Hey everyone! I am happy to formally announce a new quest project between me and Sheik. This is The Legend of Zelda: Crucible Crest.
With this announcement, there's also a playable demo extending through Level 1 - you can download it now!
Nov. 30, 2022 Update - New Demo Available - Playable in Zelda Classic 2.55, a110/a111 only!
I also wanted to give a brief pitch for the game. I really think the demo stands on its own, so if you're bored by this, just download and play it - and let us know what you think in the thread!
>>STORY / CONCEPT
Crucible Crest is a Zelda 1 "remake" in a very loose sense. It's really a "reinterpretation" (and in fact that was the working title for the project). This is a critically-minded response to Zelda 1, but also Zelda as a series - the way that the story of Zelda is continually retold and repeated in an endless cycle.
You can play this as if it's a Zelda 1 style quest - wandering the world and checking off your boxes. If you want or need more guidance, there are NPC's who can directly instruct you. We've designed a quest state system that allows them to update their dialog based on what you've accomplished so far in the game and what they've already told you so that this is dynamic and always helpful. You can get a taste for this in the demo, even though it's limited in scope.
The rest of the story is best left to the game - so get in there and play it!
>>WORLD
Sheik has designed the overworld for the demo and has done some superb sprite work for the project as a whole. This quest is planned to be a full 16x12 overworld. Locations are basically the same as they are in Zelda 1, but you can already tell by the demo that things have been remixed in subtle and not-subtle ways to help the world flow a little bit better.
>>GAMEPLAY
The gameplay in Crucible Crest is highly scripted to resemble the Game Boy Zelda games in feel. The following features are just some of the changes made:
- Enemy and player knockback is completely rebuilt to depend on the angle of the hit. This completely changes the feel of combat from Z1's grid-based system. The terrain also factors into combat more - enemies can be pushed into pits, water, and lava just like in the GB games.
- All enemies are completely scripted from the ground-up. Existing enemies now much more closely resemble their GB counterparts, and all-new enemies have been added as well.
- Many familiar items are now expanded in their role and usefulness to encourage a variety of play. Try relying on the candle especially - I think you'll find it's really fun!
- Visual effects - bombs, switches, shutters, warps, etc. - have all been slightly or significantly revamped.
- New save point, continue, and warping system.
Here's the link to the latest version of the Crucible Crest demo with the associated GBS soundtrack files.
Nov. 30, 2022 Update - New Demo Available - Playable in Zelda Classic 2.55, a110/a111 only!
Please report any bugs, issues, or just post about your experience and let us know what you liked and didn't like! Here are a few notes:
- The GBS files are REQUIRED for music. This quest does not include or support MIDI's.
- The demo only goes to the end of Level 1. You can continue to play and explore afterwards but no new content or dialog exists after this point.
- Areas on the overworld that are not accessible have been blocked off.
- An overworld map is planned, but not implemented in this demo. This also affects the overworld warping (which is functional but not fully implemented) as it is planned to rely on the map.
- The active subscreen is functional, but not complete. This is planned to be replaced by a scripted subscreen to allow use of the EX1 and EX2 buttons to equip items.
- Related to the above, the passive subscreen has placeholders for X and Y buttons, but are not implemented yet.
- You cannot get to every cave, chest, and item that are visible in the demo.
- Anything can change between now and full release!
Tiles/ Tileset:
- EZGBZ 2.5 by Lightwulf, adapted from EZGBZ 2.1 by Akkabus
- Various Loose Tiles - Shane, Relic, Supindahood
- Hubydweyer
- Aslion
- Jake Kaufman (Shantae)
- Minako Hamano & Kazumi Totaka (Link's Awakening)
- Minako Adachi & Kyohiro Sada (Oracle of Ages / Seasons)
- Tsutomo Ishida, Masayuki Iwata, and Atsushi Mihiro (Trip World)
- Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear: Ghost Babel)
- Alberto Jose González (The Smurfs' Nightmare, Turok 2)
- Hidehiro Funauchi (Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge)
Edited by Mitchfork, 30 November 2022 - 09:04 AM.