ChronoVenture

ChronoVenture is a momentum-based Gameboy-style platformer shooter where the player controls a cat named Lizzy as she runs, jumps, claws and shoots her way to the end of the level where she'll encounter against a boss to unlock a new weapon or ability before she finds herself warping into the future.

Taking inspiration from Sonic CD, you start off in Act 1 during the present or past of a stage where you can either focus on completing an objective that changes the future in Act 2 for the better or reach to the end as fast as you can for a tougher challenge.

This demo features:
- The first playable stage, Dryforest Drought
- 4 Usable Weapons
- 5 Unique Enemies
- 2 Bosses
- 4 Green Colours
- Roughly 5 Minutes of Gameplay
- Modern (4-Button) and Classic (2-Button) Control Options, with XInput Support
- Authentic Soundtrack and Sound Effects
- And not much else, it's a really short demo
Make sure to download "ChronoVenture 0.1.3 [SAGE20th].zip" for the latest version.

I should clarify that this is not a real Game Boy game. This is a Windows-only game made with GameMaker: Studio that imitates to be a Game Boy game because I enjoyed playing some of those games. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm aiming to be hardware accurate as some modern features like widescreen support would be implemented in the future.

As this game is currently under development, your feedback and constructive criticism will be invaluable on making the game better so please contact me via email ([email protected]) and/or follow me on Twitter (@Duckilous). Thank you!

0.1.3 Update Notes
It’s been one year since I released my demo of my first major game to the world. While I am focusing on the next major build, I decided to update the 0.1 build of the game for the very last time so it can have better framerate along with some other things. So here are the update notes:

Better Speed Performance
The main reason why I even did this patch.
The game should now run at full speed with consistent 60 FPS.

Camera Panning+
Camera Panning now has two settings: "Instant" and "Dynamic."
If camera Panning is set to "Inst" (Instant), the camera will always pan ahead of the player even when they're standing.
"Dymn" (Dynamic) will pan ahead of the player whenever they're fast enough; same behaviour from last patch.

Landing Normally On One-Way Platforms
If you notice how Lizzy lands in the air before actually landing on the one-way platforms in previous versions, this issue should be fixed now.

That's about it aside from some updated sprites and bugfixes probably. This patch is based on a build from early October 2020, a month later from 0.1.2 build, so it's much earlier than the latest 0.2 build I'm working on. Until then, I'll see you next time.

0.1.2 Update Notes
The camera can now pan ahead of the player along with some adjustments to make the game less difficult. This might be the last update for the demo as I'll be working on the next major build.

Camera Panning
Screen crunch is a common criticism that this game received so camera panning has been implemented as a (default) option whenever the player moves.

Slowed Down Acceleration
The player's acceleration has been halved so they won't run too fast so quickly.

Reduced Knockback
The player's knockback has been decreased to be less harsh whenever they take damage.

Revised Enemy Placement
Some enemy placements have been changed or removed to make the game less difficult.

Doubled Yarnbomb Capacity
The player can now carry and start off with 20 Yarnbombs instead of 10.

Switch Weapon Notification
If the player hasn't switched weapons and they ran out of Yarnbombs, a text will appear above the ammo count to tell the player to switch weapons. The text will disappear once the player presses the "weapon switch" button.
Please read the "README.txt" or check the keybindings on the Controls Menu if you don't know which key/button opens up the weapon select menu.

0.1.1 Update Notes
Comes with savable settings, rebindable keys and some other improvements.

Saving Settings
The game now saves your settings so you don't have to return to the Settings Menu every time you boot up the game. (Except for fullscreen currently.)

Saving Scorings
The game now saves your score if it's higher than the previous high score which is now displayed on the Title Screen.

Rebindable Keys
Selecting the Controls in the Settings Menu now takes you to the Controls menu where you can rebind keyboard keys and toggle extra keys for melee and weapon select menu.

Raining Particles
Instances of block particles and insectoid giblets will no longer be removed when out of the player's view. This change is noticeable if you destroy insectoids or blocks close to the top side of the screen.

Turn Down The Music
The Music setting in the Settings Menu is no longer binary. You can now change the volume by pressing left or right when it's highlighted.

Claws Are Not Swords
Some sprites have been updated including the slash effect of Lizzy's melee attack which should look more like a claw swipe than a sword swipe now.

Insecticider Reignited
The issue where the Insecticider stops squirting flames when holding down in the air or having boosted speed has now been fixed.