A Homebrew Draws Near!

A blog series by @Scrobins

Episode 44: Cyber Mission

Introduction:

Most homebrewers, for all their experimentation and boundary pushing, have a sweet spot they settle into; a pattern by which they can be defined and recognized. It may be a particular genre or aesthetic, but for some devs the pattern is experimentation itself. These are the people about whom we wonder what could possibly be coming next from them, given how wildly different their last entries were from one another. And despite these differences, each game is more fun than the last; a worthy homage to its forebears with something new and exciting mixed in.

For this entry, I’m covering the side-scrolling shooter Cyber Mission for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive by PSCD Games. As of the time of this writing, the Kickstarter campaign for the game has concluded and backers await their rewards. Those who missed out can still put in orders on PSCD Games’ website here.

Look at those darned heroes, ready to save the day!

 

Development Team:

Denis Savin (Greengh0st): Team lead

Mikhail Lyamin (PSCD): Programmer

Dmitri’s: Artist

Eduardo Teodoro Pinto (Edu Moonwalker): Musician

Oscar Celestini: Cover Artist

 

Game Evolution:

Cyber Mission began as a modern platform game for the PC & PS5 released on September 25, 2023. Its homebrew port to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive was first teased a few months later by PSCD Games in a Twitter post from November 13, 2023. Soon the teasers turned to trailers as a crowdfunding campaign neared.

The game launched on Kickstarter on April 19, 2024, with an initial funding goal of $16,257. By the campaign’s end, 433 backers pledged nearly $26,000. Backers had a slew of options among the campaign’s tiers to choose from, which included the game’s rom, a cart-only option, the CIB, and an autographed CIB, with additional goodies and add-ons such as a download of the game’s soundtrack, poster, knitted toys of the protagonists, your name in the credits, a themed console & controllers, and the ability to be in the game as a protagonist.

Screenshot of Cyber Mission for modern consoles by Game Energy Studio

 

Gameplay:

Cyber Mission describes itself as a side-scrolling shooter, drawing inspiration from classic games such as Forgotten Worlds and S.C.A.T. (also known as Final Mission or Action in New York in other parts of the world). You play as a member of the Cyber Team, an elite special forces unit tasked with repelling alien invaders from planet HV-C in defense of its resources. You must navigate various levels, destroying enemies, defeating the boss, and then destroy the reactors to access the final level. Work your way through the game alone or with a friend with 2-player co-op mode and take on the levels in any order you choose.

The game’s controls are simple: use the D-pad to move around the screen (if you aren’t firing when you push left or right, your character will then turn to face that direction), press A to fire, press B to change the movement of your auxiliary satellites, press C to activate your shield, and press Start to pause.

Screenshot of Cyber Mission for the Sega Genesis by PSCD Games

 

Review:

Cyber Mission is a bullet-riddled challenge that will set you zigging and zagging, shouting in exclamation at your TV how you dodged that last cluster of enemies. Like the games from which it draws its inspiration, I like that you can shoot left & right and hold direction while firing so gameplay doesn’t get too confusing or chaotic. Less than a bullet hell, Cyber Mission is an enemy hell as bogies approach en masse from both sides, nicely making use of the shooting mechanic and resetting your expectations away from a more traditional shmup. However there is good respite from the difficulty, with two satellites assisting your efforts and checkpoints saving your progress. Though if you’re as bad at shmups as me, you’ll still waste these valuable resources.

The graphics offer a variety of color, gently dulled to give the game’s world a lived-in and war-torn effect. The sprites and environments are detailed, highlighting the graphical precision increasingly possible on the console while channeling its modern counterpart. But what I love are the fun touches, rather than simply explode when you die, your character falls out of the sky with a hilariously heartbreaking dead sprite animation. Accompanying the visuals are some wonderful bops, like the marimba jam that opens the game. The music consistently matches the rhythm of the game, with rising tension and breaths of relief where fitting. And for those who lack the manual or have a hard time differentiating powerups, a crisp voiceover announces each item you grab, reminiscent (to me anyway) of the 90s Shareware classic The Adventures of Microman.

 

Interviews:

The interview section of this blog has always been mission critical, so I debriefed the dev team to get all the important data about Cyber Mission for your report. These interviews are for your eyes only…

 

Denis Savin

@PscdGames

-Before we dive into Cyber Mission, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a game designer? What is the origin story of Greengh0st?

Help make Bio Evil. It became boring to translate games, since there were no competitors, but I wanted to do something more significant.

 

-Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?

I don't follow anyone's work. I just love seeing simple teams of freelancers making cool pixel games.

 

-In addition to being a game designer, you work as a level designer, sound engineer, public relations manager, and overall team lead. In what ways has your past experience informed the work you do at PSCD Games?

The only influence that had on me was working in a team translating games. There I learned to communicate with different people and negotiate.

