** Demo 1 Released Sep. 1, 2020! **
** New details & screenshots released May 2021**
The first playable demo is in the books and we're well on our way to ... DEMO 2! With 20 levels near completion, and a whole lot of updates completed with many more to go, playtesting is now available on a level by level basis.
Levels available to playtest are shown in the "screenshots" section where you can see short videos of the levels available to test!
What I'd like to hear as far as feedback:
- Playability issues, glitches, etc.
- Creative insight and impressions
- Difficulties or confusion with regarding gameplay (custom slopes, map, etc)
- Interest in joining our team with any aspect of design, from GFX to level design to programming
- NOT to hear about where "Luigi's Odyssey" appears throughout, which is the old title
Note: this is far from perfect, even with the levels that are released, but is meant as a showpiece for where the game is heading. Many things are still partially complete including effect sprites for custom npcs, star collections, bonus coins, and additional playable characters.
Mario and Princess Peach are engaged to be married!
As Luigi, Princess Daisy, and all the who's who of the Mushroom Kingdom gather to celebrate the announcement, a terrible storm rolls in. Mario and the Princess, last seen on the castle grounds on a stroll together, are caught in this fearsome blizzard.
Luigi sets off to find them, not knowing that his greatest adventure is about to begin...in a strange new land filled with tales of ancient heroes, old evils returned, and a people needing hope.
Falling through a chasm in a cave, Luigi soon finds himself in an unfamiliar land. Never before seen creatures walk this world, with not a sight of the friendly Toads and Yoshis of the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, there's something familiar in all of this...
Read the spoilers only if you want to know where the story is headed.
While searching for his brother amidst a blizzard, Luigi enters a forgotten cave and enters a portal. On the other side, he finds himself in a world greatly changed, where the castle of Princess Toadstool, and even the brothers themselves, are but a distant memory. Somehow, he has found his way into the distant and strange future of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Traveling through the ruins of the old kingdom, he discovers it filled with colorful creatures never seen before. And, he soon learns that this world is in danger from a powerful enemy. For an ancient evil out of the Kingdom's distant past has returned, seeking to use its unfathomable powers to subjugate all the peoples of the Mushroom Kingdom for all time. It is an enemy Luigi will stand against, to save the world he loves...but before he can do that, he will come face to face with the Kingdom's ancient secrets, as well as his own.
Luigi will be joined by many new friends! Including a a plucky young inventor named Toadanna...a band of freedom fighting Yoshi called the "Norii"...a brilliant but secretive scientist...and a flamboyant vegetable with a hero complex.
Can Luigi and his new friends save the Kingdom from a dark fate? Who is behind the power that has brought him into the future? And will he ever see Mario and the Princess again? Join the adventure to find out!
Think of it as the Wizard of Oz, plumber style! And the levels are like onions. Some are sweet. Others are dicey and will make you cry.
As for game style...I love Donkey Kong Country. So there. I love the pace, the replayability, the music and the atmosphere of it. This game has the soul of DKC, in being designed primarily for a lot of running, jumping, bouncing and glorious exploration of a stark and beautiful new frontier. I don't mind the occasional puzzle, but I personally don't get excited about levels that have you retrace your steps umpteen thousand times to unravel a puzzle of switch blocks. The experience of this particular game is meant to feel organic, free-flowing, and encourage the player to explore and wander.
Levels will have a variety of secrets, not just hidden exits but story clues and character dialogue, encouraging the player to go all out to fill in the pages of a unique and moving story. Surprises are everywhere.
The game will be large, with 60+ playable levels not including side quests & bonuses. Some concepts already completed or underway include: a switchable toxic water level aka DKC's version, rideable mine carts, playable Yoshi, a fully walkable, pre-rendered world map, and customized dialogue cards to be used in key moments. Maps will not be linear progression but providing an explorable world map, choices of multiple unlocked levels to tackle, and keys to unlocking the mystery waiting to be found at every turn.
This game features a new style of world map. The map is pre-rendered, and fully walkable.
The world map is divided into new "regions". These regions will allow the player to freely walk between levels without the use of linear paths. Each region contains between 6-10 levels with geographically distinct themes. Most levels in a region are immediately accessible without any need to unlock routes, with several hidden levels able to be revealed on the map when unlocked. Several tasks in a region must be completed before a final fortress can be defeated, unlocking a warp or path to the next region. Wander, explore, and try things; levels are always able to be exited so your encouraged to go back in and search for clues you might've missed. You have the freedom to chart your own course!
Region 1 – Lands of Legend. Includes grassland, underwater, and beach themes.
Region 2 – Perilous Pass. Mountainous terrain, snow and ice themes.
Region 3 – Brightlands. Old west style desert and frontier town themes.
