Game Entries
Each of the 20 games submitted to Dream Disc '24 is unique, with an eclectic mixture of gameplay, graphical styles, and game engines on offer — there's something here for everyone to enjoy.
While compatibility can vary, you should be able to burn all of these games onto a CD-R, stick them on an ODE (i.e. GDEMU, MODE), or play them on an emulator like Flycast.
A-Blaster by PrOfUnD Darkness
Mashing up ideas from classic space shooters Astro Blaster (Gremlin/Sega) and Megamania (Activision), A-Blaster is the first of many entries that will be challenging your dexterity. You get a single life to shoot down nine single-screen levels’ worth of alien invaders, as they move quickly across the top of the screen. To help overcome their barrage and be within a chance of staying in the game, you have a “warp” ability at your disposal (a feature made famous by Astro Blaster), which slows down enemy movements and lasers for a few seconds.
Beach Box by PsyOp Studios
A complete remake of a Summer Jam 2024 entry, Beach Box is the first of two submissions to Dream Disc '24 by jam organiser Cypress, aka PsyOp Studios. This summery romp may be made up of simple shapes, but its gameplay is addictive. Taking control of a little square, the aim is to dodge larger rectangles by jumping or shifting dimensions, collecting coins as you go. It's sort of like Flappy Bird, except if Flappy Bird was actually fun. You also don’t have to give yourself carpal tunnel to play it.
It's a nice touch to see such a simple game have such a surprising range of unlockable power-ups and characters. I'm still trying to collect enough coins to get the little sock dude, Murph.
Big Drill is what trendy internet pundits would call an "idle" game (wait, does that make me one of them?), in which you are in charge of a... big drill. It does what it says on the tin, really.
Basically, the 3D blocks on screen are mined away automatically, with your resource numbers —which are listed on the right-side of the screen— increasing as you go. When your resources total specific amounts, it's time to take charge and buy upgrades for your drill. Upgrades include speeding up the drill, making it more durable, and increasing the amount of resources it collects. Pick the correct upgrades at the best time to see how deep you can drill.
For those looking to challenge themselves further, there is also a "prestige mode" to unlock, which resets any current progress and starts you again at a higher difficulty.
Keep your eye out for a video detailing Big Drill's development coming to captkuso's YouTube channel in the next couple of weeks.
Black Hole Descent by Frogbull
Frogbull has made a name for himself in not only the Dreamcast scene, but also the Saturn scene for proving that PlayStation-centric franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Crash Bandicoot could have actually run on Sega hardware.
Transferring his technical handiwork into an original title for Dream Disc '24, Black Hole Descent has you descending down a flashy path into the titular black hole, dodging stacks of blocks that get bigger and bigger as you go. Fortunately the game doesn't feature one-hit deaths, but it definitely gets more and more challenging as the pace at which the blocks hurtle towards you increases.
Black Hole Descent's psychedelic visuals feel reminiscent of something like Tempest 2000 (had to get an Atari Jaguar reference in here to keep Tom happy), although I can totally see the comparisons some have made to Audiosurf too. Multiple camera views can be switched between at any time for those wanting to fully take in Frogbull's latest graphical showcase.
Bounce Quest by NEXTGENius
Bounce Quest, or "Bounce Quest DC" as I've also seen it referred as, is a challenging physics-based platformer which has you (you guessed it!) bouncing around a colourful 2D environment, avoiding enemies and traps as you collect coins. Momentum is your biggest ally —or enemy— here, as it can be what gets you to the next platform, or sends you to your doom when you overshoot a jump. You have three lives, and you're going to need them in your gravity war against quadrilateral chickens.
Defuseball by FreakDave (David Reichelt)
Defuseball is described as a "cozy" puzzle game, and it is exactly that. It reminds me of one of the chill little puzzlers for PC my cousin might have burnt onto a CD-R for me back in the day... You can even burn it onto a CD-R for your Dreamcast! It's come full circle! I just played it on my GDEMU, though...
The puzzles get more complex as you progress, with new types of squares being added to mix things up. Ultimately, being able to make your way around each puzzle using the most squares is how you collect the most points, so there's plenty of reasons to keep playing. Not to mention it’s just so darn relaxing.
Dream Ride by gingerbeardman
dRxLaX by dRxL_dk
dRxLaX is a very colourful creation from dRxL_dk that comes in two flavours. One is a continuously rolling demo loop of what this game will eventually play like, with tiny spaceships weaving around the screen, shooting at each other, leaving vibrant, screen-filling explosions in their wake. It feels like if the game Geometry Wars was condensed down onto an old CRT screen, and in the case of my current set up, it was.
