by Eiswuxe | Nov 20, 2019 | News, Time Travel Mysteries
Here we go again! After focussing on the impact of Bloo’s eponymous hairdo and after taking a closer look at the influence that some of the Boss enemies have had, we are now going to focus on the architecture and its impact that resonates through the digital pages of retrogaming history. Most of you will remember the miracles they experienced as a Kidd while playing videogames, and I am no exception. Somehow, when playing a specific first level over and over again, I felt that there was something strange but yet familiar about the leveldesign. like it has already been planted into my mind just to be unleashed decades later, when I designed “Green Hills 1-7”. A look at “1-7” in the Tiled Map Editor that was used for Bloo Kid 2 They did not have “Star” sprites back then, so they used “Star Boxes”. How creative… More “Blasphemy” The influence of Bloo’s inspirational architecture is not limited to console games of the past. Even titles from homecomputers of old have pre-taken my ideas and incorporated them into some of the most memorable games of that bygone era. The now debunked impostor even aimed at a “3D-like” look, in a time when 3D was not even a thing! The original marble tiles in their colorful glory They needed to use dithering to mimic the vibrant and more detailed palette of Bloo Kid 2 Keep on rollin’ Now for some really remarkable afford to “cover tracks“. When the brilliant Odallus – the dark call hit the gaming world in 2015, it was (advisably) praised for its retro charme and was...
by Eiswuxe | Nov 13, 2019 | News, Time Travel Mysteries
Welcome back to another part of the Bloo Kid Time Travel mysteries series, where I will unmask some of the biggest copy cats in retro gaming history. While part one solved the mysteries around Bloo’s blue hair we are now going to take a closer look at some of the boss enemies in the Bloo Kid universe… Copper Axe Many of you will remember the axe-wielding Knight Boss from the first Bloo Kid game. Somehow Sega thought that it would be a good idea to prename one of the best beat ’em ups of all times after his particular axe. You all know what game I’m talking about. The fact that they placed the Golden Axe into the hands of a player character and let Death Adder himself carry a golden axe that is disguised as a copper axe is just another shameless effort to hide the true source of inspiration. And it is one of those mysteries that has riddled me ever since I was a child… Don’t blame the palette restrictions! Gold works for the dwarf, so why not for Death Adder? Altered Reality One year earlier, Sega released a title about a resurrected centurion that could turn into a mighty beast with special powers. Of course we are talking Altered Beast here. This game was the main reason why I wanted to own a Sega Genesis so badly! However, had I known at this time that they blatantly stole my future idea I would have wished for a SNES instead… Who has the bigger balls? Shallow Waters However, Sega is not the only company that saved...
by Eiswuxe | Nov 5, 2019 | News, Time Travel Mysteries
With Bloo Kid 2 coming to the Nintendo Switch soon and Bloo Kid 3 officially announced, I would like to take the time and start a series of blogposts that I call the “Bloo Kid Time Travel Mysteries”. Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Sure, the past has an impact on the present. But with the latest Terminator movie getting devastating reviews, one might start to question “can the present have an impact on the past?”. The Bloo Kid series has been criticized in the past (there is this word again) for being uninspired and uncreative when it comes to its presentation and gameplay mechanics. People even go as far as accusing Bloo of stealing ideas from older games. They could not be more wrong. It’s the other way round! By strange and obscure ways unknown to man, Bloo Kid has somehow managed to inspire a bunch of games in the past. I will give you the prove here, just as Yacht Club Games has done for Shovel Knight. Whoever has wondered why “Bloo” is called “Bloo” should wonder no more. Just look at his hair. But how influential has his iconic haircolor become? Bloo Kid in Monster World ? Whoa dude! I will start with one of my all-time favorite games that goes by the wonderful name “Wonder Boy V: Monster World III” (also known as “Wonder Boy in Monster World” (and also released as “The Dynastic Hero” (and also re-branded as “Monica’s Gang in the Monsters’ Land” in Brazil))). Bloo’s haircolor has inspired many characters in the past. Pros might spot even more Bloo Kid inspirations here… Notice the...
