A Homebrew Draws Near!

A blog series by @Scrobins

Episode 50: Jingles Defense

Introduction:

I didn’t used to like puzzle games as a kid. They felt like homework when all I wanted to do was jump into an escapist adventure so my imagination could take over. This is an even lamer excuse when you learn that I loved playing the Carmen Sandiego, Math Blaster, and Number Munchers games when I was very little. But over time a sort of competitive curiosity crept into my brain. With a little effort I learned the rules, and with a little practice I got somewhat better at games I had trouble playing such as Tetris, Othello, and Dr. Mario. Now it’s an exciting challenge to measure my progress and play against friends. And when a new puzzler comes out that offers something different, it’s an easy purchase that I am eager to share with friends.

For this entry, I’m covering Jingles Defense, a puzzle game for the NES, developed by Zyzix Games. As of the time of this writing, the physical release has sold out, but the game can still be purchased digitally here.

The limited CIB, designed by Rachels Ham

 

Development Team:

Erick Marquez: developer

 

Game Evolution:

Jingles Defense began as a 3DO game, as shown by a January 23, 2023 YouTube video. Development quickly continued into the next year, when a new YouTube video teased the NES game on May 3, 2024, which also offered the rom for fans to play while promoting a future cart release. A few months later, Jingles Defense went on sale, offering 50 limited edition CIBs on September 21, 2024. That run sold out in less than 2 days. Shipping followed immediately after, and fans were thus able to quickly play the game on their consoles.

Screenshot from Jingles Defense

 

Gameplay:

Jingles Defense describes itself as a cat and mouse puzzle game. You play as Mr. Jingles, a mouse pursued by cats, and your goal is to trap them into immobility by pushing blocks around. Once trapped, the cats turn into yummy cheese and points! Careful though, because the cats aren’t your only predator: hawks will also chase you, and even turn off the lights, adding a little more difficulty to your play.

The controls are simple: navigate using the D-pad, press the A or B buttons to use your invincibility shield (which is awarded after wave 7), press Start to begin the game, and press Select to toggle the music.

 

Review:

Jingles Defense is a fun minimalist puzzler with endless replay value and great tournament potential. Many other block-based puzzle games can have complicated rules that require getting used to, but this is a great pick up & play game. Simple in its design yet difficult to master as a player, the diagonal sneakiness of the cats adds a fun bit of frustration just when you think you have your enemies cornered, forcing added quick thinking on your part (or my part anyway). A very creative choice to the game’s design is how the game board does not reset between waves/levels: wherever you pushed the blocks in the previous wave, that is what you are working with for the next. This means your choices affect the difficulty for the rest of the game, and a big part of this game’s replayability is found in revisiting that strategy.

Graphically, Jingles Defense keeps it simple in order to accommodate a larger playing screen. I like this because the movement feels free and I don’t feel anything is lost in the sprites. The little creatures are cute and sufficiently distinct from one another that there is no confusing them. Similarly the music is simple, with hunting, prowling themes to add a touch of tension, but the ability to turn off the music to allow you to concentrate.

 

Interviews:

Between his development work and fending off hungry cats, Erick is a speed demon, but I managed to corner him into telling a few stories about his background and development work. Read on for the cheese at the center of his homebrew development maze.

 

Erick Marquez

@ZyzixGames

-Before we dive into Jingles Defense, I would love to talk about you and your background. What first inspired you to become a homebrew game developer? What is your origin story? What is the story behind Zyzix Games?

I began my professional career writing software in the early 2000s. Some of my first projects included creating desktop applications and custom tooling for NASA JPL. As those contracts and projects were coming to an end, I decided to transition into Web Development. There were many web opportunities available, it was booming. My focus was mainly building out frameworks and web services, but I also worked with and maintained full tech stacks. This was before the availability of the various frameworks available today. I later transitioned into management roles.

I would tinker with game development for fun from time to time, mainly on PC. I had never ventured into game development professionally, but I always had an interest and itch for it. I remember playing DOOM in the 90s and being so intrigued by it. DOOM was one of many games that I would consider a catalyst.

In recent years I began investing more time into learning older hardware and working on homebrew. I released a first-person horror game called BioFury for 3DO and then began working on NES as my follow-up project. I'm using the label ‘Zyzix Games' to organize all of my official projects under. BioFury was released prior to this decision.

