‘THE SHAPESHIFTER 2’ – Game Boy cartridge game

Story

About

I’m Dana, a solo game dev born in Barcelona/ Spain. Since 2018, running Greenboy games has been my passion. For those who do not know me, we have been mentioned in more than 150 specialized sites like IGN, 3Djuegos, Retro Faith, Arata, Retroorama, Gamerant, Nerdovg, Geekbecois, Testbericht, ErreKGamer, Fictiontalk, RetroManiac… Articles in specialized books, as Enciclopedia Homebrew v3, Retro Gamer, Return Magazin, TimeOut, Edge, .. and Youtube: RetroBreak, Twitch: Grannen_hiro (Swedish), and RetroCabeza (Spanish).

After several cartridge games developed at Greenboy Games , I would love to continue the long-awaited saga: “The Shapeshifter 2 – Become the Animal You Touch” , an Old-School Adventure game, reminiscent of classics like ‘Monkey Island’, and the only game that requires 2 cartridges to play. All Greenboy Games are sold and distributed in physical cartridge since the main idea is to keep alive the spirit and gameplay of this legendary console.

Previous games – Greenboy Games

Stay updated on Twitter, Instagram. I have done two previous campaigns and I have fulfilled my commitment to the backers.

The Shapeshifter 2 – Become the Animal You Touch!

IMPORTANT: ‘THE SHAPESHIFTER 2’ WON’T BE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE (greenboygames.com) IN 2022!

‘The Shapeshifter 2’ is the 2nd part of the Trilogy ‘The Shapeshifter- Become the Animal You Touch’, an Old-School Adventure game, reminiscent of classics like ‘Monkey Island’, and is the first and only Game Boy game that requires 2 CARTRIDGES to play! …and I will try to dazzle you with the original game mechanics!

…. As you know, at Greenboy games, We really love to face new challenges, We love to be different, We love to be unconventional, We love to take risks ….. so let’s try again:

Do you remember the ‘Choose your own adventure‘® books? You can go to one point or another in the book according to your choice. Well, in this game it has something in common, although without books or pages. This game is made up of 2 CARTRIDGES! Yes, you heard well, 2 cartridges for one game. You will have to switch the cartridges during the game and insert ‘Adventure Codes’ in order to continue your adventure. Your own choices. Everything will unfold according to your personal choices. So you can experience different adventures in each game. Of course, there are no such Game Boy games with the uniqueness of Choosing your own adventure style.

Pretty interesting, isn’t it? Let’s dive deeper …

Map – 1st Chapter (Provisional)

During the game, you will find situations in which you must decide (ex. Jump down the zip line, use the sled, or become a bird to go down the slope …). Once you choose, You may be asked (or not) to switch the cartridges and enter an ‘Adventure Code’. Easy. They will be a very easy to remember codes full of humor, and you can continue your adventure (you don’t need pencil/paper).

Once you introduce the ‘Adventure code’ you can continue your adventure taking into account your choice. I don’t mean 5 or 10 different endings, but completely different adventures from the beginning to the end! Many of them! It depends on your decisions!

If ‘The Shapeshifter 1’ was the first and only Game Boy game to have a code wheel, for ‘The Shapeshifter 2′ will be the first and only Game Boy game to have 2 cartridges for playing your ‘Choose your own adventure’ style game.

It is a real challenge and a new experience for the Game Boy player, which I consider myself more than capable of developing, although I need more time than usual. I am convinced that it will be super original and with amazing playability: there are many ways to play the game, many ways to solve problems, many ways to continue the adventure, many possibilities to interact with the characters, and ONLY for Game Boy players. There is also a ‘ROM Only’ Tier, but please note that there will be 2 ROM files that you need to load when required.

You are Elliot, an ordinary person who is going to spend the weekend in the mountains with some friends.

Elliot (the main actor) meets a little elf who is asking for help: Save the Elven world from the wizard’s spell!! To do this, the elf gives you a great power: You will Become the Animal You Touch! But hurry up, because the powers run out at dawn.

In this 2nd part, Elliot enters the world of elves with his little friend the elf.

Turn into the animals you touch, discover new landscapes:

…But things that you thought were simpler get complicated with every step you take. Nothing is what it seems in this fantasy world, and you won’t think that the best of powers is sometimes hard to handle.

