Considering it's April 1st, pretty much every new game announcement today would probably be an April Fools joke. But while the developer is adamant it isn't. Roman Werner will be releasing as of May 1st 'Henry's Castle' for the C64. As in the words of the website "In a nostalgic homage to the golden era of gaming, a team of passionate developers spanning from Switzerland and Germany proudly announces the upcoming release of Henry's Castle. This spiritual successor to the beloved classic Henry's House by Chris Murray, originally launched in 1984 for the Commodore 64 and Atari XE/XL".
Furthermore, the creator also goes on to say "True to its predecessor, Henry's Castle invites players to embark again on an enchanting adventure through intricately designed rooms, each brimming with nostalgia-inducing elements and delightful challenges. From dodging perilous obstacles to collecting action-triggering items, every moment in this game promises to evoke fond recollections of hours spent glued to the screen, engrossed in the magic of 8-bit gaming".
"Prepare to embark on a journey through pixelated landscapes, relive cherished memories, and discover new adventures in this enchanting retro platformer with features and answers to frequently asked questions such as"
- Single screen platformer with 8 lovingly designed spaces
- Starting with 3 lives, new life earned every 20000 points
- Collect all items, then pick up the key to unlock the exit
- Endless continues from the room last reached (F1=Restart)
- Many surprises, hidden bonuses and recognizable tunes
- Final end screen
- High score list saved to disk
- Estimated price: EUR 4.99 for digital version
- We are also aiming for a physical release if there is enough demand. Publisher enquiries are welcome
- Contact e-mail address: roman.werner@gmail.com
Looks great! A lot of nice little touches.
ReplyDelete4,99 for an 8 screen platform game is steep. Psytronik games offer better value for money.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it simply amazing, that nobody has to buy anything they don't want. ;)
Deleteso how much do you think is an acceptable price per screen?
Deleteit's a cup of coffee...Steep? C'mon man...
DeleteIsn't it simply amazing that people can voice their opinions here?
DeleteYes this is a simple game maybe worth 1,99
Price gouger at 12:26. Take for example Hayesmaker that gives us the great Legend of Wilf for free. Worked for years on the game, it is CRT only so has a ton of content, I'm not sure how many screens it is but for sure at least ten times the amount of this game. Who really pays 4,99 for a cup of coffee anyways?
DeleteFan-Ports need a license of the IP holder when you want to put a price tag on it. But you can get away without license when offered for free. The same developer https://romwer.itch.io gave away a great fan port of Bill & Ted's Excellent Gameboy Adventure for free for the same reason. As far as I can see, this game here has all orignal content (apart from Henry).
DeleteAnd Henry isn't the key point of this IP? :_D
DeleteAccording to Roman Werner's DevLog there are some changes being done to the game right now to not include references to Henry anymore. That was already posted on April 2nd. https://romwer.itch.io/hc/devlog/708370/april-fool
DeleteTells me it's all about the little bit of money to be made and not for the love of Henry's House. Sad.
DeleteFor all fans from the original game Henry´s House this looks like a must have. I like the graphics style and the music+sfx are also great. Let´s look forward to the final game.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Chris Murray is angry, happy now? He should of just given away this one for free, too, but no you can't just have a hobby must monetize it.
ReplyDeleteIf they didn't piggyback on someone else's IP, then this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. It would have been so easy to avoid, so as far as I'm concerned they created their own problem.
ReplyDeleteWe were in close contact and dialogue with the IP owner since January 2024. The idea was to release it as an official successor. But it got complicated and to get things going we decided to announce our game on April 1st, hoping for the best. Chris Murray is a nice guy. All good. There will be an official new press release coming soon at https://romwer.itch.io/hc
ReplyDeleteThank you for that swift update :) - I'll lock this thread up now then as we've had an official comment about the situation. And looking forward to the press release!
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