Okay, so last year on my birthday, July 5, I revealed a project I had started that I vowed would finally be a SMW hack that I would actually finish. Well, it has been a couple months shy of a year , and I still have yet to actually release anything related to my hack - that is, until now.
For those of you guys who don't already know, Saph and the Great Rebellion puts the player in control of an ordinary Buzzy Beetle named, well, Saph. Like all Buzzies, Saph has a few interesting abilities, such as the ability to climb up and on nearly any surface and the ability to spin in his shell while he slides to perform a devestating attack. However...there is one thing you never see a Buzzy Beetle do in a Mario game - jump.
That's right, I have completely removed the player's ability to jump in this hack of mine. Instead, you will need to learn to take advantages of Saph's other advantages, primarily his skill at climbing walls and ceilings, to traverse the world ahead. It's an entirely different experience from any other SMW hack, and it's all on account of the fundamental "Mario" formula being rocked at its very foundation. Jumping is the very basis of what makes Mario Mario. It's for that reason I feel that Saph is going to have an entirely new feel and style to it.
Now, the controls are actually some of the simplest you will ever see. How, you ask? Because the player can go through this hack using nothing but the directional buttons! No jumping means no B button used. Running doesn't need to be triggered by holding Y because Saph runs by default. You can play one-handedly! Swimming is handled by the up button, not B. The only times you need the A or B button are when on menus or the Overworld.
To perform a Shell Slam, press down while running. Saph will tuck into his shell and zoom forward whirling around as he does so. While in his sturdy shell, enemies he bumps into are usually defeated on contact, while Saph is protected from all harm. Keep the following in mind though:
*Saph cannot Shell Slam while underwater (there are no underwater levels in this release though, and the only water in it has no land to stand on within it, so this point is void for now)
*Saph cannot *start* a shell slam going up a slope.
*Once you start a shell slam, though enemies can't hurt you, you have pretty much no control over yourself until you slow down or touch a wall. Therefore, be careful how and when you use it.
Now, as for Saph's trademark wall and ceiling running, that's even simpler. All you have to do is run into any wall in the game, and Saph will start climbing it as long as you hold down on the direction you were running (just like the normal SMW purple triangle). If that wall leads up into a ceiling, don't worry. Still continue to hold the same direction, and Saph will begin to run on the ceiling now! He can also run down walls from the ceiling, too. Gravity has no power over this amazing technique! Just watch out for small indents in some walls and ceilings. (These will not allow Saph to run on that wall or ceiling past that point, as he will not be able to get his footing. Those are not very common though)
Now, the story....can be found in my hack thread. I do not feel like re-explaining it all right now, and, actually, in this level sampler none of the plot or overworld have been added yet. I call this a "level sampler" because what you are getting with this release is a copy of my hack with a completed title screen and presentation logo, a filler overworld with graphics I made myself, (and plan to actually use in a real submap when I make it) and THREE completed levels. These levels vary in difficulty because they are projected to be at different points in the game. "Unknown Depths" is fairly easy, "Jade Ridge" is medium, and "Technological Tower" is what my testers and I agree to be the hardest level in this sampler. Hopefully this will give you a feel for what my hack is like.
Since my hack is an utterly different concept from any other hack, there isn't anything to compare it to. This is an opportunity for each of you to decide whether my hack is fun or not. Whether you enjoy this experience is all up to you.
Here is the download link.
I would also like to tremendously thank Alcaro, Azure, SNN, Jirachi, and Manaphy (not on this site) for testing my hack. Alcaro and Azure have also helped me in too many ways to count in other regards. Thank you all so much for making this possible! ^_^
Also, if you find any glitches when you play this sampler, I would appreciate if you tell them to me via PM. I should have gotten pretty much all the bugs out already, but it's possible I could've missed something. And finally, the enemy graphics are not set into stone. I eventually plan to have no SMW GFX in this hack at all, actually, but I've only partially tackled that. Please do not bother me about enemy graphics, or minor status bar color problems in some levels - the status bar is going to be revamped when I get the chance later anyway, and will not use those parts of the palette.
....whew....that was just about the longest post I've ever written. Anyway, enjoy my release. I'll be looking forward to any feedback you might have, as long as it's constructive.