Region 4 – Nightlands. Haunted forest, Clowntown.
Region 5 - Hollyweird. Roaring 20s, Hollywood themes.
Region 5 – "Industry Islands". Includes nautical, industrial, and urban themes.
Region 6 – Clockism - Something very different...
Region 7 - Midori - What's old is new again. And dangerous. What will you find at the center of it all?
Estimate:
60 levels
7 Nori Hideouts – Befriend different color Nori, gather intel on what they've learned, hints, and be able to leave with a Nori friend that you can ride.
7 Waystations – Pick up powerups, of increasing value based upon the number of stars collected
4 Switch Palace – 4 types of switch palace exist, and each must be found to be able to complete the final world
Following the release of Demo 1, I'm looking to add to the team for what is shaping up to be, I believe, a very special game experience. I have room for additional GFX artists, level designers, and most importantly, LunaLua programmers. Before I progress much further, I want to finalize what custom HUD elements and libraries are going to be the game's foundation. So if you're interested in adding your unique touch to this game, now's the time to speak up!
Looking for:
Level Designers!! Looking to include a wide variety of level types, difficulty & styles. Submit one level or work with us on creating a dozen. Message me to discuss!
1) Luna Lua help. I've been dinking around with this, but I'm both a neophyte with Luna, and have learned from past experience that I am simply an awful programmer [/humiliating failure].
2) Custom graphics. This is honestly my forte but there's going to be a TON of unique themed content. I need all hands on deck for this.
3) Boss Designer. Because everyone loves a good boss battle.
4) Gametesters. I'm doing some bonkers stuff and as much as I try to play through it all myself, I just can't predict how ppl are going to respond when encountering things for the first time. Obviously, I don't get to have the experience of coming across something new and unexpected.
5) Music. Would def love some more custom tracks if there's anyone out there with musical talent...I have none. I have enough custom work from a friend to be dangerous, but there's always room for more.
The Team So Far:
Myself (BroccoliRampage): Story, Level Design, Lead Baldguy
Omarvel: Custom Assets, Level Design, Only Other Person Who Knows The Whole Story
Arie Drain: (not on site) - Music
Sebastian Eubank (not on site) - Custom graphics
Pixie Gomez (not on site) - Asst. Level Design
Completion: Approx 15% of levels
Version: Beta 4
Last edited by BroccoliRampage on Mon Apr 28, 2025 1:18 pm, edited 52 times in total.
Looks interesting, It's reminds a bit Luigi's Fight For The Mushroom Kingdom
A bit! I played that fairly recently and I loved the creativity in both the level design and the style.
However I did promise myself when I started this that I would lean towards keeping the levels uncomplicated. Expansive and challenging, yes, but uncomplicated as in minimizing puzzles. I've always felt that if a level requires a lot of backtracking in order to unlock doors and paths, it becomes cerebral rather than emotional. That can be a good thing, but you have to understand they're very different kinds of joys, and I wanted this to be a more moving, immersive experience which I think is why I always loved the early DKC games, as well as Sonic.
Like when youre really feeling a song while driving, and it makes hitting those red lights so irritating because you just wanna stay in your groove lol.
There will be a lot of bouncing, flying around and running, and maybe a few puzzles here and there. And there will be so much reason to wanna explore. The joy has to be in the journey.
I just put the pieces together for a new level last night and it's going to be unlike anything I can recall seeing in a Mario game. I can't wait to share it & after that, will be working to ready a playable demo of my current progress.
Omg, I really like this! And wow, I didn't know that SMBX2 got so many updates. It's like a completely different game. Good job!
Thanks! Yeah I dabbled with it a couple of years back and I'm very impressed with the improvements. I see people coming up with some wildly experimental stuff now, and that inspired me to finally come back and make the game I had wanted to. Most of these levels are simply the result of my experiments with bending the rules or perpetuating illusions, but trust me, it's still the core SMBX mechanics with very little code being used. 90% of what I'm doing is exploiting transparency, parallax & bg layering techniques, complex layer & event combinations, and a lot of custom GFX, and it all comes from seeing and learning from what other people are doing.
And voila..."the thing you must realize is, you see...there is no ground at all."
This is awesome. Hope to see this finished in the future. If I get a better computer to run beta 4 before it's finished I think I may help you a bit. Good luck!
This is awesome. Hope to see this finished in the future. If I get a better computer to run beta 4 before it's finished I think I may help you a bit. Good luck!
Oh... I'll be at this a good long while. Probably 2026. Joking not joking.
Any way that you'd like to contribute, be it coding, throwing out ideas for level themes, or just the occasional custom gfx. Its all welcome.
Yoshi with propeller backpacks don't just draw themselves.
Last edited by BroccoliRampage on Fri Jul 02, 2021 8:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
