Can you make a fun platformer from good movement alone?

[@sazazezermililpilipi]

Random suggestion: His tail could be used in the slash attack animation, to make it look like it's not just appearing out of nowhere?

[@FruitPunchBdtxyyfuug-uk3no]

I was gonna say that lol

[@BinzuDev]

pizza tower-like is becoming a new genre and I love it. This looks really good keep it up!

[@cyusontheinternet]

you should look into wariolikes! There's a bunch in development right now and PT is a big inspo for a lot of them

[@Selrisitai]

Isn't that just Sonic the Hedgehog?

[@TestGuy1WasTaken]

@@Selrisitai Pizza Tower is a mix of Wario Land (mainly WL4) and sonic.

[@WeirdWimp]

@@TestGuy1WasTaken i just call it fast paced platformer

[@delinquentcat3832]

Peak rat gaming, 5/5 *Metal pipe sounds*

[@Jamie-MrJam]

4:50 Another common solution for the character standing on slopes is to have extra foreground or background elements on the slope to give the appearance they're standing on something.

[@RetroCrowDev]

That's a good idea actually. My solution for now though is to just rotate the player sprite lol.

[@captainkawaii666]

@@RetroCrowDev I mean if it works for Pizza Tower... (and I think Mario also does this? I might be completely wrong though)

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

@@RetroCrowDev yeah that's what I was thinking, maybe have more scenarios where this happens so it feels better

[@qbwkp]

Good looks bro, movement looks nice and juicy! I think you are missing out by not using the gun as your main attack though, especially since you use it for movement. What if it did not shoot a projectile but instead a shotgun blast with a splash that only damages close range. Then it is effectively a melee attack but you can have a really juicy shotgun effect. Just a thought though, keep up the good work 👌

[@TheOnlyBlob]

definitely support the close shotgun as an attack could be a risk reward situation where since you have two shots only you choose if you will lose your momentum or incorporate into your momentum strategy

[@samuran4698]

A suggestion or idea I had for making shooting combat more risky and exciting is adding enemies that rush you so that you can't safely take them out from a distance. Or adding enemies that are firing projectiles from a distance where melee attacks can't reach them

[@JoaoAntonio-ox5vf]

The game fucking slaps already, absolutely loved the art style too. And the movement kinda reminded me of Speedrunners a lil bit. Have you tought about some kinda of sliding walls upwards mechanic? Everything that help maintain motion and speed contributes to a more smoother movement. Good luck on the devlogs!

[@RetroCrowDev]

oh yeah, this game is built with speedrunning in mind

[@NexusVGM]

​@@RetroCrowDevI think he means the actual game speedrunnere

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

​@@RetroCrowDev amazing project man! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!

[@swanvonmane8533]

Good movement and interesting mechanics really get their chance to shine when you have a very good thematic OST that stands on its own

[@jokerofspades-xt3bs]

Alright you convinced me, I want this game and I want it whenever you feel it is in a state that is ready for the public.

[@lolfaceno3980]

CRINGE

[@RetroCrowDev]

What would you guys wanna see added to this game? (The slope stuff is fixed now btw, idk if I made that clear enough in the video lol)

[@Mikser24]

Add cheese as heals but also make a minigame that you have to fight a mousetrap every time when trying to pick up the cheese. (But seriously, the game look really promising, keep it up) PS. Please add cheese heals.

[@RetroCrowDev]

@@Mikser24 There's no health really so I can't do healing, but I do have a mechanic in mind for cheese. No spoilers yet though :)

[@Is_Mango]

From what I've seen so far, this has got a lot of potential. I may not know a lot about game development, but at first glance this is a great base as you've explained in the video. First of all im thinking that your tutorial level is good but pater levels should be more short and sweet with your satisfying movement to move through combo intensive section with the ground pound to have some awesome smovement that hooks the player. A second thing that you could add is simply just an invisible timer that will be shown at the end of a level for players who will want to speed run through levels as fast as they can but also reward players who take the time to explore and find shortcuts for faster times. And third of all, take some time to make sure your sound effects really SLAP. Good sfx will make you feel like a god as you fly through levels decimating enemies with a satisfying crunch or maybe even a parry function off of spikes with clink sound of sorts. Overall this game is looking amazing and I wish you the best for your future projects!

