October, and I'll see you soon with a (hopefully) equally awesome update!
~Josh

Summer turns to Autumn (well, Winter turns to Spring for me in the Southern Hemisphere!), and with it comes the 8-Bit Adventures 2 August update! I’ve made a bunch of new GIFs showcasing some of what I’ve been working on, so I’ll try and keep my commentary to a minimum this time! Will I succeed? Read on to find out…

…But if you look at your scroll bar, the answer is clearly no =P

*Please note, some of the below GIFs had to be slightly compressed, or their framerate edited, to fit into Steam's 3MB limit.*

August has been full of great progress, but I had a bit of a rough start to the month! The day after I wrote the July update, my dog tripped me over while we were crossing the road, causing me to face-plant on the asphalt XD Unfortunately, both of my hands (particularly my palms) were injured, and this really slowed me down for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, though, the rest of August went pretty smoothly!



As you may remember, I’m currently playing through 8-Bit Adventures 2 minute by minute, tweaking/testing/balancing/polishing every detail to get it ready for all of you! It took me the whole of July to reach the 30 minute mark, and now at the end of August I’m sitting at 2 hours in. Now, that may sound really worrying, but as I said last month, these early sections of the game are by far the most unpolished and were somewhat unfinished (as they were created relatively early in development, before most of the graphics were completed).



The great news is that the last half an hour of that 2 hour progression has only taken me three days to fully test – as opposed to the previous hour and a half which basically took 2 months. I’m finally getting to the point of the game where, back in 2017, I’d started to develop a syntax – a language and a logic for constructing environments, cutscenes, and recurring events (e.g. shops or map transitions) in this engine. So there’s now more and more consistency in the content I’m testing, which makes this whole process a much quicker and smoother experience than it was prior to this point. If this continues, as I expect it will, then we should be in a great place by the end of September.



Honestly, testing the game like this been a really good experience! Everything’s pretty much just as I hoped it would be. Battles feel snappy, responsive, and look great, cutscenes are concise and entertaining, everything feels very neatly paced (areas have enough time to breath, but you’re constantly doing something/going somewhere new), environments are fleshed out just enough without being intimidating or overbearing, and I’m still chuckling at some of the silly NPC dialogue I wrote a couple of years ago =P Obviously this is just my (extremely biased!) opinion, but I’m really proud of what we’ve made – and more than a little relieved ;)



One of the challenges in this early portion of 8-Bit Adventures 2 has been figuring out the right approach to difficulty. The player only controls a single character during the first dungeon, and in a Conditional Turn-Based Battle System (to borrow Final Fantasy X’s terminology) that singular party member can either receive too many advantages or be swamped by enemies, if the game’s turn order system isn’t designed correctly.



As it’s the start of the game, I’ve kept things fairly simple so that players who are inexperienced with turn-based combat can ease themselves in. In these first couple of hours, you can technically progress by simply mashing the attack button. However, this is definitely not optimal, and players doing this will likely take more damage and so use up more of their healing items. So even though this early stage of the game is quite easy, playing smart and making the most of your abilities still has its benefits for more advanced players!



One thing I don’t believe I’ve mentioned before is that your old pal Save Point has gained some new, handy features inside dungeons! In addition to telling you when danger’s approaching, he can also provide some general tips to help you prepare for upcoming boss fights. These tips are 100% optional, and they’re intended to reduce the need for obnoxious trial and error.

For example, say there’s a fire boss coming up, and your best attacker has a fire sword which will, consequently, heal the boss whenever you hit it. Well, Save Point might be able to warn you of that fact ahead of time; and so rather than forcing you to reset and equip a different sword (because you now know that the boss is a fire elemental), you could preemptively strategise, and go into that battle a little more prepared - no restarts required! I’ve played several RPGs which can catch the player off-guard in frustrating ways, so I’m hoping an optional hints system will help to alleviate this –for players who want the advice!



Additionally, Save Point can also revive all of the monsters inside a dungeon. Because enemies are no longer random encounters and physically roam the world, I didn’t want to make them respawn every time you left the room (that can quickly become time consuming and frustrating). But some players might be hunting a rare item, or wish to grind, and so I wanted a way for enemies to be re-fought. If the player leaves a dungeon, all of the enemies will be restored automatically, but what if you want to remain inside the dungeon? Well, just ask Save Point and he’ll revive every beastie you’ve slain!



While I don’t imagine this will be a commonly used feature, I feel it’s important to give players as many options as possible. In the very first RPG I ever developed, I made grinding impossible (you could only fight each enemy once – after that, they’d permanently disappear) as I didn’t want players to waste their time on it. However, I found that some players disliked this, as they either needed an extra boost to get past a challenging boss, or they simply enjoyed the act of grinding and feeling overpowered. Their feedback taught me an important lesson, and so I wanted to avoid this pitfall in 8-Bit Adventures 2 by offering players the choice.

