The Year of FDS - Part 123 - Fire Rock (ファイヤーロック)

[@syncoplay]

I feel like you missed the reason why so many of us consider it an underappreciated classic. Fire Rock isn't really played like a traditional action platformer, it's way too clumsy for that. Instead it's good to think of it like QWOP, Octodad, or Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy - a game where the baffling controls are the key challenge, and the fun is in succeeding despite them.

[@chazmaru9583]

Mark Flint was indeed a pseudonym. I know the "Mark" part is an homage to Mark Hamill; not sure where the Flint part comes from. I recently uncovered his real name (and the Mark Hamill anecdote) upon conversations with former System Sacom staff, but since it was apparently never made public and I did not think to ask for their permission, it does not feel right to share it. The seemingly weird push for his persona is better understood if you remember System Sacom started in the Microcomputer scene (PC-88/PC-98 notably) and this kind of branding of the main programmer was common in the early PC-88 era. Another example I can share off the top of my head is Ōtsuka Tatsuji who handled the Jackie Chan games (Project A and Spartan X) on PC-88 and MSX. Flint was pretty good at programming 3D on early Japanese computers (check Valiant and Zone on PC-98) so I am sure he had some name value for System Sacom.

[@RndStranger]

I talk about Mark Flint again in a few episodes and I'm a lot nicer to him in that one.

[@stevep9177]

So mark flint was a real person huh? I assumed it was a character, or a group of people operating under one name

[@chazmaru9583]

@@stevep9177 Right, Mark Flint was a specific employee of System Sacom going by this pseudonym. Obviously, it could be that after a while, System Sacom abused the "brand" and used his name for projects on which he had only superficial involvement, but if you talk to former staff from the company, they all have the one and same person in mind. He was also an acquaintance of the original Game Freak gang, Tajiri & co., which - inference on my part - might explain the Game Freak x System Sacom connection on Epic’s Jerry Boy (a.k.a. Smart Ball).

[@ABlob]

Oh so that's why Nihon Falcom was also doing something similar with their developers around that time too...

[@nate567987]

plus chunsoft and the dragon slayer name and hell Kou Shibusawa

[@BillBull218]

Yes!!! FIRE ROCK!!! I love this game - it's one of my favorite FDS games. The movement and controls are insane, the stages are mazes, the enemies are chaotic and hard to avoid, and the boss fights are relatively simple (although finding and getting into a safe spot to kill a boss is a challenge in and of itself, due to the insane controls and movement), but I found it to be super fun! Definitely not for everyone, but it's one of those games that is a truly unique experience to play, so it's worth giving it a try at the very least.

[@yalborap]

"attacking pops you up a few pixels *and sticks you with airborne knockback* " is one of the more insane programming decisions I've heard in this series, which is saying something.

[@nicole_local]

A popular theory I've seen on twitch is that the engine was designed for pinball. Kind of feels like it!

[@BagOfMagicFood]

So a Sonic-like

[@ABlob]

Whoa, that torch throw at 2:25 is something I've never seen before in an NES/Famicom game... That looked really technically impressive.

[@mooware]

Fire Rock became surprisingly popular in some retro communities on twitch in the last few years, and a whole bunch of people have finished it on stream. I'm a big fan myself.

[@HexagonWitch]

I am dreading the day I have to undergo my own trial of fire with this game. Kinda doubt I will enjoy it as much as others haha.

[@shiki232]

I always think of quirky early 3d adventure games like Toriko, Mansion of Hidden Souls and the masterpiece Blue Stinger when thinking of System Sacom, its strange to think of their early more traditional jank fest games like this and Marchen Veil which I believe you also covered not that long back

[@angel_arle]

I remember showing this game to a couple of friends last month and I think they were all confused what was even going on this game especially with the controls. I really should finish this game someday.

[@marcusmclean132]

That 3D game with the floating cars looks cool

[@TearyEyesAnderson]

It looks like it would be a slightly better version of "Spelunker", not being able to wall at a little fall, holding onto and climbing on walls, more fighting and bosses. If the controls were better, I could see some people really enjoying this one.

[@sjake8308]

Watching the main character bounce around all over the place weirdly reminds me of Earnest Evans! 😆

[@BagOfMagicFood]

The vertical level design puts me in the mind of Captain Dynamo.

[@1000MEGASHOCK]

Perhaps "Mark Flint" was an attempt to recreate the phenomena of games like Spelunker and Lode Runner, which were marketed in Japan as being designed by foreign prodigys.

[@Specter227]

This game is so hilariously broken that it's actually worth trying out for 15 minutes or so.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah, I was thinking it had kusoge potential. The controls just seem nuts.

[@GarrettCRW]

You mention System Sacom’s next FDS game and say that Mark Flint’s name was never used to promote another console game, but his name is on that other game’s title screen. I’m hoping that the next episode will explain the contradiction.

[@vaughnrudy8084]

What a weird little thing

[@darktetsuya]

there was another someone on youtube that's covered a lot of the Japanese PC stuff and he had a big whole thing on System Sacom and Mark Flint, so I'm somewhat familiar with that story. This game seems to be a bit of a mess though. it vaguely reminds me of Elrond/Wizards and Warriors with the design of the caves and platforms, but controls a million times worse! I don't know how anyone could finish that without the invincibility cheat!

[@artherfrain6999]

At least its a good-looking game.

[@cappantwan2978]

Ah yes, Mark Flint. As Japanese as a name as Geese Howard. Don't see anything off here, ha ha.

[@johnsimon8457]

It has some Mike Hunt energy.

[@romannikonenko7325]

Such a generic game, they should've name it Cave Guy

[@mariusamber3237]

This looks horribly unpleasant to play... surely one of those games that are fairly short (under 1 h, potentially) but plays so poorly that it would take you forever to beat, in reality. I'd say leave those aliens alone in their underground base, let them have Earth this time.

[@EuSouRCS]

For a moment I thought that this was a video about Metroid 👀👄👅🎮

[@anactualmotherbear]

Mark Flint is a weird character. This game is an odd Famicom title. The movement in this game makes no sense. Why is the little nameless hero just flopping everywhere like a fish? The graphics are colorful and detailed, but are badly drawn. This is a bad game, but at least it's an INTERESTING bad game!