Welp, it's
that time again. After a fair bit of
delays due to work, and the release of my review of their signature game, it's
time that we give StarQuail Games a look see.
LET'S GET TINY!!!
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| The face of polish and comedy...after all, who could take a quail seriously? |
First, a little history. My first encounter with StarQuail was during
my initial Kickstarter binge. I was
hooked on the idea of a game that didn't exist being funded entirely by the
fans and this was one of the first ones I gave a look to. While still sketchy on the idea of Kickstarter,
I had a little extra cash lying around and Tiny Barbarian DX, the title being
advertised by StarQuail, was interesting.
The music was good and it had an aesthetic that matched Robert E. Howard's
Conan the Barbarian stories, which I had always had an interest in, but never
got around to. What really sold me on
funding Tiny Barbarian DX, however, was the original Tiny Barbarian.
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| This is the image I was greeted with when I found Tiny Barbarian DX on Kickstarter |
Michael
Stearns, the patron of the Tiny Barbarian DX Kickstarter, was its artist,
alongside lead programmer Daniel Roth and both basically formed StarQuail
because they liked making games, many of which were free, as is common amongst
indie developers like Amon26 or Endless Fluff.
Among these, was the original Tiny Barbarian, a take off on the classic
story of "The Frost Giant's Daughter." Stearns advertised this game in the
Kickstarter for Tiny Barbarian DX, encouraging people to give it a look and see
if the art and gameplay was something they enjoyed. So, I did.
It was a bit clunky at times, but the music, the visuals, and the overall
arcade feel of the game really sold me on Tiny Barbarian DX and after its
release, the studio sort of emerged on the map, for me and many other gamers.
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| Nothing sells you on a game like throwing down with a few ice giants. |
However,
like I said, Stearns and Roth had been making games for years before Tiny
Barbarian DX released. StarQuail itself
was formed in 2006 and between then and the 2012 Kickstarter, they created many
games. The first was the vertical
scrolling game Sky Puppy for the PC, a free ware game which had a flying puppy
avoiding dangers to look for treats.
Following this was Crystal Skies, playable on both PC and Xbox 360 which
is a mix of puzzle platformer and arcade score attack. It features the soul of a dead fish bouncing
around a maze of colored spheres, trying to get coins, much like the bonus stages
in the original Sonic the hedgehog.
These games were somewhat amateuristic in design and show the evolution
of StarQuail as they experimented with genres and design theory to try and
improve their skillset. And improve they
did, as their next release, Astroman on the Xbox 360, featured an adventure
focused on a space explorer platforming around alien worlds, with multiple
worlds accessible from his space ship.
It was very much the template that StarQuail would embrace, featuring
only minor innovations to set it aside from other platformers, but with a
unique art style and sound track with the kind of polish necessary to avoid
frustration and win over tentative gamers.
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| Starquail has a fondness for timed score attack games, apparently, like Sky Puppy here. |
Following Astroman
was Tiny Barbarian and Tiny Barbarian DX.
These games are great and offer a kid friendly way into the world of
swords and sorcery. They offer tribute
to Robert E. Howard's work, however are far less visceral and more fun and
funny. At present, StarQuail seems to be
devoting most of its time towards Tiny Barbarian DX, as the game was released
with only one of four episodes. However,
a second episode was released early in 2014 and it seems as if the developers
are fully committed to finishing this project, as it is a work of passion.
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| While not groundbreaking, Astroman was fun, polished, and interesting. That's worth a lot in the age of bugs, broken promises, and outright lies from developers. |
Now, what
makes Tiny Barbarian DX stand out?
Honestly, it's the games immersive storytelling, unique art style, and
polish. Tiny Barbarian DX is a pixel art
style of game that are rather common these days and the platforming is nothing
new or spectacular, however I like to think that it stands out because it knows
what it wants to be. It wants to be an
arcadey, pulp-esque story that can be finished in a single sitting, but which
is great for speed running and score attack challenges.