And finally, as promised in last month’s update, I wanted to show off the Game Over screen effect that Sufyan (the programmer) has made for the game, with Jerram’s (the artist’s) excellent concept and visual design. Can anyone guess which NES game inspired the Game Over screen design?



But death isn't the end! You can immediately retry any battle (without any penalties), so there's no need to give up if you find yourself staring at this screen. Hopefully you won’t be seeing it too much though! ;)

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 really wanted to thank everyone who's commented on these updates in the last few months (or written to me on Twitter or Facebook). Every single message has been so kind and supportive, and they never fail to put a smile on my face haha! I don't know what I did to deserve you all, but I am so incredibly fortunate to have such amazing fans and I sincerely appreciate each of you taking the time to write =D

Thank you so much for reading this update, and for being endlessly patient with me. I'm sure you're all getting a little concerned about release as the year draws closer to its end. All I can say for sure is that everything's going really well, and I'm trying my absolute hardest to hit that 2019 release!

To be completely candid with you guys, I don't doubt for a moment that the game will be finished before the end of this year; it'll just be a matter of finding the right time to release it. And because development's taken so much longer than I anticipated, that's where things get complicated! But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's get this done! ːOrbGetWarriorːːOrbGetThiefːːOrbGetMageː
~Josh

Even though it might *technically* be August now, that’s no reason to skip the month that was. So let’s dig into the July 2019 8-Bit Adventures 2 Update! This time I get into the nitty gritty of what we’ve all been working on, peppered with an assortment of brand new GIFs from the start of the game!

*While almost everything's final, please note that a handful of effects/details are still being tweaked.


Big question! Thankfully, my predictions came true, and this month I began playing through 8-Bit Adventures 2. Essentially, I comb through the game, examining every moment and polishing/fixing/tweaking/changing/adding – whatever needs to be done to get it ready for release!



While this is a great stage to be at, I’m sure you can imagine that this is a very big job for an elaborate RPG that’s likely somewhere in the 20+ hour range (I’ll keep you updated on playtime – I’m very curious to find out the exact number myself!).

At the time of writing, the first 30 minutes of 8-Bit Adventures 2 are polished and fully playable. That includes a dangerous trek through the desert, and an introduction to our new playable character Charlie in Pheopolis Castle.



Now, 30 minutes may not sound like much, but there were a few mitigating factors. Firstly, I still had to actually create the opening sequence of the game; those first 8 minutes required a lot of work, and I wanted to make sure it was as polished and exciting an introduction as it could possibly be. However, this took a significant portion of July.
Secondly, the content that takes place in Pheopolis Castle is quite old (created in late 2015, before I'd even switched engines!), and so has needed a lot of work to bring it up to speed.

Unfortunately, it’s Winter here in Australia, and I ended up being unwell for a couple of weeks, which took quite a toll on my productivity. Also, a few other things (family/personal) also contributed to that toll, so it’s been quite challenging to get things done as quickly as I’d wanted.




Beyond all of that, Jerram (the artist) and I have been planning out the cinematic shots for the game’s ending cutscene, and boy – it’s a whopper! The challenge has been figuring out how to make it feasible while incorporating all of the important, emotional moments it needs to.
When I first told him what I had in mind for this, he told me: “You’re crazy XD Crazy ambitious, I should say!” So that’s a good sign haha. But whether I'm crazy or not, he’s hard at work on it =P

Sufyan (the programmer) has also been working constantly to implement various new features. He's made it so that the game can now differentiate between Playstation and Xbox controllers (allowing us to display correct buttons in the opening tutorial), fixed some in-battle glitches, and (based on Jerram’s excellent concept) created a really cool looking ‘Game Over’ sequence that I can't wait to show off in future!



As for me, when you progress through a game step-by-step like this – just as a player would – it’s a very different experience than the task-focused work I’ve done up to this point (which was mostly a lot of loading in and out of thin slices of the game; dealing with thousands of individual pieces, rather than a collective whole). It reveals a lot of new insights into your game, and there are dozens of changes and tweaks I’ve made to streamline the experience.

After spending a lot of time in menus, or fighting dozens of battles in a row, you really get a good sense of what ends up being frustrating or unclear. For example, we’re reducing the number of pop-up windows that appear at the end of every battle (e.g. telling you how much Gold and EXP you earned, etc.). While in isolation they seemed perfectly fine, the number of times you had to press confirm became quite frustrating after only a few hours of constant testing haha.



So while there were a lot of challenges to deal with, the work I did in July has really laid the foundations for what’s to come. The further I get into the game, the less will need overhauling, so I’m hoping to really pick up the pace as we go!

We’re finally getting there everyone =D


One exciting piece of news I wanted to highlight is that July saw over 900 people add 8-Bit Adventures 2 to their Steam Wishlist! For comparison, June only had 78 new wishlisters, so this was an extraordinary leap, and bodes extremely well for the game’s future.