[@RetroCrowDev]

@@Is_Mango There's definitely gonna be a timer for speedrunning, and maybe even a medal system like neon white. As for sound effects, I'll try my best lmao.

[@74v13r]

tbh game seems like it has a lot of potential. Think the slide could be a bit faster and maybe interact with enemies in some way (maybe s is a bit broken, but you get the idea) and some sort of wall kick (for inverting momentum off of walls mainly) would be a good addition as well imo.

[@arachnid_eater]

This looks like a really fun game. I think you should emphasise the strength of the rat guy, like how he shakes the screen and fights enemies by swiping them. That'd help with the "having its own identity" you talked about.

[@allux871]

This is unironically some of the most impressive commitment I've seen in a while. Definitely deserves all the attention possible!

[@RandomDude1487]

Idea: Ask the devs of Pizza Tower if you can add Peppino to the game as a joke about it being a Pizza Tower clone

[@lucasdaweb95]

Children when they see a fast paced 2D platformer:

[@ChickenNugget7]

That dream game you mentioned is going to be something big, I can feel it. I’m not familiar with how you implement music to your games, but I do think it’s a very important part of indie games to have a unique ost in order for them to stand out.

[@kip2389]

Criminally underrated bro, glad I got recommended this

[@JustKostya_Q]

Myths are 100% true mentioned Now I have even more reasons to try this game when it will come out

[@johnsimpsen5]

I feel like Mario 64 kinda proves this. The games controls are so fluid that it’s just kinda fun to move around the environment without actually progressing.

[@ConspiracyDog]

This looks so good so far!! While yes, the pizza game does have really cool animations on top of a relatively simple platformer, that’s not a bad thing that people may compare them I don’t think, cuz that game did pretty well. It’s not like you’re ripping off that game, just bc you’re an animator. 2 very different games. I’m glad to see someone else putting so much effort and dedication into the animations cuz it makes it so much more FUN! It gives the character personality. I love the little rat man and his hat. Everything about his design screams personality, and just by looking at him you get a feel for kinda how he’d behave which I think helps the player kinda get into that mindset and just go nuts in a platformer like that. If the character was this very basic sort of dude in a hat, maybe a trench coat, and his gun.. really stock sort of running animations and jumps, I feel like it wouldn’t be very entertaining. But here we have this squashed little rat dude with a very mischievous face and it just makes you wanna wreak havoc lol. I think this game is gonna do amazing, once finished. I’m excited! Incredible work so far 👏👏

[@RetroCrowDev]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the main character so much haha

[@pedroreislima4151]

You are a really good animator. Excited to see your work develop.

[@Michael-The-Composer]

This game looks excellent!! The art style, the fluid movement, the way the mechanics interconnect (when you were explaining how the zip line works with the other mechanics, and how the drill down automatically transitions into the slide). This game is already looking very high-quality. I would love to try this out!

[@gatorsoup]

dude this is giving very 00s web game vibes and im so here for it. It looks so good, I especially love the move set and the animation for the rat.

[@hotsamuraisoup7080]

This game looks awesome! I think it would be really cool if you added some type of ammo you could collect for your gun, which could could use to make fighting enemies and bosses easier, or to shoot open special doors or secret pathways. Keep it up!

[@supersayen0679]

I love what I'm seeing! Fun graphics, nice animations, nice idea with the limited gun boost and recharge with the ground attack, fun level design it seems like. I'm in!

[@DocGeraud]

This looks really fun to play! And I love your art style 😍

[@LeatherIceCream]

Yeah y'know, putting down actual level design for the first level is a real pain considering how little supporting mechanics you get to play around with. You seem to do pretty decently at creating core gameplay. I, for one, seem to be a modder at heart, so adding mechanics that support the core is rarely a big issue, but actually coming up with unique core gameplay is a real pain for me. So I hope the rat game goes well. And yeah, slopes are hell.

[@truerenjustren]

Idea for the bosses, introduce a new mechanic unique to that boss and have that mechanic occasionally appear later. Like, going off of the theme of a big city, you could have a boss battle that takes place on a train and introduce a cannon or gun used on the train. The beginning of the level acts as a tutorial, then occasionally reuse the train gun without having to reteach the players. Admittedly, I can't exactly get across the idea well in text, but basically think of the train level from Super Mario 3D World, but Mario has a cannon and is firing at the other train. I honestly just think a collection of unique moves shown all throughout the game, all coming together in later stages would be really cool. Best wishes on the game, and can't wait to see more.

