8 Bits & Still Brewin’

The retro homebrew scene has exploded in recent years

Since the publication of my 2018 piece, I’ve backed quite a few Kickstarter campaigns for homebrew NES games, specifically Rollie, Project Blue, Mawthorne, Lizard, Ghoul Grind, Shera, L.S.D. and Trophy. I wasn’t able to back every game I wanted to, but I’ve stayed in the loop as much as possible.

So let’s take a look at some of the excellent homebrews that have come out over the past few years. I own some of these on carts and CIB, while others were purchased in ROM form. Some of them were made with Joe Granato’s NESMaker while others were made the old-fashioned way: in 6502 Assembly language. Without further ado, here are Tedium’s top ten homebrews:

10. Space Raft: If you’ve never heard of the band Space Raft, do yourself a favor and check out their music. The band is tight and plays some excellent tunes. They also have a cool NES homebrew game available on cartridge or for newer digital platforms. In Space Raft, you drive the band to various Wisconsin locations. At each destination, you can control one of the four band members (each with a unique ability) as you collect sandwiches and thwart the machinations of their former bass player, Srini. There are even a few “dungeon” levels. It’s a fun, yet challenging game that’s worth the price. You can read more about it at Video Game Sage. Being both a musician who loves their type of music and a retro gamer/collector/creator, I can appreciate Space Raft on many different levels.

9. Carpet Shark:Carpet Shark is simple and fun. It’s one of several games developed by Fista Productions that’s worth checking out. And did we mention it’s free? Go take a look here. Don’t forget to spend some time on the well-designed, retro-infused website while you’re at it. I love playing this one over and over again. Fista Games does some phenomenal work and is worth checking out if you like your homebrew with a heaping helping of awesome.

8. Rollie: This was one of the first NES Homebrew titles I backed on Kickstarter. I received the ROM and played it a few times. It’s a fun, platformer style game with whimsical characters and colorful sprites. If you like games like Felix the Cat or Bucky O’Hare, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well. It’s available on its official website. Aside from its colorful characters, Rollie is just a blast to play and is in regular rotation on my AVS (which you can still buy from RetroUSB. Bunny Boy is fantastic).

7. Project Blue: If I had to pick a favorite game on this list, project blue would likely be the winner. This game came out in 2020, but I only recently managed to get it to work on my flashcart (I use a RetroUSB PowerPak) to finally give it the playthrough it deserves. I’m currently working on an extensive review that will also contain a first for me: a video/streaming accompaniment. At its core, this game resembles tough platformers like Battle Kid. It has beautiful graphics, a cyberpunk flare, excellent music, and it just plain rocks. You can get a cartridge version from Mega Cat Studios, if you’re so inclined.

6. Trophy:Trophy is one of those games any NES fan should have in their collection. It’s a love letter to Mega Man with a tough-as-nails challenge. The graphics and sound are incredible, while the story is a fun throwback to the games of yesteryear. I love this game and plan to republish my original review of it (sadly lost at this point) from a few years ago. I just need to find it. I have two versions of this game: one with my name on the title screen and no cutscenes, the other featuring the complete version from the 6502 Collective. Their website appears to be acting up, so visit their Itch.Io page for more information. If you like Mega Man-style gameplay, great graphics, cool cut scenes, and some of the best music I’ve ever heard on the NES, then Trophy is for you.

5. Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King: Anguna is a top down adventure game in the style of Legend of Zelda. It’s also incredible. Created and programmed by Nathan Tolbert, this game features everything one could want from an action adventure game, complete with an overworld map, experience system, cool items, and clever dungeons (with neat bosses to boot). This is another title where I received a press copy but the review was lost when the original website bit the dust. It’s definitely worth seeking out and playing in any of its various incarnations. Playing through this game is like running a solo, cozy D & D adventure right in your living room. Nathan also created The Storied Sword, which I haven’t checked out yet but am very much looking forward to.

4. Ghoul Grind: This was one of those random games I found via Kickstarter. Woog Worx Made this game with NESMaker, and it’s a testament to what the software can do. It’s a fun auto scroller with fantastic macabre graphics, smooth play control, and some awesome boss fights. It’s definitely a hidden gem. The game is an auto-scroller that gets tough pretty fast. Players can choose from two different characters, but be warned: this game offers one heck of a macabre challenge. Buy it here.

3. Orebody: Binder’s Tale: Orebody takes place in a sprawling, vast, mechanical world, where a lone warrior named Binder battles the creators of an evil AI. It’s not just fun; it’s extremely challenging. Like, Nintendo Hard in the classic tradition. Binder plays a lot like Mega Man, unlocking special abilities as he makes progress. The boss battles are tough, but it’s so well crafted and designed, you can’t help but go back for more punishment time and time again.

2. Flea and Tapeworm Disco Puzzle: These are two different games that take place in the same world. They’re bizarre and incredibly fun, and must be experienced by any NES player who loves a good, whimsical puzzle or two. I originally played these on the Evercade—a console that I’m not terribly fond of—but, luckily, they were ported over to the Nintendo Switch as the Parasite Pack. Tapeworm is my favorite of the two, especially when the basic gameplay mechanics change every 20 levels. Flea has a sequel as well, but I haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

1. Micro Mages:Micro Mages came out in 2019. Morphcat Games truly knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s a 4-player game but can be enjoyed solo. You play a mage who has to ascend a tower and battle a giant boss at the end. It’s colorful, plays like a dream, and provides endless fun. There’s even a second quest. Most impressive, it’s only 40 KB. Micro Mages is available as a ROM, on Steam, on Evercade, and as an NES cartridge, so there’s really no excuse not to play it…