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea why so many new people discovered the game in July; it just suddenly…happened! Steam’s new machine-learning curator might have made an impact, but beyond that, I’m stumped haha.



But nonetheless, I wanted to thank every single person who has added 8-Bit Adventures 2 to their Steam Wishlist. Not only does it mean a lot personally (as it shows players taking an interest and putting their confidence in our work), but it will also be integral to getting the game noticed when it releases on the Steam storefront.

Wishlists play a very large role in Steam’s algorithms, so if you want to support an indie developer, adding their game to your own wishlist is one of the best things you can do!


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!

Just to reiterate from last month, I wrote a short article about Final Fantasy VII Remake and RPG Design, which made it as a Featured Post on the front page of Gamasutra! Using the Remake as a framework for discussion, I examine some of the ways developers can add value to their RPGs *beyond* the core narrative.

I don’t know how interesting it would be to most people, but I bring up 8-Bit Adventures 2 a handful of times, so I just wanted to mention it again in case anyone was curious: https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshuaHallaran/20190624/345339/Expanding_Midgar__Simple_Solutions_for_Satisfying_Postgame_Content.php

~Josh

Is is just me, or do months seem to get shorter and shorter? Well one way or another, it's time for the June 2019 8-Bit Adventures 2 Update! Steam wasn't letting me upload pictures, otherwise this would have come out days ago haha. It's a bit of a small one again (we're in the calm before the promotional storm right now), but it should give you guys a sense of where I am right now (and show off a little more). We've also got to cover Steam Summer Sale deals, so let's get into it!


First off, I’m on track to meet the prediction I made in the last update, where I said I hoped to “start playing/combing through the game at the start of July”. It’s always a good sign when my predictions turn out to be accurate haha - and this should definitely be the case, as I’m working on the final cutscene at the moment (it’s a little more than just a cutscene, but that gives you the gist!).



Jerram is still hard at work finishing up the graphical assets, and it's been fantastic seeing so many final touches be added to the game. For example, as you can see below, every playable character now has a unique sprinting animation! Not only does this look great, but it also makes movement in the game *feel* significantly smoother - especially when playing with a controller.



Thanks to Sufyan (the programmer), we’ve also continued making several tweaks to the presentation and battle system. For example, anyone that played the demo may recall that 8-Bit Adventures 2 features a Limit Break-style mechanic. However, when the ‘Limit’ bar finished filling up, it could easily go unnoticed by the player that their special attack was ready to go. So we’ve added both animation and a sound effect to communicate more clearly that the bar is filled. This is the sort of minutiae that we’re working through, while I simultaneously finish up the big stuff.



On a similar note, I wanted to mention that enemy portraits on the turn list are no longer generic (like they were in the demo, and some screenshots). Every foe that you fight in 8-Bit Adventures 2 now has their own unique graphic to represent them in the turn order list. Again, it’s a small addition, but this is the sort of polish that I believe really enhances a game.



Unfortunately, because of the type of content I’ve been working on (spoiler-y and mechanical), I don’t really have much to show this month. I hope to be in a different position by the end of July, but for now please bear with me! More than anything, I just wanted to avoid another missed month and keep you up-to-date on the game's progress.


For the next week and a half (until 10:05 AM on July 9th 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, but we've still got a few things to cover, so any and all support is greatly appreciated!


Some of you may have heard that Steam’s newest Summer Sale competition has caused a lot of trouble for some indie developers. Essentially, there was some confusion about the phrasing, and it caused many players to delete smaller or cheaper games from their wishlist (while all people actually needed to do was reorder their lists).

I’m extremely grateful that my games have been unaffected by this, however for some developers it has been a big issue. Wishlists play a very large role in Steam’s algorithms, which in turn affect how many people see your game on the storefront. If you’d like to learn more about the situation, I recommend reading this article: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/345689/Devs_hit_by_Steam_promo_confusion_as_games_are_pulled_from_Wishlists.php

Anyway, I just wanted to include a quick PSA, on behalf of my fellow devs, that deleting games off your wishlist is *not* necessary for the Summer Sale promotion =)


I apologise that this was such a lean update; I really ran out of time to prepare it this month, but I still wanted to post *something*. As I mentioned above, the best thing I can say is that so far we’re on track with my predictions – and that’s a very good thing.



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!

On a slightly unusual note, I wrote a short article about Final Fantasy VII Remake and RPG Design in my off time this month, which made it as a Featured Post on the front page of Gamasutra! Using Remake as a framework for discussion, I examine some of the ways developers can add value to their RPGs *beyond* the core narrative.