However, the more interesting of the two available demos is the one that actually does allow you to take control, and even supports local multiplayer for up to four players. Gameplay consists of zooming around the screen, firing lasers and laying mines to counter your opponents. There is also an interesting mechanic revolving around harvesting the offensive energy of other ships to power your shots and mines, but I don’t have anyone to test this out with. Oh, I have friends, but their tolerance for anything Dreamcast-related has been rock bottom since I subjected them to a 12-hour Power Stone 2 marathon back in 2012.
The Eternal Sleep by Locked Door Puzzle
Just like Fragmented Almanac, the game that birthed the ANTIRUINS engine that this game runs on, The Eternal Sleep by Locked Door Puzzle does not mess around when it comes to puzzles. Complete with pre-rendered 3D visuals that feel reminiscent of games like Sanitarium, The Eternal Sleep places players at the end of the world, with the task of entering a mysterious tower in search of hope. The game features world building told through dialogue with various NPCs, an eerie atmosphere, and a surprisingly unnerving soundtrack that almost felt like it was tip-toeing into Silent Hill territory at points.
The puzzle that makes up much of this demo's playtime is, well… a locked door puzzle. You need to open a vault door by figuring out a sequence of strange symbols. The game's itch.io page recommends that you grab a pen and paper, and you're probably going to need it — although there is an in-built hint system that can be found on the pause screen if you need a nudge in the right direction. I actually didn't realise there was such an option available until after I'd solved the puzzle and completed the demo, so guess I'm just a natural, mate. Jokes aside, the puzzle in question may seem somewhat daunting initially to those who don't play puzzle-heavy games often, but once you have discovered all the clues needed to solve it, things really start to add up quickly.
The Last Escape by Renji-kun
A first-person escape from the 3D corridors of a research space station. As the last person left to escape, you will need to explore the space station's maze of corridors in search of card keys to unlock the next area.
The environments of The Last Escape are foggy and desolate, with a strong emphasis on specific colours in each level to give off a very otherworldly feeling. It really does feel that you are indeed the only person left to leave.
Your desire to escape is at odds with the game's timer, however, as the time given until a game over is extremely tight. Luckily, the timer resets at the start of each area, and there are opportunities to save and reload if necessary, so the most time-efficient path to the exit is really a case of trial and error.
MeteoRain by Dr. Ludos
Sometimes simplicity is king, and MeteoRain's concept is exactly that: just move your little spaceman dude from left to right and avoid falling meteors to see how many points you can rack up. The amount of meteors increases quickly, and those chasing high scores will be kept on the edge of their seats as they dodge what soon becomes the falling hazard equivalent of a bullet hell. Think Kaboom! on Atari, except attempting to collide with the stuff dropping from above is actually what ends you.
A recreation of a previous Mega Drive/Genesis entry for GameShell Jam (that subsequently also ended up getting a port for the Game Boy Advance), this new Dreamcast version ups the ante by introducing four-person local multiplayer. While I am yet to play MeteoRain with friends, the idea of sticking it on at a get-together takes me back to my days of yore, playing that one mini-game from WarioWare, Inc. on GameCube where you all have to dodge a giant lady's falling snot. No, don't look that up. Go see if you can beat Junkyarder Mike Rogers' high score of 916 instead.
Murph's Big Puddle Fishin' by PsyOp Studios
Turns out I didn't even have to get 150 coins in Beach Box to get a chance to play as Murph. After submitting Beach Box as his original entry to the jam, Cypress then snuck this one in 13 hours before the deadline.
As I'm sure you have guessed from the name, this little title has you hooking a variety of fish, with each group of fish caught descending you deeper into the puddle. After targeting a fish with the reticle, you press the A button to cast your line, then hammer either of the trigger buttons to pull them up, shaking them left and right to reduce their stamina so they don't escape.
Murph's Big Puddle Fishin' follows a similar gameplay loop to Beach Box in the sense that you play to earn money for better upgrades. The deeper into the puddle you go, the more stamina the fish have, and if you get deep enough, some really nice gradients will start to appear.
This game also features some cool VMU animations of Murph, which change depending on what you're doing in the game (e.g. pulling a fish in). There is also a fully functioning save system, meaning that no matter what real life interruption befalls you, you can keep fishin'.
Order of Titan by bertholet and Ajaxpigeon
bertholet and Ajaxpigeon are probably best known to us here at the Junkyard as the team behind the unique indie puzzle title Fragmented Almanac, which released earlier last year. Still utilising their ANTIRUINS engine that powered that game, Order of Titan opts for an all-new 2D graphical style with spritework that almost looks like a modern take on the classic Jet Set Willy, although something much more ominous is afoot in Order of Titan's premise...
