14 DAY TRIAL // Another NES-inspired platformer is in the works, and this one seems maybe a little too dedicated to emulating the aesthetics of old.
Steel Assault is currently undergoing a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and its two makers are looking to raise a modest sum for finishing their game.
Granted, the game doesn't look like the kind of thing to require a huge budget, due to the fact that it bears a strong resemblance to Contra, right down to the simplistic controls and gameplay.
The most impressive thing about the NES-inspired platformer is the team's dedication to using the correct NES color palette and even the same sprite techniques used in the heyday of the home console, which they explain through a fancy infographic, available in the gallery below.
The action-packed game features challenging level design and, keeping with the old-school theme, a ton of explosions.
Steel Assault aims to deliver a seamless 2D world, with minimal breaks between sections, instead of the usual kind of short, disconnected levels that we have come to expect from indie platformers.
A bit of context
The game is set in the future, in Washington, D.C, after a wave of revolts and uprisings have sent the United States into turmoil.
A cruel and ruthless tyrant rose to power, seeking to restore America to its former grandeur by whatever means possible, and you take on the role of a resistance fighter armed with a powerful robotic suit, trying to dethrone the villain in the most old-school way possible: through shooting.
The game's main source of inspiration is the late-era NES gaming legacy, mainly titles such as Batman or Shatterhand, which used heavy dithering and maximized the use of negative space in order to create a foreboding atmosphere within the system's limitations.
If you're interested to find out more about the project or pitching in to help its development, you can do so on its Kickstarter page.