I don’t know how interesting it would be to most people, but I bring up 8-Bit Adventures 2 a handful of times, so I just wanted to mention it in case anyone was curious: https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshuaHallaran/20190624/345339/Expanding_Midgar__Simple_Solutions_for_Satisfying_Postgame_Content.php

~Josh

Sorry about the recent radio silence – development’s been tough, but I’ve thankfully avoided being mauled by an Obligatory Bat or stung by a Kamikazbee! And now I’m back with a new update =D

I’m really making this post because I want to stay in-touch with everyone who’s following the game, and give you all some idea of how things are going. As you may remember, March wasn’t a very good month for me, but the last two have been much better and significant progress has been made in several areas! Slow and steady, but significant.

A lot of what I’ve been working on I can’t really show off, as it’s either polishing, small design improvements, or spoiler-ific content from the final dungeon and endgame – that’s actually part of the reason I didn’t do an update in April haha. But I’ve still got a few fun things to show =)



In terms of progress, Sebastian (the composer) only has the Credits music left to go until the soundtrack is completely finished (making for a whopping 77 tracks!), and Jerram (the artist) is half-way through the final list of graphical assets - so they’re both inches from their finish lines! Sufyan (the programmer) has also been making various tweaks to enhance the game that I've thought of during play-testing.

As for me, I’ve been working on all kinds of things – most significantly all of the cutscenes/events/puzzles for the final dungeon (which is a whopper, believe me!). It’s been quite a fun mixture of serious and bizarre. I’ve tried to make a dungeon that’s well-paced and regularly varies things up – such as with a new environment, puzzle, or boss battle.

At the time of writing, I’m working on the final boss and ending cutscenes, which I feel pretty confident in saying is the coolest part of the game (and I’m desperate to share it!). All spoilers aside, though, I’ll just say that I found it very fulfilling bringing our seven playable characters’ arcs to a close, and I really hope you’ll all walk away from the ending with the same satisfied feeling!



Just thinking about the game as a whole, I probably haven’t given a good sense of just how big 8-Bit Adventures 2 actually is! I think trailers are really the only way to convey that sort of thing, but for now I just wanted to reiterate that this is a full-blown RPG with 28 dungeons and 11 towns - plus many more areas that are a bit harder to define (such as the Arena).

While I’m not sure how it stacks up yet in terms of hours, I think if you’ve played 16-bit JRPGs like Chrono Trigger or the classic Final Fantasies, the amount of content is pretty comparable. We’ve really tried to make a game jam-packed with fun, engaging content, while also maintaining a good sense of pacing and variety. This is a big reason that development has taken so long, but I hope you’ll agree that it was worth the wait!

In release date news (or lack thereof XD), I just wanted to say that I finally do have a deadline set in my head and I’m doing everything in my power to meet it. If everything’s going to plan, then I’ll reveal my goal in either the June or July update. I apologise, as always, for being so cage-y and for taking so long; I’m just trying to avoid past mistakes when it comes to dates and release windows. But as I always say, the game’s done when it’s done; and as soon it’s ready, I’ll be singing that release date from the rooftops! “8-Bit Adventures 2~ Coming out soon~”

I specifically hope to start playing/combing through the game at the start of July, so fingers crossed! =D


Anyone that’s played the ‘First Look’ Demo of 8-Bit Adventures 2 might remember that the menu UI was basically just a series of empty black rectangles; that aspect of the game hadn’t really been touched at that stage haha. Since then, it’s underdone quite a few changes, and the most recent I wanted to show off were the brand new face portraits for all of the characters!

As per usual, I’m keeping the seventh character under wraps, but I think our cast look very photogenic (thanks to Jerram’s incredible work as always)! =D

And here’s the first game’s trio slotted into the current menu UI! Final Fantasy was obviously a big influence, but I experimented with several different configurations. Ultimately, I felt this was the easiest to read and most aesthetically pleasing. What do you think?



And then below, we have a look at the re-tooled Party selection menu. While you can swap characters in and out at any point in battle, if you prefer to be a little more prepared, you can also visit this menu. Here you can change your party to any configuration you’d like, revert to your original grouping if you change your mind, and get a quick, easy-to-read overview of each character’s stats and equipment.



While I know it’s not that exciting from a player’s perspective, I think the menus have a big impact on how ‘complete’ a game feels. Both the battle and menu UIs feel connected now, and I think the game has a much better sense of cohesion because of it. On a side note, if you played the demo, you might have also noticed that we have new, individual icons for all of the different categories of armour and weaponry! These are little things that I hope add up to a lot =)


One of the additions made this past month was the mini-map, which serves as a constant guide as you explore the World Map. While a few 16-bit RPGs featured this (Final Fantasy VI, and Terranigma’s boat, for example), it’s something I associate more commonly with PS1 games. So it’s a good example of a slightly more modern convenience that I wanted to bring into 8-Bit Adventures 2.



Jerram somehow managed to construct this incredibly compact, precise mini-map and I think it looks great! The World Map in 8-Bit Adventures 2 is designed to be quite easy to remember, through the use of different colours and biomes; this map just helps you remember where things are in the context of the wider world.