Dropped into some mysterious caverns, the mission assigned to you by some formless entity is to collect stars. Why do you need to do that? Not sure, but there's definitely a great atmosphere as you begin to explore the caves, solving the odd puzzle and dodging the occasional enemy threat. Nothing too taxing, really.
But these threats start to come in abundance as you start your search for the second star. Entering a large, dimly lit area, your field of view is limited. You suddenly realise that you are surrounded by danger. You will be carefully timing your steps past harmful obstacles and weaving around angry enemies at every turn. Moving through this area with enemies jumping out at you from the dark is genuinely quite tense.
Random Rally - Suburban Trial by Reality Jump (Luke Benstead)
Have you ever played the 1996 PC racing game Ignition? I haven't, but it must have been pretty decent, because Luke Benstead (co-developer of Driving Strikers and developer of DreamPi) is currently developing a spiritual successor to it —Random Rally— in his Simulant engine, which will eventually release for Dreamcast and PSP.
This submission, "Suburban Trial", is a little prototype that was developed in five days and serves as a very early taster of what players can expect from Random Rally. Driving on a circular track through the London suburbs and nearby countryside, the demo showcases a variety of terrains and landmarks. Weather effects are also shown off when the rain starts to fall partway along the track.
You are timed as you drive the circuit, and once you make it all the way around, a ghost car will replicate your previous lap for you to beat.
Download Random Rally - Suburban Trial
Rizzo Island Remix by Dreameater Games
The first submission to come in, this shoot 'em up from shametblame was actually developed way before Dream Disc '24 — ten years ago, in fact. With multiple types of directional shots in your ship's arsenal, Skies High sees you gunning down hordes of enemies of varying sizes, some of which even fill the screen. Despite the screenshot you see above, this game does actually start in the sky!
This entry also carries the unique distinction of featuring a photograph of ex-ruler of Libya, Colonel Gaddafi in its intro sequence. I'm not kidding.
Sky Pirates of Etalmar by WufSoft
We're taking to the skies once again with this next one. The first of two submissions from WufSoft, this aerial combat game places you in the cockpit of a biplane to dogfight with sky pirates who are looking to plunder the floating Wren Island (which reminds me of Pirate's Isle from Skies of Arcadia).
The game takes place in a large cloud-filled arena, with two levels which each pit you against different types of aircraft. As you dart around, shooting away at enemies, your radio is constantly abuzz with advice from your allies and even taunts from your enemies, which really adds to the sense of action.
For those who have friends, a split-screen multiplayer versus mode is on offer, for up to four players. The final screen in the game even mentions that the developer has hopes to introduce online multiplayer in the future. Neat!
Download Sky Pirates of Etalmar
Starship Madness by yomboprime
Zoom around a space arena filled with 3D objects to defend your cyberplanet from invaders. If you're not well versed in these kind of games, you will probably need a bit of practice to get through its four levels and various waves of enemies. “Don’t accelerate all the time and use the back thruster” recommends the dev. Also keep your distance from enemies and grab as many power-ups as you can. Good luck!
Trick Truck by WufSoft
The second Dream Disc '24 entry from WufSoft, Trick Truck finally provides an answer to the question we've all been asking: "what would Tony Hawk's Pro Skater be like if instead of a skater you were a big ass truck?"
With a fittingly radical rock tune blasting in the background, players zoom around a small 3D industrial estate in the titular trick truck, performing grinds, spins and manuals to score points. Pausing the game reveals a list of objectives, most of which involve racking up scores and performing a certain amount of specific tricks. If all the objectives are completed within the two minute time limit, you get... I'm not sure, I couldn't do it! Maybe you win your very own trick truck that you can bring chaos to your local Tesco car park with. Even the game's itch.io page admits that completing all the objectives within the time limit is "extremely difficult", with a mastery of the controls being the key to success.
Worship Vector by pcercuei
This stylish vector-based tower defence game may have the colour palette of a teletext screen, but there ain't no holidays being booked here — instead you are purchasing firepower to defend your base from oncoming waves of deadly shapes.
As a seasoned connoisseur of the tower defence genre (and by connoisseur, I actually mean I played the odd one in high school IT classes instead of working), an interesting twist I noticed with Worship Vector is the ability to sell weapons you have already placed. This is definitely a welcomed feature, as it means you aren't just limited to what you have put down, and can instead re-place weapons elsewhere as the map opens up more with each wave. You might even want to sell some of your weaker units to go all in on some of the more expensive ones.
