Splatoon is fantastic in 3D, but what exactly would it look like in 2D? That's what former Vitei (Steel Diver, Tank Troopers) staffer Nathan Heckel pondered last year.
"While I was at Vitei wrapping up work on Tank Troopers as a gameplay programmer, I wanted to start my own project to pitch to Nintendo for a follow-up contract," explains Heckel. "As I'd been studying NES programming as a hobby for some time, I suggested the idea for a NES version of Splatoon to my former boss, Vitei CEO Giles Goddard."
Work progressed swiftly, with the prototype getting to the stage where it was possible to run, jump, shoot and transform, and "rudimentary" collision detection was implemented. Even the audio side of things began to develop. "Mark Sparling's MMC5 cover of 'Splattack!' [which you can listen to below] plays in the background through the Famitracker driver," says Heckel. "This all runs on real hardware using dev carts I had made from repurposed copies of Sangokushi II for the Famicom."
Heckel also enlisted the help of Pirate Pop Plus developer Dadako's Hawken King to create the visuals. The aim from the start wasn't just to create a cool "demake" of Splatoon, but to somehow get it into the hands of players. "While actual cartridges would've been really cool, that was always the longest shot," he says. "Short of that, I was hoping to have it packaged with Splatoon 2 like Star Fox Guard was packaged with Star Fox Zero, used as a mini-game like the retro-themed diversions in Splatoon 1, sold on the Virtual Console, or included in a hypothetical 2nd version of the NES Classic Edition."
Naturally, a project of this kind would need Nintendo's official blessing, but sadly it wasn't meant to be. Heckel thinks the project was simply the victim of bad timing. "In terms of presenting to Nintendo, I put together a set of slides outlining the progress on the demo, possible scope of the game, a development timeline, and sales avenues. I sent this to a member of the Splatoon team I was able to reach. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. While I can't speak for Nintendo, the pitch was sent after Splatoon 2 had been announced for the summer this year. Not having any visibility into unannounced projects, my guess had been that a sequel wouldn't be out until the summer of 2018, and a NES version could be paired with it in some form. Instead, I caught them when they were probably very busy finishing the game."
However, it might not be the end for this interesting venture, and Heckel says he's open to continuing development - albeit with different visuals - assuming a publisher is willing to back him. "While I can't use the Splatoon IP without a development contract with Nintendo, it'd be possible to repurpose it as a different title entirely. Continued development in full would depend on a publisher expressing interest." If there are any publishers reading this who can help, but sure to get in touch - or, if you're at Nintendo and you can make this happen, it's time to do the right thing.
Comments 27
Making a game about painting the ground into a sidescroller, where you can't see the ground? Sounds sketchy to me, but the artwork and animation is very cute.
Maybe not as an NES game, this could be a cool mini game to play while waiting for players in the online lobby. I never understood that the first Splatoon had mini games like Squid Jump, but the sequel simply lets you play around with the music, and sounds. Lame change for sure. A little mini game would be most welcome.
It's not really Splatoon anymore when you're taking away the core mechanics, but it looks super cute.
I always said Splatoon would make an amazing platformer. Using your Ink to climb walls, Platform onto certain things, grind on rails, expand the sponges, and so on. A Splatoon platformer would be amazing, and if Nintendo were to make a Single Player only Splatoon, I would want it to be a 2D Shoot Em Up/Platformer. There's so many possibilities.
Should be a mini game within the game.
SplatNES !
@8-Bit_Zorldo @Pod I think painting the ground would still work just fine. Just have the animation and ink overhang onto the walls a little bit. Similar to how in Nidhogg, when you die, the colors drip down over the walls a bit.
I imagine presenting an idea to Nintendo that involves their IP would feel like the most you’ve ever been judged in your entire life.
Call it Splatoon Fight.
Question for Damien: What does "but sure to get in touch" mean, exactly?
@MoonKnight7 Yeah, I miss those mini games!
This would be a fun little gem for a new nes classic
@8-Bit_Zorldo @Pod It would probably work better if they used an isometric viewpoint in order to paint the ground.
@WaxxyOne
But = be ?
So this is that canceled segment we saw in the first single player trailer.
Huh.
If they could have worked this into a full game, I would have bought it. I feel safe in assuming several dozen thousand other people -
if not more - would too if it got an official Nintendo release.
Actually now this kind of makes me wonder if there’s a market out there for a “faux retro console”. The games would probably be pretty easy to produce now and place on an “App Store” for people to download, and it could be a low cost alternative to the HD systems that are getting more and more expensive.
@Whopper744 Curiously, the makers of Ittl Dew did exactly that. Nintendo wouldn't make it a Zelda game, but they enthusiastically encouraged them to develop it.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/08/ludositys_ittle_dew_was_pitched_to_nintendo_as_a_zelda_game
It could easily work if it were top down; think Die Hard on NES.
@roadrunner343
Not a bad idea, but the whole setup might still make it difficult to get an overall feeling of who was in the lead.
Come on, something like this is not financially viable. The niche market of people who would buy a game for an old console is too tiny, and using someone else's IP guarantees it'll never be legally released. Companies do not want their brands tarnished with odd projects.
INFRINGE WARNING!
"But its just a clip of a game thats not released publically."
Same thing :^)
Fan-work removed
@Pod Yep, this retro concept game would've worked better as a top-down game such as Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
No wonder Nintendo passed. You can't see the ground in a 2D side scroller.
Sounds like fun. Hope he gets Ninty's blessing. I'd play it!
@GC-161
That game rocks so hard!
They should do what Resident Evil is doing and add them as mini-games. Put an arcade machine in Inkopolis that plays the game.
This is fantastic. If they changed it to isometric or made the ink drip down over the side of the floor, either way - I would be totally down to play it. I hope Nintendo DOES get in touch!
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