The old GameBoy graphics style is definitely obsolete, with its limited resolution of 160×144 and a monochromatic color palette that had four shades of olive.
Its legacy is intriguing as a game development platform if you think about it. It’s the absolute anti-thesis to contemporary mainstream game design.
TripWorld for the GB, via PixelStyle
I know I’m beating a dead horse with this, but it’s incredibly important to note how creating and playing gamess can be endearing with limitations.
Limitations like that can lead to some really wonderful ideas, and if you think about it, look at the game download services such as the PSN/PSPminis, XBOX LIVE Arcade, the App Store and WiiWare/DSiWare.
Developers have four main limitations when developing:
- a low budget.
- low man power
- non-cutting edge hardware to produce games
- limited mega/gigabyte space to create the game with.
Some might think those are drawbacks to game development, but really they have spawned an incredible wealth of independent and low-budget games that have pushed the medium further than multi-million dollar budget titles. You also have to consider that due to lack of funds developers can’t make crap games look good by just coming up with a huge marketing campaign, so again thinking with limitations forces them to be more original.
These aren’t drawbacks but simply boundaries that are set in place to help promote creativity if you spin it the right way. The obsession with constantly updating hardware to play video games is something to blame manufacturers for. However, the blame doesn’t just fall on them, it falls on the developers as well, and of course, us as consumers. Every time we purchase a mediocre game we cast our vote for ridiculous high budget, low creativity games that are more eye candy than deep and engaging gameplay.
CANABALT - Browser/iPhone
PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES - PC/MAC/iPhone
ELISS - iPhone
MOTHER 3 - GameBoy Advance
SPACE INVADERS EXTREME - XBOX LIVE/Playstation Portable/Nintendo DS
FEZ - XBOX LIVE/Unannounced Platform
HALF-MINUTE HERO - Playstation Portable
LILT LINE - iPhone
FLOW - Browser/PC/MAC/Playstation Network
FAT PRINCESS - Playstation Network
With the onset of these great download services that cater to gamers looking for something different and bleeding heart developers who want to express themselves and distribute themselves in a way they never thought possible, the future looks bright for those who want to think inside of the box, be frugal, and appreciate and embrace limitations to be able to create amazing things.
Paint, brushes and canvas haven’t really changed for hundreds of years, but amazing artists, willing to push themselves and stretch the box around them have created new and exciting pieces. The medium has never really expanded for real material/supply artists, only their creativity, and passion.
Indie game and small-budget development is the same way, with little tools, and infinite passion, games can be magical to create, and most importantly, play.