User:Zero/Nomolos

Introduction

I began this project in late 08' when I finally realized what I really wanted to do with programming as a hobby. I realized that making a game for one of the video game consoles I dearly loved as a child would likely motivate me more than anything else. I had a couple of ideas when I was a kid, and partially developed those ideas in QuickBASIC. But now that I'm a little older and wiser I thought it'd be way cooler to put those ideas on a real video game console and actually finish them.

Nomolos is a two-way scrolling action platformer game that borrows elements from Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden and other well known games. It stars an orange cat in armor named Nomolos (this is Solomon backwards, the name of one of my cats), and the setting is renaissance/baroque era. The soundtrack will consist entirely of baroque music by Domenico Scarlatti, but I may throw in a couple of pieces I've written also. My goal is to make a simple and fun game---I have no intention or desire to break new ground with it. I'm all about nostalgia and that "classic" feel.

Overview

• Project owner: Derek Andrews, developer of Gradual Games
• Developer: Gradual Games
• Artist: Ravenwolf
• Compiler : CA65
• Sound driver: Gradualore's SoundEngine module
• Soundtrack by: Domenico Scarlatti, Bach, Rameau, Soler, Couperin
• Started on: ~November 08
• Current status: Finished
• Release date: May, 2012
• Will make cart: Released through retrozone
• Mapper: iNES Mapper #2: UxROM
• PRG Memory: 256 KB
• CHR Memory: 0 KB

Story

Nomolos, an orange cat, and his friend Snow, a white cat, are enjoying a beautiful day together when suddenly, a swirling void appears before them. A hideous purple arm shoots out from this hole and snatches Snow away. As the portal begins to close, Nomolos becomes emboldened and leaps through it after his friend Snow. Upon arriving at the other side, he finds himself decked out in armor and standing on his back legs like a human, and wielding a sword. He charges into the dark forest in search of his friend Snow.

Characters and Enemies

Nomolos - our feline hero, an orange cat. He's really called "Solomon," here on earth, but when he goes in search of his friend Snow in the mysterious world beyond the portal he becomes "Nomolos," and is a fierce warrior.

Snow - Solomon's lady friend who was stolen by a hideous and enormous purple creature.

Boulder - An enormous and ugly hippo queen who steals Snow for unknown purposes. To steal her beauty perhaps?

Thoguth - The least of Boulder's henchmen, a wolf who can summon lightning bolts with a hammer, much like Thor.

Nogard - An ice dragon of enormous proportions, also working for Boulder and trying to get in the way of Nomolos' efforts to save Snow.

Grubselim Boj - An evil creature that lives at the top of a volcano, constantly spawning its children, the Granks, which are basically flying frowns that are out to get Nomolos.

Sneep - A pink ostrich. Because pink ostriches are scary. He can knock Nomolos off his feet with his head, ostrich style. And he can flap sharp feathers at him.

Beedie - A hopping purple blob. It's grumpy and wants to mess up Nomolos' nice new armor.

Grank - A flying frown.

Deentle - A confused spider that never stops pacing back and forth, poisoning anything it touches.

Batree - An angry, uprooted tree that spits bats!

Bat - A bat.

Owl - An owl.

Skelekin - A skeleton that barges right into Nomolos if he is not careful.

Icenail - An icey and slimey ice cave snail.

• this list is not yet complete*

Items

Sword - You always have this weapon even if you lose other ones.

Flail - This weapon swirls around Nomolos and is useful when he encounters multiple enemies from different directions. You lose it if you get hit.

Catalance - Nomolos' long distance weapon. It can go through multiple enemies at once, but you lose it if you get hit. Mouse - Nomolos' health powerup.

Cat food can (one up) - Gives Nomolos an extra life.

Screenshots

2009-12-14

Current status

Gradual Games blog

Gradual Games Youtube channel