It’s most useful once you get the Airship and can start exploring every nook and cranny, but it should be a big help no matter what stage of the game you’re currently at!


Okay, this is the last part of the interface I’m going to talk about, I promise! But all enemies now have their final HP Bar graphics and animations. I’ve mentioned that HP Bars were going to be in the game before, but now I can finally show them off - as you can see below, applied to an enemy from the demo! Big thanks to Jerram for the perfect design, and Sufyan for actually making it all work and animate correctly in the battle system!



The HP Bars only appear when you target an enemy (similar to the Persona series), or when enemies are damaged/healed. I wanted to find a balance between giving the player important information about their enemies, and keeping the battle scene as minimalist and aesthetically pleasing as possible. It was also very important to have an HP Bar system that was easily readable for the player; to give a clear sense of their progress in the fight at a moment’s glance.

There are also pop-ups that tell you if an enemy is weak, resistant, or immune to your attacks; so getting experimental against powerful enemies shouldn't be confusing (or require a guide haha)! Additionally, we’ve made it so that attacks which target all enemies now take you to a targeting screen, rather than immediately activating. These are the sort of small design improvements that I mentioned at the start of this post =)


And finally, as it’s (somehow) been 5 months since the last selection, I wanted to release a few more music samples! One in particular should be a lot of fun for 8-Bit Adventures 1 veterans as it’s a remix of that game’s final dungeon theme =D

While only short samples, I hope that the 20 that we’ve released so far give you some idea of how unique and varied the full soundtrack is! I’m continually in awe of how many different sounds and styles Sebastian has been able to create within such heavy constraints. If you enjoy chiptune music like me, I think you’re going to *love* the full soundtrack!

https://soundcloud.com/8bitadventures2/the-arena-theme-sample



https://soundcloud.com/8bitadventures2/mystery-theme-4



https://soundcloud.com/8bitadventures2/ruined-factory-remix-sample




Again, I sincerely apologise for being so quiet recently. I've really just had my head down working and am trying to get things finished as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, nothing's really "quick" in game development haha, but I'm feeling very good about every step we take.

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!

And if you're wondering, yes! I'm definitely planning to do a June update =D

Speaking of June...we're only a little over a week away from E3 2019! I've felt pretty pessimistic about the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but that recent trailer has me more excited than I've been in a long time XD I think no matter how the game turns out (and how much I'd prefer a turn-based battle system), it's just a lot of fun seeing early PS1 characters and environments transformed by modern hardware.

And to FFVII Remake's credit, there are lots of interesting elements to the battle system that I want to learn more about. I know the developer who designed Kingdom Hearts 2's battle system is involved, so I'm hopeful it'll be an action battle system with a lot of depth! Just...please no Genesis, or flip phones, or perpetually depressed Cloud... =P

Anything you guys are hoping to see from E3? Regardless, I hope everyone has a fantastic June and I'll talk to you again at the end of the month!

~Josh

Phew, I’m cutting these monthly updates a little close, aren’t I? They seem to come around so fast! XD This time I want to keep everyone abreast of what’s happening and tease a few new aspects of 8-Bit Adventures 2. So let’s get into it!


Okay, so…this past month has been a really rough one for me. I don’t want to bother anyone with my own problems – that’s definitely not why you’re here - but there have been a couple of personal challenges this month that have been quite…well, challenging. And I found it pretty difficult to maintain my usual output and creativity while dealing with them. That’s not to say I’ve been wasting time, though! I’ve been working consistently, just not with the speed or energy that I wanted to bring into this month.

Consequently, while I’ve made solid progress on the game, I haven’t made as much as I’d hoped. So I apologise for this and hope to have a lot more for you all in April. You’ve all been so patient, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate it! I’m back on the horse now and ready to leave March behind!

On the brighter side, Jerram (the artist) is back at work finishing up the remaining graphical assets, and he’s almost completed all of the cinematic shots. Most recently, we’ve been working on the ending shots – basically the last 30 seconds of the game – and really trying to get it right, so that we leave the player with a scene they’ll always remember. I unfortunately can’t show any of his recent work without major spoilers, but he’s been doing an amazing job. I can’t wait for you all to experience the final third of the game!

In case you missed it last month, though, you can see some of his beautiful pixel art on the newly revamped 8-Bit Adventures 2 website!

https://www.8bitadventures2.com/



In a similar vein, Sebastian has been working hard on the last few songs for the soundtrack – predominantly scoring a handful of cinematic sequences. I love the emphasis this brings to certain moments, and I feel like it will truly make the game feel complete.


Tl;dr – Add 8-Bit Adventures 2 to your wishlist, tell an RPG-loving friend, or give a shout-out on social media (with a mention of wishlisting the game). Thank you!