With a total of 100 waves to conquer, this one will keep you occupied for a while!
Miscellaneous Entries
These two software entries aren't games, but are nevertheless very cool showcases of what the Dreamcast hardware is capable of when great minds develop for it. Check them out!
AJ-02 by Aionmagan
Featured previously on the blog for his other Dreamcast homebrew projects, Aionmagan returns, and this time he's tapping into the "demoscene".
In case you're unaware, the demoscene is something that has existed since the '80s, and revolves around the development of audiovisual presentations that showcase everything from programming to visual art to musical skills. Demoscenes have a penchant for the abstract, and Aionmagan's one for our beloved Dreamcast is no exception. Synced up to a banging drum and bass tune, the impressive 3D-rendered visual effects are nicely varied and pop excellently on screen.
Dreamcast JVM by purist
My lack of understanding about this project is why I’m here writing this and not out there writing code, but this one was causing a buzz amongst the various developers inhabiting the Dream Disc '24 Discord channels. Luckily, I was able to turn to Derek Pascarella for a good technical explanation. Thanks, Derek!
So this here is a from-scratch Java Virtual Machine implementation for the Dreamcast that was developed in 14 days. Cramming JVM onto a Dreamcast is a big deal because it means that, in theory, it will enable people to write apps in the higher-level Java language (as opposed to lower-level C/C++) and run them on the Dreamcast. Developer purist chose to showcase their efforts in the form of a spinning cube — that Java logo really is timeless, huh? Purist goes into the development process for this project in much deeper detail on its itch.io page, so check that out.
Finally, did you know that at least one piece of retail Dreamcast software actually used Java? The DreamEye companion disc, Visual Park. The more you know!
Download Dreamcast JVMVMU Entries
Dig those dead CR2032 cell batteries out the back of your old yellowed VMU, put in a pair of fresh ones (that will last half a day) and give these brand new VMU applications a try! If you are still rocking original VMU units (as opposed to a VM2), I highly recommend Derek Pascarella's super simple VMU Disc Builder software, which prepares a CDI file (for your ODE or for burning onto a CD-R) that when booted on a Dreamcast will allow you to easily download the VMU apps to your VMUs.
Girls Holding Hands by Chao-Etta
Coincidently, both of the VMU submissions for Dream Disc '24 share a common theme of companionship, and what with everything going on in the world, that sure ain't a bad thing. I actually saw a bit of buzz surrounding this particular entry among the various Dream Disc developers upon its submission. You see, this particular VMU app actually makes use of the port on the top of the VMU (it isn't only used for slamming the poor thing into your controller, you know!)
Do you remember that one toy Cube World from the 2000s? There was also an equivalent marketed at girls called Pixel Chix. Well, this app reminded me of those in the way it works in tandem with other VMUs to have the characters on screen connect. Just boot the app on two different VMUs, build two little characters on each by selecting your desired head and body designs, then once done, stick your VMUs together to make the two characters hold hands. A big heart even appears for maximum effect. How lovely.
Turtle Dove by Marble_Granite
It took me a disturbingly long time to realise why this VMU mini-game is called "Turtle Dove", despite already knowing its premise before I booted it up. "It's the time of year for your big musical number, but you've procrastinated it horribly and now you're running late! Fly upwards to find the other Turtle Dove as fast as you can!" Two turtle doves. Like in the "12 Days of Christmas"... It's not your fault, Marble_Granite. Just me being dense.
Turtle Dove is graphically impressive for a VMU game, and really simple to play. Just press the A button on the VMU in rhythm to have the bird flap its wings. Use the d-pad to help your bird move upwards, avoiding the obstacles as you go. I was initially worried that Turtle Dove required a real intense grasp of rhythm to play (basically, I have no rhythm), but it just turns out that trying to flap the bird's wings in time to Jawbreaker wasn't the right strategy. Once I relegated myself to silence I soon saw victory.
In Conclusion...
A lot of really cool stuff there, huh? Myself and the rest of the Junkyard team have had a really great time testing out all these different games, and all I can say is that I sincerely hope there will be a Dream Disc '25! Let us know in the comments below or on social media which entries stood out to you or surprised you the most.
Oustanding round-up of the entries, Lewis. There are some really awesome games here, I hope some of them go on to be developed further. I for one would pay good money for Trick Truck, among others. Also, more Jaguar references required XD
ReplyDeleteLove seeing the new stuff from talented creators. May the Dreamcast live forever on!
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
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