Master Key is a Zelda-like with a great focus on exploration and non-verbal dialogue. This is a demake (or a spin-off?) of said game with different elements to create a unique experience for playdate users.
How I discovered this game and why I decided to make a demake of it
Earlier this year, I made a demake of Tunic for the Game Boy Color with GB Studio and a huge inspiration from early Zelda games (especially Link's Awakening). This is the first time I ever made a game publicly available and although it wasn't as popular as other demakes made with GB Studio, it was well received by many who tried it, especially by the Tunic community as it served as an example of what it might look like.
I was flattered by the reception and decided to look further for any mentions. I ended up finding a comment on Reddit about a very similar game but with a greater focus on exploring called Master Key. I liked it, so I searched for more information and managed to find a Discord server where I could talk to the developer. The server is very small but the people are nice and the developer was happy to let me make a demake of Master Key. The suggested platform was the playdate since it was very requested.
Originally, I wanted to remake the game with the playdate's SDK but since it isn't currently compatible with arm-based Chromebooks, I decided to stick with pulp. At first, I didn't like the resolution and limited movement but later on, it made it easier to work anywhere, whenever I wanted.
What has been remade so far
- Most of the essential tile sets have been faithfully downscaled thanks to the support of the dev.
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Most of the HUD elements work, except the life gauge (which is based on this thread).
It's only limited to 4 full halves. Perhaps I could add 2 more variables that represent the second line. but then again it will continue drawing on the first line. -
Basic Movement Animation
Conclusion
It only has been a month and a half since I started working on this, so there's not much to show as I'm still learning how to use pulp. There are still some things that need to be added, so I'll be more active in #pulp
if I get stuck on something. This is the first time I have written a development log during development since I typically write one after finishing. I'll be making some updates by the end of every month but I can't guarantee that they will be as long as this one unless I would explain a certain feature.