 

-Which do you find more invigorating, level & game design or marketing?

What I like most about games is inventing worlds and mechanics within them. I always wanted our own games to be filled with interesting stories, mechanics and visuals. But until we start working on Red Star, you won’t be able to appreciate this. It was there that I wanted to fully reveal myself as a game designer and screenwriter.

 

-What tools do you use for your game, level, and sound design work?

Basically this is standard software. Photoshop, Aseprite, Pixel Edit, Audacity.

 

-What to you makes for a well-designed and fun level?

When I play it and realize that I like it. It’s hard to catch yourself thinking while playing your game that it’s really very good, but the reason for this is only because you’ve played it very, very many times. And if I catch myself thinking that I still like playing this, then everything worked out.

 

-What are some underappreciated strategies to marketing a game effectively?

Here, unfortunately, I cannot give an exact definition, since this is not my niche. I'm trying different options, but so far they're mostly pretty disastrous.

 

-You also offer unique merch with your games, like matryoshkas (related to the game, or even of you!) or adorable knitted plushies. What inspired you to offer these?

I have always believed that people who really love this or that project always want to get a piece of it. This applies to both movies and games. For example, I really love a large number of old films, such as RoboCop, Terminator, Aliens, Star Wars from games. I love the latest PREY, System Shock, turn-based strategies of the X-Com universe. and I will always be glad that I will have this or that figurine or toy, or even a whole costume from such a universe.

Black Jewel Reborn Matryoshka Set

 

-What is the working dynamic like across the whole team at PSCD Games generally? How did you first connect with everyone?

The core of the team was formed back in 2010, when I met Mikhail (PSCD). She still remains the main center of our team. I am very glad that I met Oscar and Eduard, although they are very busy guys, they are always happy to participate in our team’s projects. Of course, I would like for them to be able to fully become part of the team, but we are still too small a team, with small budgets, in most of which the main thing is to support the Kickstarter. But the problem with Kickstarter for us is its inaccessibility, and intermediaries, unfortunately, are not always honest with us, as was the case with Hunter Girls.

 

-What was the inspiration for developing Cyber Mission?

This is a childhood love for the game Final Mission. As a child, my friend and I flirted with her to pieces. But we never passed it ourselves; the turbo tunnel was impassable for us all the time. We completed it only when immortality in the game randomly triggered and a life was given for each enemy killed. While we were translating this game, we translated all three versions of the game Final Mission, S.C.A.T., Action in New York.

 

-Ever since my first episode, artist M-Tee planted this idea in my mind that a game’s protagonist serves as the player's point of immersion in the game, informing how we understand the game's world. I also believe that the protagonist’s design serves as a reflection of its designer. What is the intention behind the Cyber Team’s design? Do you see yourselves in them?

I agree with his opinion, because the player still associates himself with the character he plays. With the right approach, he is immersed in his fate, in his experiences, becomes him, but this is provided that the character is well written, makes you empathize for him. Unfortunately, our game does not have such immersion, the reason is simple - this is a port of a game not developed by us. The only thing we have here is love for the original and a high-quality transfer of this to the Mega Drive, because all the graphics were redrawn from scratch and my task, together with the artist, was to make these characters look decent on the screen.

 

-There has been a lot of support and enthusiasm for Cyber Mission on Kickstarter. How does it feel to see so many people excited to play your game?

It's always nice to see when people like a project that a team is making. It’s probably hard to explain, but any project becomes your brainchild. Yes, this is a way to earn money, but the recognition of the players still plays a big role here. When a project is successful, it's very, very cool. You understand that all the guys tried and put effort into the project, which pays off on a moral level. And this tells us that we are moving in the right direction.

 

-What aspects of Cyber Mission are you most proud of?

I would say that the main pride of this project is the visuals. We spent a lot of time just to make it bright and memorable. And also the fact that we can make our first shmup, a genre to which I have always been not indifferent. After all, if you look at our projects, we try not to repeat ourselves in genres, so it seems to us that we can show all fans of the retro community that we want to fill retro consoles with games of various genres and give them the opportunity to try more and more different things.

 

-What new challenges or surprises surfaced in developing Cyber Mission? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?

We haven't learned any lessons. We can say that we worked in our standard mode. So I would like everyone who wants to develop games to just respect your project and those who will play it, because if the game is made without love, the result will be obvious. Listen to the opinions of the players, but remember that you are the creator of this game in the first place, when you started it you had your own vision of the project and if you redo most of it to please other opinions from YouTube, there will be nothing left of it. Listen only to those aspects that will really help your game become even better and more player-friendly.

 

-Are there any other projects you have lined up on the horizon? Any dream projects?

