2021: Moon Escape
2021: Moon Escape will be soon available on physical cartridge!
Controls:
| GAMEBOY | KEYBOARD |
|---|---|
| A | Z |
| B | X |
| START | ENTER |
| SELECT | SHIFT |
2021: Moon Escape is an experience based on exploration, combat and character progression where the game world is a constant threat to your survival and the success of your desperate but noble mission.
A classic adverture that will keep you in suspense, will make you smile at times and will thrill you in every moment.
Set in a galaxy devastated by an unprecedented war, you will play the role of Tars Nunien, a paladin of the Marked Brotherhood, whose only mission is to return the enemy war plans to the capital planet Astra Nova in the hope of organizing the last desperate defense against the terrible Kisur Barbarians.
Follow Tars and his trusted AI Thuvia in their journey across the mystic and treacherous moon, while discovering his deep mysteries and looking for a way to escape!
Have fun with this DEMO version!
Explore freeky the mysterious moon surface freely for ~20 minutes of main experience and up to ~1h of content, at the end of the DEMO it will be up to you to stay or continue exploring.
Download
Install instructions
You can alternatively download the rom file and play it on original hardware or in a Game Boy emulator.
Since standard GB palette is B/W I suggest to go crazy and try A+DOWN palette combination when the console logo appears.
If you play on an emulator I suggest to use fancy palettes as:
| Green | #e0f8cf | #86c06c | #306850 | #071821 |
| Red | #f8e8c8 | #d89048 | #a82820 | #301850 |
| Blue | #dcedeb | #90adbb | #56689d | #262338 |
| Purple | #f3e0d5 | #8b92c2 | #64489b | #201e2a |
| Sand | #c5fbe1 | #c6aa35 | #af5314 | #3c1e15 |
Development log
- Physical cartridge released!Apr 01, 2023
Comments
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I just finished playing this game, and I have to say that I throughly enjoyed this game. I played this on my Anbernic RG Nano and it played flawlessly. Would love to see a sequel in the future. Thanks for making such a great game!
amazing game thus far, i was shocked to learn it was made in gb studio. really shows that a talented dev can do a lot with a modest toolset
Thanks, too kind!
Hi Mike, my name is Ricardo and last year I dedicated an analysis to your game, I don't know if my editor-in-chief sent it to you.
https://errekgamer.com/2023/04/24/analisis-2021-moon-escape/
By the way, in which emulator can I make that variety of colors that you recommend?
WOW! Thank you for spending all that time on my game! I love how you mentioned Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, one of my favorite tiles of all time!
About the Colors: every emulator should allow to create personalyzed palette, I use mGBA.
I've just finished your game in digital format and I must say that I'm impressed! Decided to buy full version just after finishing demo and definitely was not disappointed!
Game world is perfectly executed - it is atmospheric and mysterious, yet hostile and dangerous. It really gives you the vibe of being on some unfamiliar celestial body with no friendly face in sight. Story is very well written and given in right amounts - not too much, not too little, just enough to motivate player to explore further. First game that you will compare 2021 Moon Escape to is obviously Link's Awakening, but it absolutely isn't a clone in any sense. It's the sense of mystery and fun of exploration that those two games share, but 2021 Moon Escape has its own Identity and brings a lot of fresh ideas - interesting puzzle sections and immersive menu screen among others.
One thing I didn't like is that if you open menu and close it, all enemies on given screen respawn. I understand that its like that by design, but I was irritated a few times when I defeated all enemies in the room and opened menu to check something quickly only to realize that I have to fight them again. But I would say it's tiny inconvenience.
To sum up, this is very solid experience that left me thirsty for more! I hope you plan to do some follow-up in closer or further future 😄.
P.S. I got 100% of items and was given a choice to fight final boss or back off. I checked both paths and it seems that it doesn't affect scene after credits. Is that supposed to be that way?
Hey MiyaTheReaper!
You are too kind and your words make me super proud of my work!
Thank you so much for stopping by and let me know about your experience with Moon Escape, this kind of interactions gives the full meaning to my work.