I can’t reveal much more for you to discover for yourself, but you will put yourself in the shoes of various animals. Land, sea and air. Choose the animal that best suits each of the environments.

PLEASE NOTE that the game is in the early stages of development (6%), and some aspects of the game presented above may change. The Kickstarter campaign is to finance development time, materials, music, packaging, and all the extras that its publishing entails. It’s a Real kickstarter!

DEMO TRAILER

https://youtu.be/7D8c7PZ3uhc

In this game, the chapters do not start and end at a specific point due to the uniqueness of the original mechanics and the ‘Adventure Code’ system. If you choose, you can go back to previous points in order to get items or information that allow you to advance, but in general terms, we could say that there are 4 different environments:

Chapter 1: The village of the elves
Chapter 2: The amusement pier + The circus
Chapter 3: The coast + Pirate ship
Chapter 4: The world of giants + Castle

If the stretch goals are reached, I’ll add the following environments:

Chapter 5: The bay + The monkey island
Chapter 6: The volcano + The fire travellers
Chapter 7: The forest of talking trees + The train
Special Chapter 8: The portals to ‘Shapeshifter 1′ –> Wait … What is this? Well, for those who have played The Shapeshifter 1’, there are some portals distributed in each of the chapters. In ‘The Shapeshifter 1’, those portals are unreachable, since the objective was to use them as a gateway in ‘The Shapeshifter 2’… so, in some moments of the game you will have to return to the chapters of ‘The Shapeshifter 1’ to continue the adventure. As the game is so ambitious at this point, I have left it pending activation in case there is sufficient support and interest: Portals to Ice World, Undersea World, River, Goldmine,

PLEASE NOTE that If the stretch goal are reached, the game will take a FEW MONTHS MORE than expected to be delivered

The Music

Cesc Mozota and Oscar Latorre are the composers of the music and sounds FX for all the Greenboy Games, and they will be helping me on this new title “The Shapeshifter 2”. They were classmates at ‘Music School of Girona’, where they started working together. Cesc Mozota, with a more orchestral background, face productions for film and video game, while his partner, Oscar Latorre comes from electronic roots, and dominates the technical part and the sound design.

In Cesc Mozota’s profile in Spotify you can listen the orchestral versions of Greenboy Games, and soon he is going to release the 8bit and orchestral versions of “The Shapeshifter 1” soundtrack. If you like their work, you can support them on Patreon here.

Cesc Mozota SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram, Twitter , Spotify, Youtube, Patreon

Oscar Latorre SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram, Twitter

Development Tool

As of this writing, I am still evaluating the most suitable development tool. It is not clear to me, since each of them has its pros and cons. One of the considerations that I must take into account is that I need to pre-configure some details in these cartridges of ‘The Shapeshifter 2’ that then we are going to use them (in some way) in ‘The Shapeshifter 3’. I can’t tell you more, so you must wait until the last part of the trilogy ‘The Shapeshifter 3’ is released.

ROM ONLY

At this Tier you access the 2 ROM files of the game.

To play this game you need a ‘code wheel’.

Note that the access to the ‘code wheel’ will be shared through a link to a web page (example here: https://greenboygames.com/games/index.html)

Note that the master files for the physical editions (boxes, labels, manuals, pocket guide, code wheel) will not be shared, since they have been financed with contributions from higher levels.

‘The Shapeshifter 2’ – STANDARD EDITION

All physical versions of the game ‘The Shapeshifter 2’ come with the following items:

2 Cartridge (Cartridge shells with ‘Greenboy’ brand)
2 Cartridge labels with the new ‘triple black stripe’ style
2 Cartridge protection box
1 double width Cardboard box with raised letters (New Greenboy game box design)
1 double width High-grade packaging protection case (double size)
2 Inlay
1 Instruction booklet
1 Code wheel
1 Pocket guide
2 Stickers
1 Collectible coin
Sealed Box
1 Warranty holographic Greenboy sticker
1 High protection shipping box + a lot of bubble wrap to protect the package

‘The Shapeshifter 2’ – LIMITED EDITION

+ Apart from including all the previous pack:

All the pack comes in an exclusive collector’s box with unique number.
Special Kickstarter Limited Edition Box instead of the standard box, with unique number, and original signature of the creator of the game.
Certificate of authenticity on high quality paper, and with original Greenboy badge, with the unique number, date, and original signature of the creator of the game.
Cartridge with special limited edition label, with the unique number (If you request it, I can include my original signature on the cartridge label).
An exclusive keychain.

