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(WIP) Pierce The Sky --- a VERY hard and ambitious hack.

Super Mario WorldKaizo/PitWork in ProgressScreenshotsVideosArt

Hello, all!

I wasn't able to get this hack out on C3 like I had hoped due to being deeply busy IRL but i can at the very least showcase the hack a bit.

So as a preface I'll say, "Pierce The Sky" is a VERY hard and frustratingly brutal hack with the main gimmick revolving around extremely tall vertical levels with plenty of places to fall.

Sound familiar? Its basically an entire hack that uses the same core gameplay element as games like "Getting over it with Bennet Foddy" or "Jump King". It's designed in a way that you shouldn't be able to die (unless you clip into something) and the only way you can lose progress is by plummeting down through the stage during a long accidental fall.

Each and Every level is designed to be very hard and precise despite having no death blocks or enemies which makes it very easy to fall and lose a significant amount of progress, but don't worry! I added a couple of areas throughout the levels that are there to catch you when you fall. Buuuuuuut, I also added quite a few devious trolls that are sure to anger many players.

The hack utilizes MSU-1 capabilities and will have many atmospheric songs that are picked specifically for each level.
Most songs coming from the "Rain World" soundtrack (a fantastic game btw, I recommend it) along with a couple other tracks from the "Danganronpa" series and "The Binding of Isaac".
All of these games have very good and atmospheric soundtracks and they
work well with conveying a certain feeling in each level.
For people who can't or don't want to use MSU-1 I will also be adding in standard ports from this site as a backup so you can still hear banger tunes while playing my very mean and brutal levels.
If you can, I still recommend using the MSU-1 for the absolute best atmosphere because i put a ton of time just into picking out the music lol

Another note, I do plan on adding some lore bits for this game and Remi, the game's player character in the form of secret or optional areas. The story will be mostly inferred from vague dialogue and small details in each level so it feels like you are figuring out all the world's lore for yourself.

Credits to  Deeke for making the VERY adorable player sprite Remi, he did an absolutely fantastic job and I couldn't ask for more.
Credits to MokaCraft for drawing the adorable concept art for Remi.

Anyways here are some clips and screenshots of some levels to give you an idea of what the hack is like. Keep in mind a couple of these level I plan on completely redoing from a level design standpoint, so nothing in these screenshots or videos is final.

-Pic of the title screen.


-Pic of Remi on the overworld (adorable)


-Pics of a few late game levels (these haven't really been worked on or built outside of the aesthetics which are also still WIP)







-Clips of a few levels
-Sub-Urban (will most likely be completely reworked)


-Pipe Arrays (one of my personal favorites visually)


-Solar Yard (probably the easiest level which says a lot since it uses diagonal green beans)


-Waterlogged (probably the current hardest. also I made this level like 5 months ago before the gimmick was overused, don't even mention how much you hate pressure water, because im keeping this level)


-Waterlogged Troll


-The Transceiver (only the aesthetics so far)



So there you have it, that is all I have to show off at the moment, hopefully some of it interests you. This project has probably been the most fun thing I have ever worked on, so I'm excited to show it off for C3.

Thanks guys!
Looks really cool, keep it up! #smrpg{y}
NewPointless
I've always been a big fan of hacks featuring different characters than just Mario or Luigi as the playable character, and this one's no exception. The few polished examples of levels display a genuinely cool looking aesthetic so far, though I would have loved to see more content from this project during C3. MSU-1 is also an interesting choice!

Hopefully we see more of Pierce The Sky in the future, I think you did a good job of laying out its concept.

Here it is!!!! It's glorious!!
Every dream is but another reality, never forget…

My In-Progress Hack

I love the concept of this hack; it's a really interesting take on Kaizo that I've never seen. The aesthetics here are really cool, too. I'm interested to see what becomes of this hack.
Check out my WIP romhack!
I really like the discrepancy between how brutal the hack is versus how cute Remi is... almost like you went well out of your way to not tell me anything for maximum contrast.