Oh yeah. We have a lot of projects, I think for the next two years - this is about 8 - 12 projects. Some of them are already ready in graphic terms and the music has been written, all you need to do is code it. Everyone often scolds us for the fact that we often appear on Kickstarter, but what can we do, we just work a lot. We can launch at least one project a month on Kickstarter, but as we see, players began to distrust us with this approach, so we will have to wait for these projects longer than we could make them.

About my projects, I’ll just say that yes, I have two huge projects that I want to complete, but I will only do them when I close all the projects that are currently in development.

 

-Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?

There are a lot of good projects being done now, but as you understand, it all takes a lot of time. I hope that when I close all the projects on the Mega Drive, I will take a long break for a year and will be able to play everything that has come out during this time that I like, and there are quite a lot of such games. I love a huge number of genres in games. It's not my thing, it's just racing and sports games.

 

-I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?

I would be very happy if we had fans. I honestly don't know if they exist. We have not yet done anything to ensure that we have them.

And I would like to say to the readers, guys, support us on Kickstarter, it’s very motivating. Yes, some projects take us a lot more time, like BJR, but look at what it has turned into from a simple “go from left to right and chop everyone down.” A huge number of mechanics have appeared in the game to make it more interesting for you to play it, so that after finishing the game you would want to play it again, and maybe more. We are only at the beginning of our journey and only your support keeps the team afloat, if it is not there, then we simply will not be able to exist as a team and everyone will look for another place. And we want to make games specifically for retro platforms - this is our childhood and our piece of happiness.

 

 

Eduardo Teodoro Pinto

@EduMoonwalker

-Before we talk about Cyber Mission, I want to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be a musician? What led you to compose music for games? What is the origin story of Edu Moonwalker?

I have always had contact with music since I was a child, listening to countless vinyl records or CDs from my parents and watching films, especially Disney titles. My motivation for game music was precisely to be part of this movement that I have always identified with, so this name comes from my nickname and the name of the first game I played in my life.

 

-Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?

To this day I have countless references, I hear them all a little depending on the moment, but the biggest one for me since I was a child is Michael Jackson. Currently I see a little of what my colleagues are doing in the same area, as for the established ones, I'm very curious about Yuzo Koshiro's next project in his new shmup.

 

-Do you feel that your music has any qualities that are quintessentially you? How would you describe your aesthetic?

Nothing too complex, I like to preserve the essence, the most important element for music as a whole.

 

-In your opinion, what makes for compelling video game music?

For me, what makes it more attractive is the music that interacts well with the environment on the screen, the essence of the atmosphere it carries.

 

-What tools do you use to compose, generally as well as for games?

My tools are completely digital, for chiptunes I use music sequencer software or music trackers, except when they are projects made on a digital audio workstation.

 

-Tell me about the development of Cyber Mission’s music, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you are covering someone else’s music?

In fact, I re-arranged the soundtrack for the Cyber Mission game, which was already a ready-made project, I just adapted its themes for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console chip, keeping to the essence of the original songs. But when I happen to compose original work, it is a very different process for me, as I gather inspirations and fit them with my melodic lines for the project.

 

-How did you first connect with Denis and the PSCD team, and what has the working dynamic been like?

I was recommended by someone I know, known for his projects as Master Linkuei. However, it is a very unusual dynamic, as we operate in different hemispheres.

@masterlinkueibr someone I would also love to interview…

 

-You also all worked together on such games as Bone Marrow, Thunder Paw, Alien Cat 2. How did working on this game compare to those experiences, especially with one of those games being a SNES game among several Genesis/Mega Drive games?

At first it was a shock for me, firstly because of the change of performing musically on a video game system that was new to me, secondly the fact that there were no such improved tools for working with music for the SNES, making it very challenging in the process until I finally understood the tools.

 

-What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Cyber Mission? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?

Honestly, it wasn't as difficult as it seems to be, but a single outlier was adapting a specific musical genre that was different from the common soundtrack. After all, when you work with chiptunes for retro consoles, it's important to know how far the soundtrack can go without affect hardware performance. What I can say to those interested is to do everything with pleasure, not just at work, and I have always done it this way since my first professional project.

 

-Is there another project after Cyber Mission on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?

Personally, I want to stabilize my situation as a whole and continue investing in music and video games, being able to make my own games and produce chiptune or video game-related music albums.

 

-Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?

I've already been able to experience some of Master Linkuei's brilliant works and I would really like to get into this area too, so I can apply my musical knowledge to the same games.

 

-I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?

Thank you for the interview. For those who follow me and know me deeply, thank you very much for your support.

 

 

Oscar Celestini

@OscarCelestini

-Before we dive into Cyber Mission, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to be an artist generally, and more specifically how did you break into homebrew game art?

I loved videogames before comics! That's why I wish to draw some art for them since I was 4 years old. At 6-7 years I discovered comics, first Marvel (Spiderman) and then manga comics (Saint Seiya, Kenshiro, Dragonball). This is my first inspiration speaking chronologically.