[@RealPurpsicle]

Retrocrow, listen, Mace Face Games is incredible, I have watched this video about 4 times at this point, and PLEASE, I NEED MORE OF YOUR CONTENT! YOU ARE MY INSIRATION TO START GAMEDEV!

[@RetroCrowDev]

I'll try my best! Glad to hear I've inspired you :)

[@AnwBarry]

I really dig the artstyle. Will be keeping an eye on this

[@nateschocolatecroissants5463]

There is a cool album called "Rat Taxi" under the channel name Louie Zong. It may inspire your game in terms of soundtrack and overall vibe/aesthetics. Plus, it might be cool to add a little yellow taxi for the character to be able to find and drive around in for a bit.

[@RetroCrowDev]

someone else also recommended rat taxi and I absolutely love it, definitely a new inspiration for me lol

[@nateschocolatecroissants5463]

@@RetroCrowDev out of curiosity, what software or engine are you using in this video?

[@RetroCrowDev]

I use godot as my game engine and firealpaca for the art

[@TheSaltySpecimen]

Rat Shot? More like RAD SHOT! also 2:33 made me laugh hi fellow godot user btw

[@magg166]

Slopes are the natural opposition of every platformer game dev lol. Ok so I was originally going to talk about changing the slice back into a gun swing, but with added clarity to make the action feel more impactful (mainly by making the ending pose have the gun point downwards more). However, I failed to realize that the gun is usually pointed downwards in the air, so an overhead gun swing is doomed to blend in with the fall animation. Instead, I suggest changing the slice into a forward spin, Sonic and the Black Knight style. It would functionally work different from just a slice since it covers the whole body, but you can totally use that to your advantage to introduce a way to bounce on spikes Mario World-style. OR you could do a best of both worlds where grounded is the slice while in the air it's the spin. Plus, by making the grounded slice function like a dash, you could create a new decision for the player for whether they should slice on the ground for speed or slice in the air for greater coverage.

[@sonicSnap]

this looks awesome!!! the level design struggles are usually why they say to make your first level last (or come back to it at the end), since you'll understand exactly how your mechanics work level design wise by then

[@RetroCrowDev]

Thats a good point yeah. The level will probably look quite a bit different by the time the game comes out, but I still need it new for playtesting and stuff.

[@Watercape13]

Wish I had some sort of experience in game making to give opinions but all I can really say is you really rock with that artstyle 🙏

[@tortilladog4469]

The Graffiti at the end looks awesome, Graffiti enemies that crawl along the background walls would be a great addition! (Also the game looks great so far).

[@endyproductions6209]

I love the art style!

[@Kosro]

Holy macaroni, this slaps. Love your style, looks and feels very special!

[@mrperson9877]

0:37 this is literally what toby fox did with undertale to deltarune lol looks really cool so far! Love the artstyle and shooting in the air looks like loads of fun; I hope its used in very creative ways

[@pouihurmen]

This looks so incredibly smooth, creative and has a ton of swagger.

[@JesseJokes]

I’m not really a gamer but this is definitely something I’d sit down to play

[@dylanenriguehuntington2908]

Looks legit good! I think a good way to differentiate it from pizza tower is to think about what sort of emotions you want to evoke with your game. Pizza tower is very much about pride, and also about frenetic excitement. Your game seems to have a bit more rapid fire resource management, kinda like Laika: Aged through blood. Idk, worth thinking about.

[@meynut8292]

i heckin love how much charm your artstyle has

[@sneakystep8159]

Really good idea, I think one possible addition could be a "grab and bounce" style move where you either grapple to or grab onto an enemy then shoot off them with the gun to get momentum and deal damage, could maybe add a timing element.

[@afiyindev]

Wow bro you’re an incredible artist I’m so jealous

[@tovi3280]

this looks gorgeous visually, also smt4 music goated

[@thomasturner1065]

I think unique coloring and a funny (maybe noir? Or satire on noir, like Gunpoint) story for the main character and setting would really make it stand out. Maybe make the rat a former part of a mafia or a private investigator - both have serious and comedic potential. Also adding more decorations around and in the ground would help alot - I have trouble recognizing destructable ground, which that could help with. Aside from those, I think it looks amazing!