This is something I feel a little uncomfortable doing, but I think it’s worth bringing up. If you’ve been following the situation on Steam over the last few months, you’re probably aware of some of the issues currently facing the platform. These range from a complete lack of content curation (resulting in the ‘Rape Day’ controversy), and an increasing oversaturation of cheaply made asset-flips, as well as a long list of hentai games.

While I don’t have a problem with adult content being on the Steam store (and I’m certainly not judging the quality of those titles), a quick look at the Upcoming page in the JRPG section shows that 8-Bit Adventures 2 is completely surrounded by titles with a Sexual Content or Nudity tag.

While I don’t feel my game is directly in competition with those titles, the way that Steam is set up means that I have to fight even harder for visibility than I did in prior years – and there’s really not much that *I* can do on that front. Of course, I’ll be trying to publicise my game as best I can on the wider web, but Steam provides few options.


The more people that add the game to their Wishlist, the higher the possibility of 8-Bit Adventures 2 appearing in the ‘Popular Upcoming’ section on Steam’s front page. If you’ve already done so and still want to help, maybe consider showing the game to a friend who loves RPGs and might be interested, or giving a shout-out to it on social media.

The game is currently sitting on over 2,700 people’s wishlists, which is utterly amazing – honestly, it’s more than I’d ever imagined! But in the current system, it seems that to gain any visibility on Steam, we need more people to support 8-Bit Adventures 2.

With that said, please don’t feel an obligation to do any of this. I just wanted to make it clear that, if you’d really like to help us, then this is the way to do it.

If you’ve added the game to your wishlist, supported us in any way in the past, or are just reading this update right now – THANK YOU! It’s honestly hard to express just how much it means to me when players take an interest in something I’m working on – especially given just how many amazing games are out there. You guys definitely help keep me going, and we’re all working hard to make a game that lives up to expectations and provides the kind of experience that I hope, as fellow RPG fans, you will love!

Steam may be a difficult environment at the moment, but with your help, I know we can make 8-Bit Adventures 2 a success here!


Once you gain your own personal Airship, it serves as a sort of mobile hub. Much like Final Fantasy III or VI, all you need is the push of a button to find yourself in control of Charlie on the deck of the Airship – at which point it’s able to be fully explored. While there aren’t any secrets of treasures to be found, there are several utilities.



Firstly, you’re able to talk with party members – gaining more insight into their thoughts on recent events, as well as a greater sense of their personalities.



There are also some handy merchants available to sell you whatever Items and Equipment you require; no need to backtrack to a town!



And finally, you can always take a snooze cruise in a nice comfy bed and heal up…so long as you don’t mind the noise of the engine too much!

Yes, it’s your home away from home, and sure to make the wealth of exploration and endgame content you’ll experience more convenient than ever!


Speaking of optional, endgame content, here’s a little tease for what’s in store…



Explore a mansion that requires you to jump back and forth between time periods; a ruined jail littered with the remains of corrupt robots; catacombs filled with horrors beneath a once thriving fortress town; an inter-dimensional arena where defeated monsters are given the mantra ‘dead, but not deleted!’; a sunken cavern where you must dive beneath the waves to hunt a deadly beast; and much more!



For those that have played a lot of RPGs, 8-Bit Adventures 2 is the kind of game where, after the credits, you’ll be able to save the game and pick up from right in front of the final boss. So you can choose to either complete all of the sidequest content beforehand, or revisit it after you’ve seen the credits.



Personally, my recommendation is to complete the sidequests prior to visiting the final dungeon (that’s just my completionist tendencies haha), but the game will accommodate both approaches. And much like the first game, a little bonus may appear in the world after the credits finish rolling… ;)


I'm very sorry if this update was a bit of a letdown. I'm grateful to be leaving March behind and I'll do what I can to make next month's update a little more exciting :OrbGetWarrior:

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

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 the newest addition - 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!

Thank you all so much for your continued support; it means a lot, even when I'm in mostly silent running! If you ever have any questions or want to get in touch, feel free to contact me on email (criticalgames@tpg.com.au), Twitter, or post on one of my games' forums here on Steam.

As I said last month, from the start, my goal has been to make a product with the soul of a classic RPG; a game for everyone who grew up with and loves the genre. And we're all doing our best to make that a reality =D

~Josh

Across the line by the skin of its teeth, it’s the February Update for 8-Bit Adventures 2! I’m only just squeezing this in so it’s a lot sparser than usual, but I wanted to keep up the trend of monthly updates. Today we’re covering the 8-Bit Adventures 2 Website Overhaul, an upcoming Weeklong Sale, and some general progress updates from the past month!


From March 4th (until 10:00 AM on March 11th 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
These discounts won't get any lower in the future, so get 'em while they're hot! ;)

And remember, every purchase goes towards 8-Bit Adventures 2's development. As many of you know, I am funding development myself, so any and all support is greatly appreciated!