100% is very impressive, yes, it will give you extra dialogues with the final boss that explains more about the story and the final pieces of the puzzle... if you want to unlock the alternative ending you should do a 0% run! it's more difficult since you need to avoid all "shrines" and every extra collectable, also you should not power up anything... BUT you can take the shield (is not counted in the %, I believe also also powering it up is not counted but I will have to check), that unlocks a different ending (also the glory and my deep gratitude).
If you would like to know what I am working on right now check this out! (yes, another Zelda-like with some twists)... It's going to be out soon next year!
You should definitely be proud, as this project is extremely impressive!
Thanks for explaining this to me! I'm intrigued that there is alternative ending if you get 0%. Sound like fun challenge too, I will definitely be trying this!
Thanks for sharing next project that you are working on! It sound just right up my alley, I have wishlisted it on Steam and will be patiently waiting for updates 😁
Great game! I've only played the demo here and the digital version from incub8. Thanks for putting this all together. It feels like a big project. The game's atmosphere and storytelling are top notch. Artwork is unique and really helps set the scene. I especially love the ship design and love how the menu is made to look like part of his suit. Dialogue also really helps give it good depth and story. It all ties together to make the game it's own. It really protects it from feeling like a repainted clone of an older game while still existing in that retro-game-realm.
Hey, you are too kind! Lour last sentence give sense to the entire work, super appreciated!
Hey! Just a quick question, is the physical cartridge a demo as well? or is it the full game? Assuming its the full game, i can only see the demo on this page, is there no way to buy the full game digitally? I mean in gameboy format, i would love to buy it for my Miyoo Mini
Hey edbanshee, thanks for asking!
You can buy the complete version in digital format on the Incube 8 store or on the Eshop if you want to play it on Nintendo Switch!
Love the setting! Gives me some interstellar vibes.
Also great on the Switch
Hey, Brazilian and multilingual speaker here! Currently live in Argentina (been here 5 years) and would love to help you translate and regionalize the game to my fluent languages(other than english lol): Portuguese and Spanish(am studying german, on the way to fluency, hope I can help with that someday too hehe). Feel free to email me!
jpldaveiga@gmail.com
(I wouldn't mind doing it for free, I am not a professional translator but I really do love the atmosphere of the game, and love being accurate with languages ;) )
Hey scottwowlf, thank you so much for your interest, I'll contact you in private asap!
Seria show de mais poder jogar esse game em PT-BR. Torço pra essa parceria dar certo.
Olá scottwowlf, alguma novidade sobre a tradução para PT-BR e nesse caso vai ter patch de atualização para a versão do Switch?
Hey guys, your interest is super appreciated, this year I've been very very deep into the development of my company next game, so I it's going to be hard for me to work on this (main time-consuming problem is to extract all the dialogues from the game TT)
Hey finished playing the physical game on my DMG, just wanted to say excellent work very impressive. Inspired me to give GB Studio a shot 🫡
Thank you! Super happy to know that you enjoyed the game, in case you have some specific advice please feel free to add me on Discord!
Hey Mike! LOVE the game! Very space zelda and it's really fun and challenging at parts. I'm pretty much stumped at the last bit when you need to get to the space ship but there's a path you take to get to it. Im pretty stumped and wondered if there's a guide?
Hey Dustymeteor, follow the map quest indicator, or contact me in private on Discord!
How do i get virticle mode on the switch version and is this a official GB game ps i love the game
Hey pokachu, thanks for the appreciation :)
The game runs on GB but (like every GB game made in the last 20 years) it is not approved by Nintendo to run there, it is approved by them only on Nintendo Switch.
To run in vertical mode on Switch just flip the device ;)
Hi, Mike! The game is awesome! The story is very touching. I was especially impressed by the way you managed to convey the feeling of the hero to the player. It is as if we find ourselves in the skin of the main character and feel the same as he does. So... I don't want to accidentally spoil in any way, but I read in one source that the game has several possible endings. So I want to ask, is this really true?
(English is not my native language, sorry if anything)
Hey DelPonte, you have no idea how I feel happy about what you said about the story!
Did you played the game on physical cartridge?