It's a very unique looking hack all around, though. I'm definitely not a person who wants the kind of how-do-you-do from Jump King in a hack, but it does have its audience and I hope that they can experience something really cool!


Other Submissions of mine!
Originally posted by Deeke
I really like the discrepancy between how brutal the hack is versus how cute Remi is... almost like you went well out of your way to not tell me anything for maximum contrast.


I most certainly did that on purpose #w{xD}

The game is heavily inspired by rain world which does the same thing.
The player character for that game is Slugcat which looks like this

That's a really unique take on Kaizo, I'm looking forward to play it in the future!
So far this is look really lovely


You are challenged by Champion Daisy!

LAYOUT FOOTER:
Really clever concept. Kaizo is a bit out of reach for me, but I'll be sure to watch this hack closely. Also, I love Remi sprite. Deeke is an amazing artist, indeed. This player is very expressive.

Also, thanks Moka for making a fun concept for Remi.


Very original stuff here — looks great, and really looking forward to seeing the full project.
Nice work Magmatic. Looks really colorful! I like it. Looking forward to play it when its done.
As I've said on the Discord a few times I love your aesthetics.
You can see clearly the Rain World inspired parts which is quite awesome how you've interpreted it into the SMW format dealing with what restrictions the engine has.

These are some really stunning looking locations.
Solar Yard and Pipe Arrays are definitely my favourite in terms of presentation.

Great Stuff Magmatic. I'll be happy to see more of this as it progresses closer to been fully finished. #smrpg{cool}
Originally posted by 1UPdudes
As I've said on the Discord a few times I love your aesthetics.
You can see clearly the Rain World inspired parts which is quite awesome how you've interpreted it into the SMW format dealing with what restrictions the engine has.


Yeah it's been pretty fun trying to create industrial alien areas like in Rain World, but it's quite tough, I had to teach myself basic pixelart skills so I could do a lot of the tiles. Almost all of the custom FG tiles were made by me with only a few exceptions. the BGs however weren't made by me, I just edited a bunch of them to make them fit SMW's visual style a bit better.

Its honestly pretty nice though, now I'm a tad bit more confident in my ability to draw tiles and edit existing tiles. I think I can easily make more pretty scenery in my future stuff. Hell, to be straight with you, I'm already excited to plan a sequel to this game even though it's only like halfway done. It's just been so much fun working on it and planning all of the little details out for the visuals and lore.

Anyways, I'm very glad everyone is as excited about this game as I am, its great to hear. #w{=)}
Yes, because we totally need another getting over it hack Ok this actually looks great can't wait to play it
This looks pretty cool! I like that you're committing to a level design style that can create a really "tense" feeling, for the lack of a better word. It seems like there's the risk that you can lose a lot of progress in your levels, which isn't a common situation in SMW hacks. It might just end up frustrating, but I'll be curious to see the end result. Also, no enemies? Even more curious about the end result.

I also really like the playable little guy Remi #tb{:DD}
Originally posted by UTF
This looks pretty cool! I like that you're committing to a level design style that can create a really "tense" feeling, for the lack of a better word. It seems like there's the risk that you can lose a lot of progress in your levels, which isn't a common situation in SMW hacks. It might just end up frustrating, but I'll be curious to see the end result. Also, no enemies? Even more curious about the end result.

I also really like the playable little guy Remi #tb{:DD}


Thanks!

Yeah im fairly certain it will be at least somewhat frustrating but that's partially the gimmick for the hack, all of the games that this hack is inspired by thrive off of making the player frustrated.

You can think of this hack like a (hopefully) polished rage game of sorts.

I think kaizo players would enjoy it, they have gotten a small taste of this style of level in a few hacks as of recent.
Things.smc had a level in it with the same gimmick although it was significantly less brutal in design.

Now, i know calling it a rage game may sound bad, but i promise i am putting actual effort into the level design lol
It won't be all unfair trolls and absolutely atrocious gameplay (there admittedly will be a couple of trolls though, but thats just part of the experience #w{xD})

Super Mario WorldKaizo/PitWork in ProgressScreenshotsVideosArt