Images from BioFury for the 3DO

 

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

My main influences have been project-specific. Aside from DOOM, the early Resident Evil and Silent Hill games were big for me.

 

-How would you describe your design aesthetic, and what to you are hallmarks of a game designed by you?

I've made two homebrew games that are in completely different genres (puzzle and horror), and so it may be too early for me to have a good answer for this. I tend to gravitate more towards 'creepy' projects. There is obviously nothing creepy about Jingles Defense, but I was able to portray a tiny hint of it in the game's packaging artwork with the help of a talented artist. The cats look more menacing and sly than hungry!

 

-What tools do you use to code, compose, and create?

The following was used for Jingles Defense; ASM6 assembler, FamiTracker to make sounds and music, YY-CHR to create background tiles and sprites, and Visual Studio Code for the source editor.

 

-Your YouTube channel reflects a lot of 3DO development work. What resonates with you about that console and what inspired you to develop a game for the NES in this instance?

I have fond memories of playing the 3DO during my teenage years. I picked up the FZ-1 model very cheap after 3DO had been discontinued. Having access to the internet and being able to find information was still challenging then. I didn't have any friends who owned a 3DO, either, so I went in blind. There was a small game store close to my house that was selling off all of their sealed 3DO games for $20 dollars each. Some of the first games I picked up and really enjoyed included Road Rash, NFS, SSF2T, Shock Wave, and Killing Time. I loved the system and developing for it now is very pleasant and nostalgic.

The NES is also nostalgic to me. It was the first game system that I actually got to play as a kid and I have fond memories of it.

The first game system I ever played was the Atari 2600, but it was not mine and I only got to try it out for a few minutes, tops. I generally wasn't able to play games until the NES came around.

 

-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 was the intention behind Jingles’ design, and are there elements of yourself that you see in him? Is Jingles your cat? Do you identify with Jingles?

Mr. Jingles is the mouse that you control in the game and was named and colored after a pet mouse from many years ago. He belonged to my then girlfriend / now wife. He didn't start out as a pet. He was initially intended to feed a snake that my girlfriend had owned for a short period of time. We decided to spare him of that fate and take him in as our pet. Mice do not live very long, but we enjoyed playing with him and introducing him to different foods. I had always wanted to incorporate him into a game project somehow.

The real life Mr. Jingles is very grateful

 

-What aspects of Jingles Defense are you most proud of?

I would say that going full circle, from development to physical release, was big for me. I had boxes and labels made, but I hand soldered, assembled, and tested each game cartridge.  This was also the first project that I programmed in pure assembly language.

 

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

This lesson isn't tied to this project but it was a lesson I had learned prior. If you are going to work on a game project, try to reduce the chances of potential burnout. It is very easy for a project's scope to grow, or for one project to turn into 3+ projects. For example, you start out working on a small game engine but then realize you also need to create custom tooling. You are now multi-projects deep before working on the final project, the game. Having goals, an understanding of the scope, and pacing yourself appropriately will help reduce the chance that you will get dev fatigue / burnout. Game development is some of the most challenging work I've ever done.

 

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

I'm currently working on a 3D engine for 3DO, named Matinicus. The goal of this project is to recreate the game style of 3DO Killing Time, but with an improved framerate. The engine works by rebuilding sector data (as in DOOM sectors), while adapting to hardware constraints and leveraging what it does best. I had to write my own WAD data converter to take level data built in DOOM editors and prepare it for my engine to ingest and render from. A good way to describe this project is by saying it's a DOOM-style engine using quads. Development is still early, but I would eventually like to make a horror game out of this engine.

Screenshot from Erick’s video highlighting work on Matinicus

 

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

I check out Mega Cat Studios, RetroUSB, KHAN Games, and the NESdev discord from time to time. I have a decently sized homebrew collection going.

 

-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 like to thank the readers and fans for their support and interest. Each project that I work on is a love letter to retro / homebrew gaming and to those whom enjoy it. It was why I named my YouTube channel Retro Love Letter. Thank you for this interview and for allowing me to share more information with this amazing community. Stay tuned!

https://x.com/ZyZixGames

https://www.youtube.com/@retroloveletter

https://www.instagram.com/zyzixgames

 

 

Conclusion:

Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of the series that shares the stories behind the latest homebrews making their way to you. Are you a puzzle game fan hungry for the challenge of Jingles Defense? What homebrews are you eagerly looking forward to? Perhaps you’ll see it here soon when…A Homebrew Draws Near! Command?