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About this blog

As a new game crosses the finish line, destined perhaps to become the next essential gem, this blog will feature an in-depth look into the heart behind the homebrew.

 

Entries in this blog

A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 27: Dangerous Demolition

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 27: Dangerous Demolition Introduction: If nebulae are the cradles for new stars, game jams and other compos often serve as the cradles for promising new homebrew. Though it is uncommon for jam games to continue into full-fledged productions, it is rarer still to see any new games receive the physical treatment. Nonetheless these challenges and competitions bring out the best in retro console love, demonstrating th
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 26: Alwa's Awakening

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 26: Alwa’s Awakening Introduction: The deep catalog of 8-bit inspired games has fired up enthusiasm for retro content, leading to the development of similar new games, hunger for the old games that served as the catalyst for this new appetite, and adding momentum to the homebrew games that bridge the gap between them. Some of the most popular of these retro/modern hybrids hew so closely to the limits of the hardwa
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 25: Homebrew Magazines

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 25: Homebrew Magazines Introduction: Nearly every gaming fan, new or old, modern or retro, has or had a regularly published magazine they eagerly awaited, which often contained news on upcoming games, tips for improving their luck/skill at existing games, and shared a general love with the magazine’s creators and fans. Inspired by institutions like Nintendo Power and Game Informer, several enterprising members of
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 24: Super Tilt Bro.

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 24: Super Tilt Bro. Introduction: Homebrew first caught my eye when I sought to build out my game collection and I discovered new games for old consoles. Some games that stood out reinvented accessories like Super Russian Roulette’s use of the Zapper and Tailgate Party’s use of the Power Pad, while others applied modern gaming ideas to the old hardware like Candelabra: Estocerro and Spook-o’-tron’s use of both NES
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 23: Rarity: Retro Video Game Collecting in the Modern Era

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 23: Rarity: Retro Video Game Collecting in the Modern Era Introduction: For most of my life, I haven’t been someone who enjoyed documentaries. Even behind the scenes specials about subjects I liked had a hard time keeping my interest. But in the past few years, something unlocked in my brain that appreciated the stories behind my favorite interests, which sometimes offered a level of drama that rivaled the subject
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Special Episode: The State of Homebrew 2022

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Special Episode: The State of Homebrew 2022 The evolution of homebrew has collected an enthusiastic mix of developers and gamers, all of whom draw on the love of something meaningful from their pasts to dream of what might be possible in the years to come. Though we may bring to bear the skills we have cultivated as adults, in this realm it is done to feed our inner child. Homebrew has come a long way across several decades, w
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 22: Fire and Rescue

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 22: Fire and Rescue Introduction: Among the many homebrewers I have been privileged to interview, several were also academics: professors who teach game design and development by day, and by night put into practice those same lessons into their own passion projects. Their expertise is expressed through their style, and sometimes traces of the teacher are apparent in their games, either highlighting the lessons the
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 21: Dungeons & DoomKnights

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 21: Dungeons & DoomKnights Introduction: In the gaming world, where evolution and innovation is constant, the excitement of new firsts never wanes. Whether it’s the arrival of a new console, new tools & technology, or a new game showing off the possibilities of the previous two, being the first carries the power to excite imaginations over how this new thing heralds something we should take notice of, and
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 20: Demons of Asteborg

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 20: Demons of Asteborg   Introduction: Alongside the homebrew games we’ve discovered and loved the past several years, gaming on modern platforms has enjoyed its own retro renaissance, producing games offering offer an old-school “8-bit aesthetic” that players have eaten up. These games don’t technically adhere to the limits of the beloved consoles of old, but channel our nostalgia to catch our eyes. If only
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 19: Montezuma's Revenge

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 19: Montezuma’s Revenge Introduction: Many of the stories behind the homebrew games shared here began years before their publication or even any real development, like Trophy by Gradual Games. Some celebrated homebrews are ports of beloved games from another time, like Ultimate Frogger Champion, among several of KHAN Games’ works. And sometimes these two narratives come together as a game with a long history is re
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 18: Chumlee's Adventure: The Quest for Pinky

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 18: Chumlee’s Adventure: The Quest for Pinky Introduction: There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? Modern icons of pop culture and homebrews, coming together. Commissioned. Official. Licensed. Where first, barely a year ago there was Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, another game pushes the floodgates open a little further, with the dev team announcing yet another licensed homebrew coming in its wake. No lo
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 17: Roniu's Tale

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 17: Roniu’s Tale Introduction: As kids, we dream of growing up to learn how to make our own version of those things that made our childhoods magical. For many of us, responsibility and practicality obscured those old ambitions. But for some the dream never faded, and in finding other like-minded children at heart with complimentary skills, they tapped into those good memories to cast new magic. Like the electric e
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 16: Eyra-The Crow Maiden