PLEASE NOTE that I only offer ‘Special and Limited Editions’ on special and limited events like KICKSTARTER. You won’t find special editions in the store without a special event behind it.

GREENBOY PACK / 5 GAMES

4 previous GREENBOY games

You can get the 4 previous Greenboy games + ‘The Shapeshifter 2’. You will get the following games:

‘The Shapeshifter 2’ Standard Edition
‘The Shapeshifter 1’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Where is my body?’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Micro Doctor’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Lunar Journey’ (physical game + ROM )

PLEASE NOTE that the previous games are not enhanced. They are faithful to the original creation, with its virtues and defects. I prefer to dedicate my efforts to develop new games than re-offering them as “enhanced” versions.

MEGA GREENBOY PACK / COLLECTION

6 previous GREENBOY games

As in previous campaigns, and ONLY for the Kickstarter backers, the possibility of getting the complete collection of Greenboy games is offered. You will get the following games:

‘The Shapeshifter 2’ Standard Edition
‘The Shapeshifter 1’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Where is my body?’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Micro Doctor’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Lunar Journey’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Submarine 9’ (physical game + ROM )
‘Leo Legend’ (physical game + ROM )

PLEASE NOTE that ‘Leo Legend’ and ‘Submarine 9’ are my first two games, and they are not overworked. I consider them more for a collecting backer than for a player. Take this detail into account when choosing this pledge. These two games will no longer be available on www.greenboygames.com store.

MEGA GREENBOY PACK LIMITED / COLLECTION

Includes the same items as the MEGA GREENBOY PACK / COLLECTION, but with a LIMITED EDITION set of ‘The Shapeshifter 2’.

Please note that only LIMITED EDITION is from ‘The Shapeshifter 2’. The rest of the games are standard editions.

Remember that GREENBOY PACK and MEGA GREENBOY PACK (previous games) are in new version:

New Greenboy game box design
Cartridge shells with ‘Greenboy’ brand
Cartridge labels with the new ‘triple black stripe’ style
Greenboy Badge on the PCB
Sealed Box
1 Warranty holographic Greenboy sticker

❤️️❤️️❤️️Backers and Greenboy Users ❤️️❤️️❤️️

Those of you who are already Greenboy users, you already know that we take great care of you:

If you are a European citizen, you DO NOT need to pay the Custom Duties. We will pay for you! Thanks to the IOSS number, the companies have the choice to do it or not, so of course we do!
All prices on our website have Shipping costs included. We do not increase anything at the prices shown on our website.
Of course, Taxes included at the prices shown on our website.
Direct contact with me, Dana. I reply to all emails within 45 seconds to 6 hours (except when I’m sleeping ?). You can send me a PM on Twitter and I answer you.
Subscribe to our Newsletter and rest easy. You will only receive relevant news from Greenboy Games.
We have greatly improved the materials of the game as well as the packaging materials so that the games reach the user in the best possible way. Ask other users in the comments tab to find out about their experience.
Constant updates during and after the campaign to keep the user informed.

***You wonder how I can offer so much for this super price? read the FAQ section below.

Easter egg?

This game will have an easter egg, just like my previous games. There are many paths in the game, but ONLY 1 will lead you to discover it!

Remember that the first 10 people to discover the easter egg will get the next Greenboy release for free, which will surely be ‘The Shapeshifter 3‘, the end of the saga! And if this mechanic has seemed original to you, this is just the appetizer!!

I can anticipate that ‘The Shapeshifter 3‘ will be the masterpiece that will culminate the saga in a spectacular way, unpredictable, dazzling, overwhelming, unimaginable!

You can check the ‘Easter egg rankings’ here.

As many of you know, in the previous campaign the stretch goal was reached for the NES porting of ‘The Shapeshifter 1’. I can confirm that we already have the team ready to port and we are making progress with the porting of the first part. The surprise regarding the NES version is that we are going the development of both parts:

The Shapeshifter 1 + The Shapeshifter 2

If the NES version is of your interest, you can join the Kickstarter campaign here. Please note that will be activated on 2022 (date still undetermined)

NES Team

Here is the team committed to portability to the NES version:

>> Please note that there are no NES-related rewards in this Game Boy Game campaign.

