(formerly SplatShop-2D Land: Developer Tales!)
(formerly SplatShop-2D Land: Developer Tales!)
Written by Finley Farrah
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A regular column on the development of my content universe, the InkSplativerse. (note: All entries before 28/11/23 were called SS2DL Developer Tales and were purely about SS2DL.)
20/9/23: First Entry!
20/9/23: First Entry!
It's been a while since SS2DL (my game) has been developed, but it's my first time writing about it.
For those who don't know: SplatShop-2D Land is a retro-inspired 2D platformer starring this lil' guy.
His name is SplatShop-2D (or just "2D" for short) and he is a game developer. He found this old game called "Castle Storm" where a valiant knight frees a portal-filled castle and its surrounding town from an evil being known as Kub3 (pronounced "cube").
Picture him as Pizzaface from Pizza Tower. (Link contains spoilers for final boss of game)
However, a portal opened up while he was playing the game, sucking him in!
He woke up in the world of Castle Storm, where he learned about how he was destined to slay Kub3.
More story details (and perhaps gameplay?) next time, but the big thing about this game is... That you too can get involved in not one, not 4, but 3 different ways!
First, you can cameo in the game! Your character can have a chance of appearing in secret levels in the game! (Like the Pizzasonas in Pizza Tower!)
Or, you can have some of your SS2DL fan-art appear at the end of these columns!
Finally, you can help shape the game by becoming part of the SplatShop team!
This is Finley Farrah, signing off!
21/9/23: More stuff
21/9/23: More stuff
Here's some key art for the game!
2D
2D
Here he is! (Yes, he wears fingerless gloves.)
Kub3
Kub3
Reminder that he's evil.
We also have a bunch of new characters. Introducing Manny and Big Red!
Manny
Manny
The "court jester" at The Castle and 2D's "companion". He's a huge part of the story.
Big Red
Big Red
A huge tomato monster who shall be the first boss you will face. A reference to Pepperman, the first boss of Pizza Tower, and Spoiled Rotten, the first boss of Wario Land 4.
We also have a new gameplay mechanic!
The Power Pack
The Power Pack
That backpack 2D's wearing? That's a Power Pack, which lets him steal the abilities of others and use them as his own, like some kinda Kirby. But if he gets hit, he'll drop the pack and be virtually powerless until he picks it up, like Yoshi in Yoshi's Island.
We swear we'll have some actual in-dev gameplay soon.
This is Finley, signing off 😉
22/9/23: Final Entry of Week 1
22/9/23: Final Entry of Week 1
Tomorrow, I'm attending a digital Zoom workshop for a comic I like called the Phoenix. On the same day, I'm going to Gulliver's World! Yes! But before all that, remember how I promised you that I had some gameplay?
Well, about that... SS2DL won't load for some reason, so I tried to show you SS2DL in-engine using my bespoke VTuber avatar. That didn't really get sent well, so I tried to screenshot and eventually settled on this.
The "screenshot".
The "screenshot".
Yes. That's a lot of "this". I literally took out my Samsung Galaxy tablet and took a picture of the screen. This is genuine proof that I am actually making a game. I literally woke up at about 7 am to take this.
As you can see, I am bad at managing time.
Y'know what this whole newsletter thing reminds me of? Ratatan. My game of 2025. That's how excited I am for this game to come out!
In other news, we have a trailer...
SS2DL Inscapism Trailer.mp4Impressive, huh? That was meant to be on the "Slice of Life" page but I have decided to put it here 😂
I've recently been thinking of SS2DL merch opportunities ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
These could be real with your help. Possibly.
Finley signing off 👍
28/11/23: The Expansion
28/11/23: The Expansion
Welcome to the new-and-improved InkSplat's Corner! I'm InkSplat, and this is my corner. It will be divided into sections based on different things. First up:
DEVELOPER TALES!
DEVELOPER TALES!
Where we develop SplatShop-2D Land!
Since I last left you, I've been developing SS2DL on-and-off for a while now.
After watching the developers of Penny's Big Breakaway (an amazing game developed by the same people responsible for Sonic Mania) play said game, I wanted to do something. Here is...
A *new* screenshot of SS2DL, from a few days ago!
A *new* screenshot of SS2DL, from a few days ago!
Here it is!
New features, like a speedometer and ranks! The lowest rank you can get is F, while the highest is i for "intellegent". Just thought that would sound cool, in a video-game-from-around-Y2K kind of way. Think of the i-Rank as the P-Rank in Pizza Tower. I am also adding a 3D hub-world. Next, we have...
Artist's Tales...
Artist's Tales...
Where we do art!
Recently, I found out about the Young Animator of the Year UK award. YAY UK for short. It's partly hosted by Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit) and Blue Zoo (Alphablocks) and it is a prestigious award given to young and talented animators. One of my favourite winners is "The Complete Cartoon History of Man" by a 17-year-old named Thomas. Watch it, it's surprisingly good for the creator's age.
One of the other things YAY UK does is their mini-challenges. If you want to animate, whether that be claymation, 2D or 3D, practice with these. Recently, I have been attempting "Myths, Magic and Mayhem" by Blue Zoo. This is a character-design challenge where you have to design a character from a description. I haven't uploaded my entry yet, but it was still fun!
Wait, I forgot something about SS2DL.
Wait, I forgot something about SS2DL.
The new story elements I came up with.
Castle Storm has left-over files from another game corrupting it. 2D must delete those files. That's why there are Detonators.
We've run out of time for now! Join me next time for more stuff. InkSplat out.
5/12/23: Still Workin' On It
5/12/23: Still Workin' On It
DEVELOPER TALES!
DEVELOPER TALES!