[@ozyryx2610]

Youre art style is sick man looks so comic like but looks sick

[@Matt_Sorensen]

Game looks absolutely sick, art style reminds me of something I'd see on Cartoon Network in the late 90s/early 00s.

[@Nugget111uh1]

I'd say the best thing you could do is have your rat get flung around. It's already a mechanic to use your hand cannon to fling yourself up and down, maybe bosses involve lining yourself up with their attacks to get flung against specific parts of the wall or arena in general for aerial manouvers? Or maybe use a double-drill motion on the power lines to slingshot yourself through alternate paths! Maybe even have brooms that come out of doors or windows instead of springboards to fling the little guy around! Your character is already established as super light, so you might as well go for broke on the movement establishing him as being light but still really dangerous! Maybe even make use of the slice for jumping off certain surfaces, or as a fling parry!

[@BlueMarioGangsta]

Myths are 100% true mention, we are truly 100% back

[@arminc4658]

I can tell you're gonna be huge. This is insane quality content

[@SecretZoneGames]

Looks amazing, I definitely want to hear more about this

[@thanksomuch1557]

This is the first video I'm seeing from you, and it's really cool! You present your experience in designing games in a super entertaining way :D I'm excited to see more

[@FlashOfAsh]

on your point about the identity, I mean yeah duh when the only focus you have so far is movement out of the literal just haven't got to other parts of the game yet in development thing, people are just gonna connect the dots to whatever hit big with similar movement. Heck i heard some of that about antonblast, and they were in development while pizza tower was also in development.

[@PhantomThiefXI]

you have all of my interest, nice artstyle and approach to creation as for your identity & ideas, i think it lies on the gun movement. for the first levels, you could design different guns to use, with different types of movement (for examples, a shotgun that makes you jump extra high, but only upwards(opposite of the ground pound in other words); an uzi that gives you long distance short jumps in a row; a bayonet rifle that shoots the knife and you can swing like a grapple hook) and thus introduce the player to each movement/gun gimmick, and then on later levels theres a more free approach to the platforming, theres not a one gun to jump through it, the player can pick their preferred type of movement and proceed with it (a pocket sequence break kinda thing? pseudoregalia approaches puzzles and platforms this way and i cant think of a better game for jump gameplay reference).

[@theloob]

Add this: a enemy that seeks up behind you but dosnent attack untill you soot a enemy infront of you causing nockback to send younin to the enemy behind you

[@victorremonquevedo8330]

I'm imagining momentum used as a game mechanic: If* you have enough skill and reaction time, you can chain multiple speed boosts. For example: Let's say that you've groundpounded into a slope, then boosted yourself by shooting your gun right into a zipline, to then jump off of it, leading into a big speed boost; to have some feedback, you can make the camera go slightly farther than usual and also stretch or pan into the direction that you're moving towards. It could also be funny to blur the rat once it goes well past its running speed.

[@Developers_den]

bro the art style is sick

[@bleyk_267]

very expressive art with a juicy gameplay. congratss

[@Ninten-Go]

What if the gun boost mechanic was the attack? So that you need to utilize positioning to get to the right angle to shoot the enemies? In a lot of fast games the way I see it is that the difficulty of enemies is immaterial. E.G. in neon white the enemies are super easy to kill, that way the challenge comes about in killing them in a way that doesn’t hinder your movement

[@nothingatall6703]

It looks amazing and really fun!

[@frogchamp.]

this looks absolutely amazing, will definetly be buying as soon as it comes out

[@RandomDude1487]

hmm, yes, totally not just pizza tower but no Mach run (I’m kidding, it seems amazing)

[@iamnotabotiswearuwu]

Dude all of your games look awesome as hell

[@wastely]

Amazing video! Really inspiring for me, who is also working on a personal project at Godot

[@Whhatt]

@@wastely mind sharing the idea it if it doesn't bother you?