Fast FAQ

1. Is it true that only one person is behind Greenboy games?: Almost everything is managed by me, Dana: idea of the game, sketches, art, masters, graphics, programming, dialogues, testing, purchasing materials, customer service, media service, sales, orders, ..

Music: Cesc Mozota & Oscar Latorre: You can read more information about these two creative geniuses in the Music section.
Discord Admin: With the invaluable help of KOLTRASTEN we have activated the Discord channel.
For PR management I always trust Albertino. He It has been with me since only a few of us develop for the GB.

2. Since when have you developed only for the Game Boy?: Since 2016. Initially with minor titles, and improving with each new title. But publishing my own games since 2018.

3. Is Dana your real name?: No. Dana is my Game Boy developer nickname. I fell into a magic kettle in 2016 and they renamed me Dana, so in the retro Game Boy scene, everyone calls me Dana.

4. How can I follow the evolution of your games and new developments? The easiest way is through my official social networks. Mainly Twitter, Website, Instagram or Youtube.

5. How can you offer these spectacular games at unbeatable prices?:

Greenboy games sells a lot of games per year. Thanks to these economies of scale, we obtain better purchase prices and we transfer it to the user.
The molds for the cartridge shells, protective cartridge boxes, cardboard box, inlays, high protective box sleeves were made for Greenboy Games, and we work directly with manufacturers (not intermediaries).
Self- publishing also gives me advantages to offer a better sale price. There are no third (or fourth) parties involved. Just you and me (well ..and Paypal ✌️).
Greenboy games is made up of a single person, making the structure very light. This is how I can offer a TOP quality game with 2 cartridges at the price of 1.

My main goal is to spread and maintain the Game Boy gameplay in the 21st century and beyond, so I need to be competitive and keep that TOP QUALITY games and TOP QUALITY materials.

6. Do you sacrifice the quality of the physical product?: From the first game to the last, there has been an incredible improvement: boxes, cartridge, PCB, materials, Inlay, shipment packaging, etc.. It can be corroborated by the thousands of users who have bought since 2018 – if someone of them wants to leave a comment in the ‘comments’ section, they will be welcome.

You also can find hundreds of users sharing their experience with Greenboy games on Twitter.

7. Can I have an interview or make articles about your games / releases on my news site?: Normally I have no problem serving the media. Neither to the media nor to any of my users. On the contrary, I am very participatory. If you are serious and professional, count on me!

Only on rare occasions I have refused to offer interviews due to the poor quality of the site and/ or a lack of professionalism, which smears content without contrast (destructive criticism vs. constructive criticism). They simply point to the opinions of others. In that case, I prefer not to participate.

8. Are you interested in developing for other platforms?: No. I have had temptations but for the moment I have not wanted to go further. I prefer that the goal of Greenboy games continues with the same values, mission and vision for which it was created. I am against planned obsolescence. I want to keep the first video game systems active. I want to bring life and new playability to these old systems. I am not against new ‘retro’ consoles coming out because they help to spread the retro scene, but my mission is for the old ones to last.

9. Why don’t you sell only the ROM file?: Because we are developers for physical cartridges games (CIB) for Game Boy players. We only send the ROM with any physical order.

10. What consoles can I play on?: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Super Game Boy, Repro Handheld consoles, and many other systems compatible with Game Boy cartridge games.

11. Do you dedicate yourself exclusively to developing games for the Game Boy?: Indeed. That’s how it is. I dedicate about 12 hours a day to Greenboy games.

12. Why did you decide to create unconventional games for the Game Boy?: Currently, the most developed styles for the Game Boy are ‘RPG’ Zelda clones and ‘Platforms’. I just wanted to offer something different, something really new and creative, original, genuine.

13. How many new games can you release per year? Only 1 TOP Game Boy game a year. Surely for ‘The Shapehsifter 3’ I will need more than a year, since it has a third innovative element (in line with the mechanics of this game) that needs several months of development. I think it is even more innovative than the idea of changing cartridges! ?? I can not reveal anything yet, but I assure you that you have not seen anything like it!

THANK YOU!!

———-

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Elland: The Crystal Wars

Originally licensed with the IP of Dune, Elland: The Crystal Wars is an unreleased flying Shooter for Game Boy Advance which was canceled 20 years ago and now is being resurrected by The Retro Room Games.