*Raibys clears his throat and drinks a bit of water*
For those of you guys who don't already know, Saph and the Great Rebellion puts the player in control of an ordinary Buzzy Beetle named, well, Saph. Like all Buzzies, Saph has a few interesting abilities, such as the ability to climb up and on nearly any surface and the ability to spin in his shell while he slides to perform a devestating attack. However...there is one thing you never see a Buzzy Beetle do in a Mario game - jump.
That's right, I have completely removed the player's ability to jump in this hack of mine. Instead, you will need to learn to take advantages of Saph's other advantages, primarily his skill at climbing walls and ceilings, to traverse the world ahead. It's an entirely different experience from any other SMW hack, and it's all on account of the fundamental "Mario" formula being rocked at its very foundation. Jumping is the very basis of what makes Mario Mario. It's for that reason I feel that Saph is going to have an entirely new feel and style to it.
Now, the controls are actually some of the simplest you will ever see. How, you ask? Because the player can go through this hack using nothing but the directional buttons! No jumping means no B button used. Running doesn't need to be triggered by holding Y because Saph runs by default. You can play one-handedly! Swimming is handled by the up button, not B. The only times you need the A or B button are when on menus or the Overworld.
To perform a Shell Slam, press down while running. Saph will tuck into his shell and zoom forward whirling around as he does so. While in his sturdy shell, enemies he bumps into are usually defeated on contact, while Saph is protected from all harm. Keep the following in mind though:
*Saph cannot Shell Slam while underwater (there are no underwater levels in this release though, and the only water in it has no land to stand on within it, so this point is void for now)
*Saph cannot *start* a shell slam going up a slope.
*Once you start a shell slam, though enemies can't hurt you, you have pretty much no control over yourself until you slow down or touch a wall. Therefore, be careful how and when you use it.
Now, as for Saph's trademark wall and ceiling running, that's even simpler. All you have to do is run into any wall in the game, and Saph will start climbing it as long as you hold down on the direction you were running (just like the normal SMW purple triangle). If that wall leads up into a ceiling, don't worry. Still continue to hold the same direction, and Saph will begin to run on the ceiling now! He can also run down walls from the ceiling, too. Gravity has no power over this amazing technique! Just watch out for small indents in some walls and ceilings. (These will not allow Saph to run on that wall or ceiling past that point, as he will not be able to get his footing. Those are not very common though)
Now, the story....can be found in my hack thread. I do not feel like re-explaining it all right now, and, actually, in this level sampler none of the plot or overworld have been added yet. I call this a "level sampler" because what you are getting with this release is a copy of my hack with a completed title screen and presentation logo, a filler overworld with graphics I made myself, (and plan to actually use in a real submap when I make it) and THREE completed levels. These levels vary in difficulty because they are projected to be at different points in the game. "Unknown Depths" is fairly easy, "Jade Ridge" is medium, and "Technological Tower" is what my testers and I agree to be the hardest level in this sampler. Hopefully this will give you a feel for what my hack is like.
Since my hack is an utterly different concept from any other hack, there isn't anything to compare it to. This is an opportunity for each of you to decide whether my hack is fun or not. Whether you enjoy this experience is all up to you.
Here is the download link.
I would also like to tremendously thank Alcaro, Azure, SNN, Jirachi, and Manaphy (not on this site) for testing my hack. Alcaro and Azure have also helped me in too many ways to count in other regards. Thank you all so much for making this possible! ^_^
Also, if you find any glitches when you play this sampler, I would appreciate if you tell them to me via PM. I should have gotten pretty much all the bugs out already, but it's possible I could've missed something. And finally, the enemy graphics are not set into stone. I eventually plan to have no SMW GFX in this hack at all, actually, but I've only partially tackled that. Please do not bother me about enemy graphics, or minor status bar color problems in some levels - the status bar is going to be revamped when I get the chance later anyway, and will not use those parts of the palette.
....whew....that was just about the longest post I've ever written. Anyway, enjoy my release. I'll be looking forward to any feedback you might have, as long as it's constructive.
*Raibys clears his throat and drinks a bit of water*
: As per your request in IRC -
