For the last several months, since before Christmas, Vilmos has been working hard on a lovely game called Thruster. I was given the opportunity to help him with this project and I think it has turned out quite nicely. The game was initially released on December 25, but it was exclusive to the Zodiac. That was the goal. It was also our goal to enter it into the Dream Coding Grand Prix 2006 competition, yet that contest, as I have posted previously, was canceled.
Now, thanks again to Vilmos, Thruster is bound for the PC and is already out for the GP2X. His work encompasses all of the coding, while I provided the background graphics, sound effects, and music soundtrack. Title screen was created by Mrpropre. Here are some additional features of the game...
- Three different game modes.
- Two difficulty levels.
- High score tables with replay.
- Beautiful backgrounds.
- Original Soundtrack.
- Ability to add your own music.
- More than 2K particles in play at once.
Thruster's concept comes from an older grayscale game for the PC called Spout by Kuni. As such, it is an arcade style game with really just one objective: to go up, as high as possible. Obstacles will block your path, and your only weapon against them is the plume of thrust which also propels you upward. Spout has been classified by some as a caveflier, so I suppose you could call Thruster that as well.
I admit that my first encounters with Spout left me disinterested. Yet after Thruster became playable, I got hooked on it and played it for months. The game does become quite fun, so just give it a good ten minutes before making up your mind.
The overall style of Thruster, in terms of graphics and sound, was inspired heavily by Rez. My choice of sound effects specifically steered clear of actual explosions, etc. Instead I wanted to pick instruments, similarly to what was done in Rez. Along with that, a more ambient soundtrack was created. Put all of that together with geometric vector graphics and the appropriate background images, and I think we have managed to create a pleasant atmosphere with this game.
I'm providing a few desktop wallpapers for Thruster here, which I hope you will enjoy (just click on the images above for full view). The game will be released very soon, though I cannot tell you a specific date. Rest assured I will be letting everyone know when it happens. Until then, enjoy the artwork and keep checking back.
Update: Thanks go to Indygamer for mentioning this preview up on their site in a news post, along with giving props to my Curly Brace wall. I'm honored.