I have added the ability to sprint, among other things, to SS2DL. I actually have footage of that. I could show you that next issue.
InkSplat Speaks
InkSplat Speaks
This is a new segment where I talk about things in a blog-style way!
First up, Fortnite. Chapter 5 looks really promising. I mean, look at it! The new modes, the new story... Everything just seems so great! Don't look it up, just download Fortnite from Epic Games Store or your console's shop and play it! I'm looking forward to this game's future!
Next up, the Game Awards. On December 7, this amazing celebration of gaming will happen... at 1am? Seriously? I'll check it when I wake up on that day. If you want to vote, please vote Pizza Tower for Best Debut Indie Game. Also, vote for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Splatoon 3 or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the categories they show up in. Encourage Nintendo, as they revolutionised how gaming works with those games. Plus, if you're in Fortnite, vote either PRIDASK's Music Megaverse or Top5Gaming's Boxfight PVP for Best Fortnite Experience. PRIDASK are the Matsaya Matsuuras of their time (play any PaRappa the Rapper game if you have the chance, it's a good series) and Tommy from T5G revolutionised how the classic boxfight mode works. Plus, trailers will be shown at the Awards. The Rocket Racing mode in Fortnite will launch at the Awards and SEGA have something very special to show there. They have sent people postcards with the text "New era, new energy. See you at the Game Awards." Personally, I think this is a reveal of their new Dreamcast game revivals (their apparent "Super Game" that will help them rival Fortnite, as well as some new movie adaptations) or, judging from the fact that the postcards were sent to fighting-game players, a reveal of their "Virtua Fighter x eSports" game they have been teasing for a few years.
Merry December and InkSplat out!
19/12/23: The IC Christmas Special!
19/12/23: The IC Christmas Special!
OK, everyone! It's the moment all of this has been leading up to!
Drum roll, please....
A photo of the InkSplatMedia office Christmas party?
Wait, who's that girl to the left?
DEVELOPER TALES!!!
DEVELOPER TALES!!!
Lila, the Inkdragon
Lila, the Inkdragon
(Note: Inkdragon means a DRAGON-like species made by me, INKSplat.) She runs a small arcade and café called the Savepoint. She's very important in SS2DL... and in my heart~...
Also, she doesn't have a cup and saucer permanently attached to her hand. Also also, here's the second boss!
Packranha
Packranha
They're a box, turned into a piranha-like creature by Kub3. They're meant to be like a mini-boss from the maze-like Metroidvania game in the series about the overpowered pink puffball. Also, like the Piraneapples in Pizza Tower.
Wait, a new lore-relevant character?
Liz
Liz
Y'know that game that was corrupting Castle Storm that I had wrote about? This is the protagonist for said game. A gecko-like alien. They are very, very important to the game's story.
And, last but not least...
Pixies.
Pixies.
These are lil' fairy things that are digital representations of video game genres. This one is the platformer game Pixie. They're essentially Pizza Tower's Toppins.
Have my Christmas gift to you! A "Proof of Conceptier" demo, for Windows, Mac and Linux! Download it and play it! The reason it's "proof of conceptier" is because I have already sent an older "proof of concept" demo to my friend. And now, the final SS2DL announcement of the day. I will be taking a break from developing SS2DL. I need time to relax, play games, draw pictures and be festive. So, Merry Christmas and merry SS2DL!
Also, here's music.
InkSplat Speaks
InkSplat Speaks
So, I'm taking a break. This is because I have recently needed a break for mental health and time reasons. Also, it's Christmas. Go figure.
A few weeks after the Game Awards, here are my thoughts on it.
First up, Cocoon beat Pizza Tower in the Best Debut Indie vote. I can agree with this, as Cocoon is a very good game in its own right. Also, Pizza Tower was never taken as seriously as Cocoon throughout this year.
Forza Motorsport, one of the first video games with its own sign language interpreter, won Innovation in Accessibility.
Dave The Diver, as predicted by me, unfairly lost the Best Indie vote to Sea of Stars.
Zelda: TOTK won Best Action-adventure, Street Fighter 6 won Best Fighting, Super Mario Bros Wonder won Best Family, Pikmin 4 won Best Sim/Strategy and Ironmouse won Content Creator of the Year. Very agreeable, but I think Wonder should be known for more than just being a "family game." That game had Super Mario 64, if not Pizza Tower, levels of innovation.
I am unsure what won Best Fortnite Experience.
Now, onto the reveals and trailers.
A city somewhere, 20XX. A couple play some Sonic together. Shortly after, the power goes out and things start disappearing. A Shinobu arcade machine turns on and the husband stares into it.
Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Crazy Taxi. SEGA are cooking. They're making brand-new games in these old series, with more to come! According to SEGA's CEO, the original teams behind these games are involved with the new Super Games. What a blast! 5 new SEGA games, with more soon! How amazing!
From Panic and House House, the minds behind Untitled Goose Game, comes the multiplayer masterpiece that is Big Walk. You and a team of players get to explore a vast open world together, in a way that only the developers of Untitled Goose Game can. I dunno how to describe it, just click on the link and watch the trailer.
Also, there was a trailer for a Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi sequel called Dragon Ball Sparking!: Zero (the Budokai series is called Sparking! in Japan.) and a trailer and release for the Rocket Racing mode in Fortnite. Those were cool too.
And finally, what I did this month.
When I wake up, I check a video game recommendation advent calendar and get a daily reward in a few of my favourite games. Then I go downstairs and eat some advent calendar chocolate as I prepare my mind for school. Then I do the usual.
So, merry Christmas and InkSplat out? I dunno, man, I feel tired.
Merry Christmas.Page updated
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