One of the many things I’ve done this month is revamped the home page of the 8-Bit Adventures 2 website! Not the most exciting announcement I realise, but it’s a lot more exciting to look at now haha. I tried to keep things concise, while also including a lot of screenshots/artwork and enough information to whet viewers’ appetites. And yes, there are a few previously unseen things I slipped in there ;)

https://www.8bitadventures2.com/



To get pretentious for a moment, I went with a theme of transitioning from day at the top of the page, to night at the bottom – ending on the game’s title screen, which represents a new day dawning.

Overall, the website is still very much a work in progress (I don’t have my final batch of screenshots selected yet so there are some placeholders, for example) but this revamp is an important step towards release and gives the game a more professional and appealing online presence – which will hopefully be a big help when the time comes.

As an example of what’s coming, the 40 page instruction manual I’ve created will be uploaded there - sometime prior to release. It’s filled with new information, artwork, and fun references (especially for those who know their 80s and 90s instructions manuals), so I’m really looking forward to releasing that one! =D


February has been another month of heads down, working hard. Despite some personal challenges, I’ve been doing my best to get the game done as soon as possible. Not as fast as any of us would like, of course, but not a day goes by without solid progress being made. I’m actually starting development on the cutscenes in the final dungeon next week, so that should give you a pretty good idea of where I am overall =)



Sebastian (the composer) finished a wonderful new song which uses the NES-equivalent of vocals to emulate a woman singing. It was quite a challenge given the limitations we’re working in, but I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! It’s designed to accompany one of my favourite – and likely one of the most bizarre - scenes in the game. If you want to get a sense of what it’s like, think of Jessica Rabbit’s solo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Venus’ Song in Earthbound…
...if they were robots =P



Sufyan (the programmer) also managed to squash a bug that had been plaguing me for months (and could occasionally soft-lock the game), so that was a massive relief haha. As a developer releasing your game to the public, there’s nothing scarier than the thought of it randomly breaking for people like that XD



On a final note, I’d like to address the release date (as always). It probably feels like I’m just teasing it every month without any payoff, but the truth is that I simply don’t know it. I’ve got an idea, but as I’ve learnt over the last few years, predicting the completion date is very tricky; especially when you take into account marketing considerations.

I’m hoping I can address this with a bit more certainty in next month’s update, but I realise this must be getting very frustrating for long-time followers. I sincerely thank you for your immeasurable patience with me, and I’ll try to be as transparent as possible going forward =)


Phew! I nearly messed up my 'one update post per month' plan. Whose idea was it to make February so short, anyway?!

As I've said the last couple of months, when my last game (Tales Across Time) was coming out, I did daily updates on Twitter for a few weeks until its launch, so I’m still considering bringing that back. I can really dig into the minutiae of the game’s systems then!

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

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 the newest addition - 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!

Thank you all so much for your continued support; it means a lot, even when I'm in mostly silent running! If you ever have any questions or want to get in touch, feel free to contact me on email (criticalgames@tpg.com.au), Twitter, or post on one of my games' forums here on Steam.

From the start, my goal has been to make a product with the soul of a classic RPG; a game for everyone who grew up with and loves the genre. And we're all doing our best to make that a reality =D

~Josh

G’day and welcome to a jam-packed January Update for 8-Bit Adventures 2! This week Steam is celebrating Australia Day in the best way possible – with big discounts on great, Aussie-made games! So come on in; I'll put a shrimp on the barbie for ya* ;)

*Fun Fact: Australian people don't actually use this phrase (except when advertising internationally); at least, no one I've ever met does XD


For the next four days only (until 10:00 AM on January 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)!

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
These discounts won't get any lower in the future, so get 'em while they're hot! ;)

And remember, every purchase goes towards 8-Bit Adventures 2's development. As many of you know, I am funding development myself, so any and all support is greatly appreciated! And of course, I'm not the only one with a sale on. Don't forget to snag some great games this weekend and help out my fellow Aussie indies!


As anyone who follows @CriticalGamesAU on Twitter or Facebook might know, my 2019 started off with a very exciting package. These are the physical boxes and manuals we’ve made for use in promotional activities (like a competition where YOU can win one!), and I couldn’t be happier with how they’ve turned out =D





Of course, this was only possible due to the efforts of several people! The beautiful cover art was designed by Ryan Jampole, all of the other artwork was created by our wonderful artist Jerram Fahey, the layout was designed by me, and the amazing print job was done by Uncle Tusk.

Tusk’s help was instrumental in making this happen, so if you’re interested in filling some blanks in your collection, please check out his store: www.uncletusk.com
Uncle Tusk specialises in games that were either never released, never translated into English, or are the best-of-the-best fan hacks. He can even do custom orders!