Yes there are alternative endings... if you do 100% on collectibles you will got different choises to do and more explanations from the final boss, and if you do 0% on the collectibles AND you never upgrade your gun and armor you have another post credit sequence... (in that case you can still collect the shield and upgrade it to make everything more simple).
No, I played the digital version.
So happy to hear that! Because at least one of the endings might break players' hearts... Actually, I've beaten the game twice. The first time I didn't collect some items, so I didn't do 100%. Then I saw information about several endings and beat the game again, this time collecting all the items, I did 100%. But somehow the ending was the same... :( Although I really got more explanation from the final boss.
Yes, final reveal from the boss is unlocked if you do 100%, also he will give you an additional choice... can't say more!
purchased a copy from Incube8. Cannot wait to play and also to see what you have in store for the future
Thanks for the trust! I'm already working on something ;)
Ah man. My copy arrived and its fantastic quality. Good choice going with Incube8. as for the game. only been into the first ruin but I'm in love with it. Art direction is fantastic. Love the interactions between Tars and the A.I. Mike, you have me attention for what ever you are next working on.
¡Tu inglés es mejor que mi español!
Hola Patrick, ¡muchas gracias por tu interés en mi juego! Por el momento no tengo planes de traducirlo al español también, pero por si alguien quiere ayudarme con la adaptación en diferentes idiomas algún día lo podría hacer con mucho gusto
Hey, Brazilian and multilingual speaker here! Currently live in Argentina (been here 5 years) and would love to help you translate and regionalize the game to my fluent languages(other than english lol): Portuguese and Spanish(am studying german, on the way to fluency, hope I can help with that someday too hehe). Feel free to email me! jpldaveiga@gmail.com
(I wouldn't mind doing it for free, I am not a professional translator but I really do love the atmosphere of the game, and love being exact in the language ;) )
Tomorrow is the day! One copy coming right up to Brazil!
;)
WoW looks really cool! Do you have Twitter account to follow your work?
Hey Rubentetro, nope TT I have only itch but please add me on Discord if you like!
Also interested in buying the full game / ROM, but it’s not here :(
Hey NielsNL, there is some delay from the distribution part, I'll do a post here as soon as 2021:ME will be available, thanks for your patience! (99.9% Q1 of 2023)
Hellooooo, When the complete digital version will be avaible ?
Hopefully before 2023 (finger crossed) the game is done 99.9999% I'm waiting for confirmation of the physical release date from the publisher to sync both releases... Thanks you for your interest!
I really enjoyed this taster. I wish you all the best for your release!
Thank you for your feedback and for your time!
This looks amazing. I see the cart sold out. Will there be a ROM release?
Hi Eric, thanks for the interest! At the end of November we will go with the official release for both physical and digital version!
Beautiful pixel art.
Wow, this is some top notch stuff! Love it! Very well made.
Small thing I noticed. When I zap an enemy automaton, then press start to check my stats, then press start to return to the game, the zapped enemy is back there again. Is this as intended?
Hi Hohenstaufer, thank you so much for the appreciation it means a lot to me :)
Yes the respawn is totally intended, there are gameplay and narrative reasons for that! In 2021: Moon Escape I tried to create a gameplay that push the player to do ammo and life management as much as possible, sometimes kill an enemy could not be your best option... but they could spawn life recharge if they die! So you have endless life sources but limited bullet. Additionally in every moment you can teleport back to your ship from the map menu section and fully recharge ;)
This mechanic anyway could be used to your advantage sometimes... because you can have control on the position of the enemy - I will say no more ;)
Amazing work :D
Looks amazing! Do you have a link to buy the rom only version? Can't wait to play the full version on original hardware
Hi Ganonderp, thanks for your interest :)
The link to buy the rom version will be there in a couple of months, in the meantime you can reach me on Discord if you wish to test the full game! (its in final polishing state)
I loved this demo D1 for me
I love the art style and the 4 color thing!
Very nice work on this! Awesome!
Man this is HUUUUGE!! One of the biggest GB games released in the last decade, i cant wait to play it on cartridge.