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| It pays to love your work, eh, Tiny? |
Some might
ask how a pixel art arcade title could be immersive in its storytelling, but I
say, you have to see it to believe it.
Tiny Barbarian DX eschews long bits of dialogue or exposition in favor
of showing rather than telling. The
story never stops so that you need to read or catch up, it's all done through
pantomime and body language. And
honestly, it works really well, from Tiny moving on the player's command to eat
a vulture to regain his strength, to him flexing in front of ladies, to him
riding out of a collapsing palace. The
context is always clear. While the story
isn't deep, it lets the game show you rather than weighing you down with
dialogue or exposition. On top of that,
Tiny Barbarian DX features locales that are seldom seen in games, as they look
like they were ripped straight out of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian age. Wasteland palaces decorated with snake motifs
and dank jungles fill the land with many secrets to discover, but they all feel
distinctly unique. Alongside the
locales, the art style feels like a 1980s arcade title. It has animations that are too smooth and
colors too bright and vivid for the NES or the Atari, but too primitive for a
16-bit console, fitting it right into the unusual world of arcade graphics. It's refreshing, considering the glut of
RPGmaker or NES-style copy cat games that have been arriving on the market. What may make Tiny Barbarian DX stand out the
most, however, is the polish. Unlike
many early NES games, Tiny Barbarian DX feels very well play tested and the
controls work exceedingly well, with a number of additions that allow the game
to be enjoyable in spite of its difficulty.
While there are a few moments that may be unfair, the game is, by and
large, very approachable, as some individual sections are hard, but there is no
lives system so the only penalty for death is a lowered score and more time on
the clock, showing how you need to improve.
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| A world of monsters and demons, but yet still approachable, colorful, and polished. A rare breed. |
Jeff Ball,
a friend of Stearns and Roth, composed the music for Tiny Barbarian and it is
beyond glorious, further emphasizing the arcade feel of the title while keeping
the audience pumped for what's coming.
It's pure chiptune glory and it works surprisingly well.
Speaking
purely as a gamer, I can understand why some might pass on Tiny Barbarian DX,
as it is a little expensive. I'm biased
too, because I helped fund it. At $10 on
steam, a score attack game that can be beaten in an hour, even with the promise
of more content down the line, is a hard sell.
But I look at it like this.
Robert E. Howard's pulp stories about Conan were short, bite sized bits
of fiction that gave us a quick diversion from the annoyances of life and
allowed us to enter a flight of fantasy, full of dark sorcerers, monstrous
beasts, and one, lone barbarian hero.
Pulp stories take their name from the low quality paper they were
printed on because they were considered quick entertainment in an era before
gaming or even mainstream television were so domineering. And to me, Tiny Barbarian DX is like the pulp
stories of the modern game industry.
It's short, but it's enjoyable, offers a nice diversion, and promises to
build on what has already been established for fans and newcomers alike. If anything, I have to admire Stearns and Roth
for making the game at all, because it IS a hard sell. But they made the title they wanted and I
can't help but enjoy the amount of personality and goodwill they've put into
Tiny Barbarian DX. They even took the
time to make a digital manual complete with expository comic, like those made
in the NES or SNES days, and put it up for free online, alongside links to the
free download of the Original Tiny Barbarian for people to try and see if they
like it before laying down money. To me,
it speaks of the kind of developers who aren't in it to get rich or even to get
noticed, though that is nice, but who are just doing what they love as a
passion project.
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| This kind of dedication to a game they love is what I love about Indie developers, especially StarQuail. |
I think we
should support StarQuail games. They're
incredibly talented for how small the studio is and if Tiny Barbarian DX is
what can be produced on a meager $12,000 Kickstarter, I'd love to see what they
come up with next, perhaps on a bigger budget.
They are a studio to look out for and I recommend them. For those looking for StarQuail's home page,
complete with links to all their games, including the free ones, click
here. For the Tiny Barbarian Soundtrack,
created by Jeff Ball, check here. For
the now expired Kickstarter, check here.
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| Looking forward to Episode 3, guys :) |
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