New traditional videogames
October 14, 2014 2:30 PM   Subscribe

Locomalito describes himself as "a free developer of NEW TRADITIONAL VIDEO GAMES", and his games- all freely downloadable- bear that out. "I grew up with arcade gaming values", he says, and he wears his influences on his sleeve while creating his own style. From the horror platforming of Maldita Castilla to the autoscrolling shmup Hydorah, Locomalito's games have that old school feel- beautiful pixel art, music by frequent collaborators Gryzor87 or RushJet1, and a difficulty which is challenging, yet fair. Each game also has downloadable posters, trading cards, box art, and more to complete that old-school feel.

Locomalito's games:

8-Bit Killer (2008) (gameplay) is a Wolfenstein-era FPS with graphics styled after the NES and a story themed after 80's post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies. (Windows only) (previously)

L'Abbaye des Morts (2010) (gameplay) (gameplay trailer) is an exploration game styled after ZX Spectrum exploration games and stars a Cathar fleeing persecution into the wrong abandoned abbey. (Windows and OUYA, unofficial ZX Spectrum, HTML 5, Linux, OpenPandora, GCW Zero, and Wii ports available)

Hydorah (2010) (gameplay) (trailer) resembles R-Type or Gradius, and features several short, intense levels. (Windows only) (previously)

Viriax (2011) (trailer) is a procedurally-generated game about a virus racing through the body, to spread its infection as far as possible, while dodging the immune system and nanotech implants. (Windows only)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2012) (trailer) is a PC remake of a puzzle platformer made for the ZX Spectrum, also in 2012. (Windows, Ubuntu, OUYA)

They Came From Verminest (2012) (trailer) plays like a cross between 1942 and Galaga and can be played in either regular or 3D anaglyph. Another version is available which restricts the color pallette to one that is more authentic to the early 80's arcade experience. (Windows only)

Maldita Castilla (2012) (trailer) plays like an alternate-universe Ghosts'n'Goblins and has a remarkably authentic arcade sound that reminds me oddly of Splatterhouse's audio. (Windows, Ubuntu, OUYA) (previously)

Verminian Trap (2013) (gameplay) is an old-school fixed-screen arcade run and gunner that pits up to four on-foot soldiers against the alien bugs from Verminest. (Windows, Ubuntu, OUYA)

Gaurodan (2013) (trailer) (gameplay) feels like Rampage with Rodan as a playable character. (Windows, Ubuntu, OUYA)
posted by Pope Guilty (12 comments total) 70 users marked this as a favorite
 
L'Abbaye des Morts

I have this on my GCW Zero, it's a cool game. Definitely makes me want to check out his others, thanks.
posted by Huck500 at 2:38 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


Hydora is fun and super polished but TOUGH, with a punishing save system. I didn't finish it, and I'm normally the type to finish games.
posted by ropeladder at 2:43 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


Hydora is fun and super polished but TOUGH, with a punishing save system.

Perhaps a guiding principle with Locamalito? I found that if you were not terribly good at the original Ghosts'n'Goblins, Maldita Castilla will not go out of its way to buoy your self esteem.
posted by Iridic at 3:06 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


L'Abbaye des Morts is a really, really cool game. "Challenging" is right, though.
posted by en forme de poire at 3:21 PM on October 14, 2014


You can give him money. Given his freeware nature of his games, I'm going to drop him some coin the moment I've put an hour of gameplay into one of these fun-looking things.
posted by el io at 3:42 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


L'Abbaye des Mortes is exactly what I should like, except the jumping physics are terrible. Why must it seem so cool and yet hit exactly the note that annoys me the most?
posted by sonic meat machine at 4:04 PM on October 14, 2014


I found the jumping physics was less annoying in the desktop version than in the HTML5 version; YMMV though.
posted by en forme de poire at 4:13 PM on October 14, 2014


Is there a keyboard overlay? You really can't be a classic game if you don't have a keyboard overlay.

I'm a big fan of the verisimilitude here though.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:07 PM on October 14, 2014


this guy is a genius
posted by ejoey at 8:47 PM on October 14, 2014


I found that if you werenot terribly good at the original Ghosts'n'Goblins, Maldita Castilla will not go out of its way to buoy your self esteem.

Like the original, huh? I liked it enough to post it, but my skill in both games is lacking. I found Ghosts & Goblins easier to swallow though - maybe compared with the other games of its era.
posted by ersatz at 11:35 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


It's been a while since I've played it, but Viriax, if I recall, is the masterpiece here, yielding more and more nuance the more you put into it. (I think I played it in short bursts over the course of a month or two.) All of his games are great, but I wouldn't want to see this one lost in the shuffle.
posted by nobody at 4:06 AM on October 15, 2014


Is there a keyboard overlay? You really can't be a classic game if you don't have a keyboard overlay.

Yeah. I used to play this super-tough game called WordStar back in the 80s and I was totally lost without the overlay.
posted by aught at 5:39 AM on October 15, 2014 [5 favorites]


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