[@wastely]

@@Whhatt , kind of a parody of RPGs where adventurers get chests suspiciously full of loot, but in reality are little goblins working minimal wages who fill them with stuff. Gameplay wise it's quite like overcooked

[@ImThatCDGuy]

i'm REALLY glad to see more stylised 2d platformers with thick line art (also myths are 100% true🔥🔥)

[@tripplejaz]

You should revisit the attack. The chop slash is a cop out and you know it. Maybe sliding at the beginning has a hit box? Like a big toe nail pops out for a second? Idk. Worth revisiting.

[@ivyjuicegames]

Damn, your games have some sick visuals, bro!

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

oh man you're going places with this heavy focus and polish.

[@derpaboopderp1286]

Awesome video. Love da artstyle, love da gun jump, love da rat, love da octopus at da end

[@thiagoh2005]

looks peak man. Loved the art style, so cool

[@volutedberet]

Looks really fun!! Also the artstyle is insanely cool :3

[@Michal_is_michal]

holy shit this is great INstantly gonna say a level editor is needed tho

[@froggney1515]

I feel seen as an indie dev currently also making a simple 2d platforming game, that is also supposed to be a smaller piece of a bigger platformer I want to make in the future lol. From my experience in godot, slopes are hell but every problem they bring up has a solution somewhere. You just have to find it. Game looks sick already and I'll definitely be looking for it once it releases

[@cuenta007]

i have noticed SO much inspiration from pizza tower and other games like overall this game will take 5 years to develop but it will be a 10/10

[@BigBossHere-b1y]

I feel like some sort of score system where you get more points the more enemies you kill back to back would really work here, and make it way more satisfying.

[@Animonkey]

Considering that pizza tower has become my favorite game of all time i will DEFINITELY be keeping a keen eye on your game!!! I can’t wait to see what you do!!!

[@ParkourMarkskilz]

Ive never seen u yet all i know is W video. And the games looks funnn.

[@datboi1861]

This gives me serious Jazz JackRabbit 2 vibes. Love it.

[@samuran4698]

How have I never stumbled across your content before, I am blessed to have youtube recommend me devlog videos so that I witness the hottest games ever! I already like your style and personality from what I have seen in this video

[@RetroCrowDev]

I mean this is my first devlog so I'm not surprised you haven't seen my channel yet lol

[@samuran4698]

@RetroCroww Well, you have got yourself a new fan, I am definitely going to check out what you're making in the future

[@eggzwithaz1980]

This looks incredible. Keep it up! Maybe add different guns that do different types of jumps that you can freely switch between? (I.e. a sniper with a high vertical jump, a tommy gun that's like the regular gun, but with more ammo and shorter jumps). I don't know a whole lot about game development, and don't know how difficult this may be. Just a thought. Edit: I think I just described Neon White lol

[@powerofthec5908]

Myths are 100% true mentioned. We won today Hlev nation

[@pixelzio]

Very underrated channel this video was very well made and i thought u had atleast 100k subs

[@marcelovotan2446]

The game is looking good bro, congrats. My sugestion is to change the gun for a rocket (since it is not used like a gun ever). This could also help with the attack , making the rat do a short range blast in front of him.

[@saltyppancakes717]

This looks like it would be the coolest metroidvania ever.

[@cmoody17]

Really excellent devlog video. I imagine this is likely a "polish coming later" thing, but the main thing that stood out when watching is an opportunity for "impact effects." e.g. You have a landing impact effect when he drills into the ground, or when he slides, but none for landing a regular jump. It makes him feel like more of a standalone art asset, and less like a piece of the world. If there were animations/SFX like a little dust cloud or impact effect when he hits the ground, it would add weight. The same could be said of a "startup" animation, like when he goes from standing to running. Pizza Tower as an example has "impact effects" with little white dust clouds for just about every single action, everything he touches - it's kind of over the top. This also helps because if you're doing precision platforming, the secondary effects help "confirm" with audio and visual cues when/whether impact actually occurred and makes reacting easier and more satisfying, and thus affects how the movement "feels", even if it kind of just seems like a visual/audio polish thing.

