Welcome to the third edition of Homebrew Review Round Up. This edition is full of high-publicity homebrew titles with most of the games featured being designed primarily for the ModRetro Chromatic (a modern Game Boy). The games covered have been prominent releases in the modding and homebrew community. Not every game that I’ve covered in this series have been as prominent as the games in this episode. As with previous editions, most of these games are not brand new releases, although none are more than a few years old. We hope you enjoy the content.
Zephyr’s Pass
Zephyr’s Pass is an Incube8 published game, and it does well to extend that publishers legacy of great, ambitious ‘post-life’ Game Boy and Game Boy Color releases. The game is an ambitious Zelda-like or action rpg. The player character, Abel will visit towns and tackle four dungeons to save the game world. There is a vast sand ocean to traverse, and the game has generally an epic story.
The style is dark, both in graphics and thematically. You could argue this makes the game more mature and nuanced, or you could say a bit more color would brigthen up the experience and make the game more approachable. However, the mechanics are solid and if you are looking for a new Zelda- like experience on the Game Boy Color, this could be the title for you.
Hermano
This game was developed for the ModRetro Chromatic and has an interesting (if rather dark) premise of a kid’s deceased brother rising from the grave to save his sibling. The premise shouldn’t be taken too seriously as this isn’t a story-based game. It is a platformer similar to Super Mario or Mega Man. The player character can throw his head forward as an attack, and also throw a limited amount of bombs to kill enemies and clear obstacles. The graphics are bright, use big sprites and everything looks crisp and clean.
The title won first place at the 2023 Game Boy Compo, a Game Boy development competition held every few years. Futhermore, it is one of Mod Retro’s flagship titles that is often marketed alongside the Chromatic itself. Like all the games on this list I’ve played a significant portion of it and will say that it is a super fun and addictive title. Pick this one up if you feel like a playing a platformer that plays like a cross between Mario and Mega Man, just with bigger sprites.
Tales of Monsterland DX
Another game that can be linked to the Mod Retro Chromatic is Tales of Monsterland DX. The title of the game is a bit misleading, as there was never an original Tales of Monsterland, so why have they put DX in the title. I’m not sure if there’s an answer to that question, but a question there is an answer for is whether Tales of Monsterland DX is a compelling game, the answer to that one is a resounding yes. The game is a platformer, and is slightly on the easy side, but that’s no bad thing, especially considering what a fun, and wholesome experience the game is.
The graphics look inspired by PC Engine classic, Bonk. I’ve never played that series and its a while since my playthrough of Tales of Monsterland DX but I would compare it to a Super Mario Land type experience but with modern quality of life touches. Not one to miss if you like easy going platformers.
Deadeus
Deadeus was released a while ago and has been a prominent Game Boy homebrew game on sites that cover Game Boy homebrew. However, it flew under my radar, and I had no idea how appealing it was. The game follows a three-day structure in a very similar way to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Imagine Pokémon-style 8-bit graphics and gameplay but with a progression structure like Majora’s Mask.
You explore a rich 8-bit world with locations such as a library, a school, a church, mountains, and beaches, all simply presented but with characters doing and expressing things based on what day of the cycle you are on. It’s a really clever system to build a game around, and it’s a wonder more games don’t follow a Majora’s Mask style structure. The story centres around a potentially prophetic dream that some of the children of the town have been having. Can you solve the mystery and save those that are having nightmares within three days?
Tetris (Chromatic)
You might think what can be so special about another version of Tetris, especially on the Game Boy, well, this version has been designed specifically for the ModRetro Chromatic and is actuallly one of the most advanced versions on the system. It is a GBC game, but you get the point. The graphical effects are more advanced than any other GB or GBC Tetris, the presentation is top quality, and it even has a high score system.
The game also boasts place prediction effects and other modern Tetris quality of life features. Underneath the great presentation is the Tetris goodness we are all used to. This title has been included in cart form with every Mod Retro Chromatic sold. You may be able to find the ROM on the internet if you do some searching.
Final Thoughts
This month there’s been a strong ModRetro Chromatic trend, as all five of the titles on the list were developed with the Chromatic in mind and some were and are even used in its marketing. However, a homebrew game by definition is a game made for a system after that system is no longer officially supported. The Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance are no longer supported by their manufacturer, Nintendo. This means that all titles released for that system, no matter if they are Billion dollar studios that develop them, are homebrew games. There should be no stigma to being a homebrew game. In fact, I think homebrew games are more special than official games, as they have been produced with passion and effort from people that love gaming and the relevant ‘old’ console.
Because this month we’ve focused on so many Incube8 titles, next month maybe we will focus on titles made by smaller groups of people, or one man teams. My favourite game this month is Deadeus. The title is as acessible as a Pokemon game yet it deals with mature and complex themes. Plus, it plays a lot like Majora’s Mask. Happy gaming and see you next week.
BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.