It’s true that the lack of Switch games is not motivated by nostalgia for enjoyment in those days. It’s something of a golden age for anyone who loves the pixel beauty, tight controls, stunning chiptunes and purity of classic NES games from the ’80s and early’ 90s. Now there’s a new baby on the block, and despite the competition (and despite the Ninja’s stealth nature), Cyber shadow has stood out very prominently on our radar since it was announced back in March 2019.
Yacht Club Games are on publishing duties and borrowing their knowledge (gained from developing and launching the highly successful ones). Shovel knight series) to developer Aarne Hunziker (AKA MekaSkull) of the Mechanical Head Games solo studio.
Hunziker has been working on Cyber Shadow for several years, and we spoke to him recently to find out more about the history and development of the game, and how Yacht Club has helped lead it to Switch …
Nintendo Life: First, can you tell us a little bit about Mechanical Head and how you got started on the Cyber Shadow project?
Aarne Hunziker AKA MekaSkull: Gradually the project sculpts me. First I did a drawing just for fun, and then I started a “training” project on the side, spending maybe once or twice a week on it. One day, I noticed I was doing the game full time! Like a frog in boiling water that does not jump out if the heat is applied slowly.
The game has been in development for a long time – just how long? How has it changed and evolved in that time?
The first drawing was made eight years ago but development began five years ago. Initially the game should have been in a 4: 3 aspect ratio, very short, a few enemy types in each level. It was supposed to be a year-long project. The more I learned the more I wanted to achieve it, so the field kept growing. As a mad scientist I get to know my creatures and the opportunities that exist if I learn even more.
Cyber Shadow seems to channel games like Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania and Mega Man. What would you say is the biggest retro gaming impact on the project?
I was always fascinated by some NES games as to how they could suggest details with their limited palettes. In particular, Shadow of the Ninja and Batman on the NES there was great excitement. The way their art reveals some things in the light and then descends into darkness felt so amazing to me. In terms of gameplay, Mega Man achieved so much with just jumping and shooting, so I wanted to do something like just jump and slide.
Outside of the gaming world, did you have any other influences that were on your mind during development?
The comics I read as a child had the same limitation as NES games. Limited predefined palette and most of the art explained in black ink. Modifiers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in particular I had an art that keeps me going back to study even to this day. For anime effect yes Detonator Orgun, Cyber City Age, Silent mobius, Bubblegum crisis, etc. The list goes on …
An “8-bit authentic demonstration” with a “modern touch” is similar to Shovel Knight’s approach to Yacht Club. Can you tell us a little bit about that philosophy and how Cyber Shadow pushes the boundaries to ‘8-bit +’?
Following the rules and limitations of an 8-bit game is so much fun that most of the art in the game is very system-capable. Where rule bending occurs the number of sprites on the screen and the use of parallax scrolling are not dependent on splitting. The SFX is also all made in Famitracker.
Story seems to play an important role in the game. Was it challenging to present a cinematic narrative within the 8-bit style?
The story of the game is somewhat broad but just partially divided in the game itself. I felt it was necessary to limit the outcome of the story to an amount that I could take off with enough confidence. The retro style helped me in this case as it doesn’t naturally want a lot of storytelling, but it can be quite complicated with it if you want. I hope to be able to expand on what I have learned so far.
This looks like a great project for a one-on-one team! How did Yacht Club get involved, and how have they helped and contributed to Cyber Shadow?
Feather birds … I wonder if it was going to be? Making a game is one thing but releasing is another. My first plan was to have a very limited release but now with Yacht Club Games, it’s on the Nintendo Switch. I couldn’t even dream about this when I started. In addition to taking care of the heavy build outside coding the game, I got a lot of guidance on level design in particular and did my best to keep up with their high standards. . The game is now far more polished than I could have achieved just on my own.
My first plan was to have a very limited release but now with Yacht Club Games, it’s on the Nintendo Switch. I couldn’t even dream about this when I started.
Can you tell us a bit about the music? How did writer Enrique Martin begin to discover and keep that real sound fresh?
Enrique’s methods are polished in secret but I heard about some really cool gear that stopped him off. He is a huge Ninja Gaiden fan and a retro game collector and years ago showed an interest in making music for Cyber Shadow. His first test run really paid attention to the atmosphere and started shaping the game itself. Some levels inspired him to make music and some of his music inspired me to take new levels. The modern side of it keeps in mind that retro age game music was not largely inspired by other game music, but by attempts to capture sounds from outside games with the instruments that were available.
How did the experience bring the game to Switch? Will there be any differences with the Switch version?
From my point of view it was very easy thanks to the efforts of Yacht Club Games and MP2 games that made it work. I can’t understand how it happened, it must be dark magic. The Nintendo Switch version supports the Amiibo Knight Shovel series. Each can change Shadow’s color palette and call in an assistant to go around and offer the support. Also the great mystery of a fairy is hidden somewhere …
Any plans for more content down the road?
It’s up to the players. If there is demand, my body is ready.
Finally, how does it feel to be near the end of this long journey? Is there anything else you would like to say that we did not mention?
This development took so long that it went into my daily life. Now that it’s done I feel something empty, but filled with a passion for continuing the new skills I learned and new friends along the way.
For speedrunning fans, the fastest time the game is finished is just a hair under two hours by the elegant QA Indium Play folks. Less than three hours is already a prank! Enjoy the game and consider reaching out to friends who may be feeling lonely and isolated in those difficult times.
Many thanks to Aarne – you can continue Twitter. Cyber Shadow launches Switch on January 26th. Stay tuned for our review soon.