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 16: Eyra-The Crow Maiden Introduction: Developing and releasing a single homebrew game is an immense undertaking. It’s no wonder some brewers either work on one project at a time or chip away at multiple projects over a long span of time. Or if you’re Second Dimension, you assemble three separate dream teams to develop a game for three different consoles and release them almost simultaneous to another game they de
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 15: The Curse of Illmoore Bay

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 15: The Curse of Illmoore Bay Introduction: The growth of the homebrew community and availability of homebrew game carts is largely thanks to the savvy of a handful of people who have made the herculean effort of establishing supply chains to manufacture and publish cartridges for other brewers in addition to their own games. Among these titans of industry are RetroUSB, InfiniteNESLives, Broke Studio, the 6502 Col
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 14: Doodle World

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 14: Doodle World Introduction: If Twitter is any indication, inspiration is a fickle thing when designing a game. Crafting characters, gameplay, and a story, among any number of other elements can be a challenge when trying to create something new and fun. But sometimes out of the mouths, or in this case markers of babes come forth ideas that make even the most seasoned game developer smack themselves upside the h
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 13: What Remains

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 13: What Remains Introduction: Video games can aspire to be many things. They can be a playful escape from the world, and they can be a new lens for seeing the world and how we exist within it. Not many games use their medium to weigh in on substantive political discourse, but today’s game, with its themes of health & environmental policy, truth & disinformation, and archival institutions and the protectio
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 12: Yeah Yeah Beebiss II

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 12: Yeah Yeah Beebiss II aka “Riggs Project”   Introduction: Homebrew has always been a fairly niche community, with word of mouth serving a critical role in spreading news and building hype for the latest games. But part of what makes homebrew games such a fascinating phenomenon is the juxtaposition of cartridges developed to play on hardware from the 80s with a world in which people can talk about these gam
A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 11: From Below

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 11: From Below Introduction: Some of the most clever homebrews can reinvigorate our love for an entire category of games with the simplest tweak. What once seemed like an oversaturated genre flooded with clones has something new for gamers because one dev could see new possibilities, offering new challenges and flipping the script of how we play these games. For this entry, I’m covering From Below: a falling
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 10: Space Raft

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 10: Space Raft Introduction: Followers of this series have frequently read about brewers developing games inspired by the classics of their youth, such as Mega Man, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda. But we have yet to dip into our guiltier pleasures: the games lovingly inspired by the likes of LJN, with just as much heart poured in as any other homebrew I’ve covered. What if a homebrew emulated licensed
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 9: 8-Bit Xmas 2020

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 9: 8-Bit Xmas 2020 (Dr. Covio) Introduction: Video games are a lot like movies, an excellent effort can give rise to a sequel, potentially even a series, one which perfects a formula and offers something new and fun while retaining everything that made past installments worthwhile. It is a difficult tightrope to walk: providing more of what works without merely delivering a carbon copy, while also experimenting wi
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 8: The Assembly Line

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 8: The Assembly Line Introduction: It was around September 2017 that I first learned about homebrew games. Months earlier I shipped my collection of old video games and consoles from my parents’ home and hoped to expand my library. Searching for the “essential” gems no self-respecting vintage gamer should be without, I stumbled upon a pair of articles from The Verge and Wired about new games for old consoles. Curi
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 7: Quest Arrest

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 7: Quest Arrest Introduction: Behind every great homebrew game is a developer or team with a good story about why there was an irresistible urge to create a new game. As we can all relate, inside them resides that memory from our youth in which we passed days on end, perfectly content with one or another game that gripped our imagination. If we were lucky, we found other games that gave us that same good feeling,
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 6: Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 6: Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl Introduction: Ask any homebrewer what inspired them to create a particular game or why they became a brewer in the first place, and many will point to a cultural icon of yesteryear that still resonates with them. Some games serve as an homage to a beloved game from a console’s licensed era. Other games are a thinly veiled adaptation of a beloved world that never received the vid
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 5: Rollie

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 5: Rollie Introduction: Homebrewing is a level of NES-fandom defined by both discipline and creativity. If we lived in an RPG, learning to code and develop would mark the class change/level up from being a fan who merely talks about what a fun game would look like to becoming the fan capable of actualizing it. While learning to code, brewers also discover how to implement gameplay features, and thus learn how to m
Scrobins

Scrobins in A Homebrew Draws Near!

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A Homebrew Draws Near!

Episode 4: Trophy

A Homebrew Draws Near! A blog series by @Scrobins Episode 4: Trophy Introduction: The timeline for developing a homebrew is rarely brief. From a game’s first imaginings to its final publication and availability to fans, months, even years may pass. But some games can trace their history across decades to the developer’s childhood and the games that brought them joy. Though time and tide may occupy their mind for a spell, pulling their attention in myriad different direct
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