 

-Who are your influences? And whose work are you watching closely now?

I'm very interested and “mind opened” to every art style, cartoon, manga, realistic. I always tried to merge them inside my personal visual view. Inside my style there is some Frank Miller, some Mark Bagley, some Ivo Milazzo, a bit of Akira Toriyama and Kazushi Hagiwara. But also many many others influenced my actual way of drawing. In a parallel way I watched also a lot of pixel artist, I started from the awesome sprite of the 2d beat-em-up golden era, from King of Fighter 94 to Street Fighter Alpha.

 

-What in your opinion makes art compelling? What grabs your attention? And what kind of video game box art would make you choose one game over another?

The box art lost a bit of his importance during the years. If you bought a C64 videogame, box art was very important, cause was the only way to figure out how the heroes was made, and was the base to start dreaming and “completing” sprites made of a couple of colors and poor animations. Now when a new game is released we know almost everything about it and nobody cares about the cover art. But to me of course is still important. I hate 3d cover art or artworks that are just ripped out from the game, I think that the cover art must be a personal interpretation of the artist “looking” at the game. Must be a little concept travel that introduce you to a new world-adventure-experience for the first time and must be awesome!

 

-You've also created art for other prominent homebrews such as Hunter Girls and Debtor. Do you feel that your art has any qualities that are uniquely you? How would you describe your aesthetic?

I can't tell if I've got these qualities, I think that my fans (or the generic viewer) must tell it. But I'm spending each day of my life trying to reach the exact visual impact that I like. My research is about the good balance between the line details and the color. I put lot of effort into the expressiveness of the faces-figures and the body language. I think that the best of an artwork is the natural feeling about poses and the easy reading of what's going on inside. Lot of people tells me that my art is “positive energy” and the can feel the “joy” looking at it. I think Is a result to be proud of! 

Hunter Girls art designed by Oscar

 

-What tools do you use to create your art?

I used many during years, I started without a PC, so paper, brushes and ink, then gradually I introduced digital colors (using Photoshop) and finally I started drawing directly in Photoshop using Wacom Tablet. Actually I use digital for comix and artworks and traditional for original pieces for fans and collectors who wants something unique by me.

 

-Tell me about the development of the art you created for Cyber Mission, what is your composition process? Is the creative process different compared to when you create other projects such as your comic book art for Interweb Comics?

Creative process is very similar as other commissions or comix. First of all I ask the idea of the publisher-director, I'm very respectful of the starting idea and concept of the one who's asking for my art. Once I've got it I start with a sketch and once approved I proceed with detailed pencil, inks and colors (always asking for supervision). My first aim is that the final piece is exactly (or better) than what who asked for was dreaming on! My creative part is trying to add interest and “power” or “beauty” to the existing characters with my personal touch, but without distorting them or changing them from the original version.

 

-How did you first connect with Denis and the PSCD team, and what has the working dynamic been like?

First touch was almost random, cause I commented on a post about Bio Evil and a Jill sprite, I gave him some advice and a version of the sprite remade by me. He liked it and we started talking. One thing to another and we started working together. As told before the process is similar as the other collaboration, he give me the information about the artwork he needs and I do my best to make him happy! (step by step)

 

-What new challenges or surprises surfaced in your work on Cyber Mission? What lessons did you learn that you would like to share with the people who aspire to follow in your footsteps?

I'm working drawing artworks, comics, covers and many other things each day since 20 years, not many surprises to be true working on Cyber Mission cover, just fun and the endless challenge to do my best and be a little better each work I complete. A little funny detail is that Denis fixed for me a hand grabbing a rifle of the main character and he made it better than mine (much more solid and strong), so I was happy to fix it in the final version. So that's a good lesson, be humble and try to learn something new each time you've got the chance and never think to be the best.

 

-Is there another project after Cyber Mission on the horizon? Another dream project that you hope to bring into existence, video game or otherwise?

I've got so many... Both videogames and comics. But for sure my favourite is “The White Lion” my comic, I'm about to release the second book and I can't wait to reveal it. Is a little reality, concentrated in Italy, but I love it cause is my first son and I made it completely alone, story, art, colors...

The White Lion by Oscar Celestini

 

-Are there any homebrew games in development that you are excited to play?

I'm a Mega Drive collector and I love every homebrew revealed. I'm almost a child about it, I'm so happy about new games released that is not so important the quality. But I really like the work of PSCD games (that's why I accepted collaboration with Denis, I respect his work first of all). For some reasons I'll be very exited to play Black Jewel Reborn!

 

-I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences. Is there anything else you would like to tell readers and fans?

My pleasure! I want to thank you all the people who believe in me as an artist and I promise to do my best to make good art and be a little better each time I pick up a pencil in my hand.

 

Conclusion:

Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the stories behind the latest homebrews that will get you fired up. Is buying Cyber Mission your primary objective? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?