[@RetroCrowDev]

yeah a lot of those I plan to add later, and I think I'm gonna also increase the size on the dust for the drill and slide

[@Zylind]

Omg this game looks already fantastic!👍

[@Mahmood-r6c]

I Love it 🤩

[@ameep168]

Idea to keep a ranged attack, some sort of charge move that shoots behind you giving you a directional boost in the other direction, the draw is the speed of it and the projetile it shoots is only for like a cool effect. Like the character flies up in the air, shoots for some distance and the bullet just happens to hit a exploding barrel killing a bunch of enemies. Also sliding up a hill could slow down the character, allowing them to be able to proccess something while going fast af

[@moonlitwyvern6840]

No clue if your gonna give projectiles a try again or not for the characters attack, but someone else mentioned Metroid already! I think Dread is a specifically good place to look :) On another note, the slice isn't terrible either- I think if it had a similar hitbox and instead was the rat firing his gun the same way it explodes him around would be funny, like a defunct gun that always detonates and doesn't fire a projectile. Seeing the Octopus grafitti at the end put me in the mind of a silly mob boss rat who's peeved off because eldritch horrors are stepping up to his turf, so he's gotta show them who's "da boss" in town! But otherwise I'm liking this so far and excited to see where it goes.

[@yokitosyosko]

The game looks absolutely gorgeous. I can see the inspiration from Pizza Tower, but don't worry about it - there's a big difference between inspiration and cloning. I really believe in this project and your approach to creating a fun mechanic, along with a moveset that encourages exploration of that mechanic. I'm new to game development, and this channel is a good find for me :) Subscribed!

[@garyadamos]

your art and editing is so good bro you’re gonna be huge one day

[@digitalbubblegum7611]

I love your art style ❤

[@VerticalOrSomethin]

Idea: His tail can be used al a rope to attach to certain points and swing from them

[@louxie6367]

Really nice video! :D Glad to see I am not the only one who struggles with tilemaps

[@Kio_Kurashi]

Isn't the answer to the question Sonic the Hedgehog? Granted... They don't make those well. XD

[@HeyGrouch]

Game looks super fun!! As a fellow solo dev it's really interesting to see your experience. I've had almost the exact same struggles with slopes. Fuck slopes.

[@RetroCrowDev]

fuck slopes!!! worth it though

[@CWorthStudios]

I love the dinginess - I think leaning into that will help it stand out from pizza tower. I have this bizzare half memory of NES games from one of those 1000 games technically illegal bundles that I don't fully remember... it's this strange nostalgia for grimy, dark worlds like that of the teenage mutant ninja turtles, yet all having all the fun characters, splashes of color. I like the vibes I just can't describe them...

[@jurtheorc8117]

Stuff like Oddworld too for example? Or Lost in Random? (mainly in the first two lands and a part in the fifth, but it's a cool game as a whole). Oh, and Bad Boro perhaps too.

[@fumetsusozo]

Love the artwork! I can tell you have uploaded works to new grounds before as your style has that kinda taste to it! Haha! I would suggest to actually be able to shot your gun for attack moves, to make it not dull to avoid your worries... the next step is have enemies automatically enter a panic mode where they try to dodge whenever you shot at them... that idea will require some balancing to get right obviously... but it totally would feel worth it to me! I also will suggest doing some kinda special stage/minigame that allows the player to use their preexisting move sets for a different goal from the usual game.

[@RetroCrowDev]

Yeah a lot of people are recommending that the gun have some kind of use beyond movement. I'll have to think of something for that lol.

[@nathangardon7379]

THIS GAME LOOKS SICK, and for the attack you could still use the gun, but a short range blast akin to gunbrella

[@spongyoshi]

This look pretty cool, ngl! Was thinking, since dashing with the gun seems like the main appeal of the game, instead of a melee attack, have some sort of quick dash attack. The rat fires a shot behind him, launching him forward and making him a moving hitbox for a second or something. This could even be used afterward to gain speed from the ground and keeping the momentum by jumping since this also seems like an important mechanism of the game. Hope you beat the pizza tower clone allegation, was honestly my first thought too ngl but it still looks sick haha! Just hope you can find your own level design philosophy!

[@Teffg]

Things like the zipline is a good start to making the game stand out. My first impression of this game was that it was just a pizza tower clone, but with the ability to use the recoil of a shotgun to traverse. Maybe really start to design the game around the shotgun recoil mechanic? You could add more depth to the mechanic like making it omni-directional, or variable strength according to how long you charge the shot or something idk.