Well, not literally. But I wanted to take some time in this update to show you guys the main World Map from 8-Bit Adventures 2, and compare it to that of the first game. Right click and choose 'View Image' to see the full size (but please note that not everything is 100% on the 8-Bit Adventures 2 map)!

8-Bit Adventures 1 (OLD)



8-Bit Adventures 2 (NEW)



As you can see, the continents are in the same general locations and every city/dungeon that should be accessible still is. But the world is now dramatically larger; both in terms of scale and landmass. There’s much more optional exploration to be done in 8-Bit Adventures 2's World Map, and many new locations to visit. There are even a couple of other World Map-style areas that branch off from this one (such as the Floating Continent)!

Of course, players of 8-Bit Adventures 1 might be wondering exactly *why* the world looks so different now. Well, that’s due to the Dust. As stated in the first game, it consumed massive parts of the world; even whole cities! That’s what the ‘World of Dust’ at the end of that game represented. So, in the meantime, the Computer had to cobble together the remaining pieces of the world into a cohesive whole. That was the world you explored in 8-Bit 1.

However, since you defeated the Dust, the world was restored to its true form, and every missing city, island, and continent was returned to its rightful place. As such, 8-Bit Adventures 2’s World Map represents the ‘true’ form of the world – and there’s a *lot* to do in it!


The graphical asset list is getting pretty short now, and one of the recent things that Jerram has been working on is what I call ‘Cinematic Shots’. These are letter-boxed, Ninja Gaiden-esque pieces of artwork, sprinkled throughout the game and used to enhance specific cutscenes and events.

I’ve already shown parts of the opening cutscene in the past, but I wanted to showcase a few more of these shots today (because I’m really happy with how they’ve turned out!). The tricky part is that most of them contain big spoilers for the game, which really limits exactly what I can show. But I hope this will at least convey the idea of our approach.










I didn’t want to end this month’s update without touching on the release date! I’m sure a lot of you are wondering if this game’s ever coming out, and while I’d love to tell you exactly when it is, I’m still going to hold off a bit longer.

Once I’ve played the game straight through, from start to finish, for the first time, I’ll announce the final release date. Now, that may just sound like I’m saying “Once the game’s done, I’ll release it”, which, uh…wouldn’t be the most surprising announcement =P But just because I can play the game straight through, doesn’t mean hat it’s finished. It *does*, however, mean that I’m very, very close, and the remaining jobs are much more quantifiable than what’s come before.

It’s a funny aspect of game development, but even after working on something every day for several years, you don’t truly know how your game has turned out until you’ve played it from front to back – like a normal player would. That's not to say that developers have no idea how things are going, but there's a big difference between seeing the parts and playing the whole =)

So once I’ve done that, I’ll be able to provide a definitive date. This is the same approach I used for my two previous game releases, and this way, I won’t jump the gun like I have in the past for 8-Bit Adventures 2 =P

Rather than just telling you about what I’m *not* doing, though, let’s talk about what I have been doing these past couple of weeks. I’ve been working on a big (spoiler-heavy) narrative sequence near the end of the game, and I think it’s turned out really well. However, while testing, I found that the sequence needed more room to breath, so I’ve implemented a new, small dungeon area to improve the pacing. And it seems to have done the trick!

Aside from that, it’s been a lot of little jobs. Sufyan (the programmer) and I have made some tweaks to the battle system that I think will improve players’ experiences (one to do with preventing the HP Bars from cluttering up the interface, and another that adds a confirmation step when using attacks that target all enemies). You might not notice all of his work, but his code (and flexible approach to design) is one of the main reasons why battles are both fun and functional in 8-Bit Adventures 2!

Sebastian (the composer) also recently sent me tracks for the optional, endgame dungeons, so we’re very close to completing the soundtrack. He’s taken a very creative approach to the soundtrack as a whole, so I can’t wait for you to hear his work in the context of the game! If you missed it, please check out last month's update where I uploaded over 10 minutes of music samples from the game:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/733110/announcements/detail/1719711169040116299
I am also ecstatic to tell you that Jerram (the artist) and his wife have just had their first child last week – a healthy baby boy! If you’d like to send some congratulations, you can either leave a comment here or contact him through his DeviantArt: https://world-of-noel.deviantart.com/ Jerram’s worked hard to keep us on track while he’s taking family time, so I’m very grateful for that!

In short, we’re all doing our best, and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer by the day. And I’ll have plenty more to talk about in next month’s update!


Well, so far so good on my 'one update post per month' plan! When my last game (Tales Across Time) was coming out, I did daily updates on Twitter for a few weeks until its launch, so I’m still considering bringing that back. I can really dig into the minutiae of the game’s systems then!

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

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 the newest addition - 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!

Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I hope you enjoyed this update. And wherever you are in the world, a very happy Australia Day to you! You might not be Australian, but just say g'day, call people 'mate', have a relaxing weekend, and that'll basically cover it =P

~Josh