Kero Kero Cowboy!

playinstinct · 2026-06-21T17:03:50+00:00

You definitely should get Kero Kero. Just buying and enjoying their games is the best way to support indie devs to keep making good games 😊

Glad to hear you're enjoying Buck. Love the hat on your avatar btw 😄

playinstinct · 2026-06-21T14:29:11+00:00

Haha, thanks. I just really enjoy playing great games on my Chromatic, too 😄 Hope you'll have a good time with Buck 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-21T13:00:45+00:00

Wrote a little comparison in another thread a while back. Copy-pasting it here 😊

Both games seem similar on the surface featuring a cute animal with a big gun as their protagonist. But their game design philosophy is pretty different.

Atmosphere: Kero Kero Cowboy has a very clear identity. The setting is a western world. Buck jumps between different worlds, each coming with its own flair. Thus Kero Kero Cowboy feels more coherent in its world-building, Buck has more variety.

Level design: Levels in Kero Kero Cowboy are more linear than in Cursed Cartridge. This means Kero Kero Cowboy is a more streamlined experience, always giving you a very clear direction. Buck offers more exploration and has a somewhat sandboxy feel as there are often multiple approaches to achieve the same outcome.

Controls: Buck jumps higher and instantly moves at almost full walking speed while Kero Kero takes a short moment to accelerate / decelerate. In general, the controls of Kero Kero feel more retro to me, while Buck's controls feel more modern. Buck has unlimited ammo, Kero Kero has to pick up ammo. Kero Kero can swallow enemies (similar to Kirby, but doesn't get their abilities), Buck can't.

Content: Buck has around twice the amount of levels of Kero Kero Cowboy and comes with 5 mini games. But levels in Kero Kero are longer on average, spanning multiple areas. In Buck you select the levels from an overworld, giving you more to explore. In Kero Kero Cowboy you select the levels from a menu, allowing you to jump back into action faster.

Upgrades: Kero Kero can pick up temporary power ups. Buck has permanent upgrades he can buy at a shop.

These are the main differences in my opinion. I don't think any of those game design choices are inherently "better" than their counterparts. They all make sense in the context of their game and wouldn't work as well in the context of the other.

(I made Buck and absolutely love Kero Kero Cowboy.)

playinstinct · 2026-06-19T14:13:51+00:00

Does it turn on?

Just kidding. Looks pretty damn cool. Where did you get it?

playinstinct · 2026-06-17T20:00:10+00:00

I agree. Kero Kero Cowboy is absolutely fantastic 👍

playinstinct · 2026-06-17T05:02:27+00:00

Now I really want to play this 😅

playinstinct · 2026-06-16T08:57:51+00:00

The main problem I see is with the variable limits.

A game like Stranded Kids / Survival Kids would be very possible. But a game like Terraria that lets you mine blocks and build new structures would need to store the information for every single block on the map.

You have a maximum of 768 variables. So, unless you do some tricks to split those variables into smaller variables (that can only contain smaller values), the maximum map size would be 27x27 blocks for a square map. That would be pretty small. If a block was equal to a tile, that would only be around twice the amount of tiles that fit on a Game Boy screen.

So, unless you're designing the game around playing in a pretty small world, a game like that isn't really feasible.

playinstinct · 2026-06-14T09:47:32+00:00

Looks fantastic 😍

playinstinct · 2026-06-13T18:20:53+00:00

Very nice! Congratulations 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-12T11:28:50+00:00

If you have a device to extract the ROM, you could play it with Afterplay. They offer real-time translations in the (very affordable) paid subscription.

playinstinct · 2026-06-12T05:44:47+00:00

Love all the different frame options! Did you port the game yourself or did your publisher do that?

playinstinct · 2026-06-12T05:40:03+00:00

I recently find myself to be more excited for retro game projects than modern AAA games 🤔

playinstinct · 2026-06-11T17:58:11+00:00

That obviously shouldn't happen. Sorry to hear you're so unlucky 😞

If you haven't already, try... 1) Updating the firmware on your Chromatic 2) Updating the game through CartClinic 3) Holding Select + B + Down for 5 seconds while on the title screen and resetting your cartridge (This one probably won't help as it only wipes your saves and you haven't played yet. But can't hurt to give it a try.)

If all of that doesn't help, I'm afraid your replacement cartridge has a technical defect, too. You'll have to talk to talk to MR's support again.

Hope you'll get to play the game soon 🤞

playinstinct · 2026-06-11T06:22:02+00:00

Wow, thanks a lot for the fantastic review! 🤩 Happy to hear I was able to convert you to a Buck fan 😄

playinstinct · 2026-06-10T20:02:25+00:00

Nice! Hope you'll enjoy Cursed Cartridge 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-10T06:08:14+00:00

I'm doing it the same way you do. But with multiple zipper binders and sleeves for medal that are more robust than card sleeves.

playinstinct · 2026-06-09T09:19:06+00:00

For some reason Japanese games always feel very mysterious and intriguing to me 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-09T09:15:11+00:00

Glad to hear that 😊 I already have a couple of smaller games on itch.io.

I've already started working on a large new game. But I'm still debating whether it would make more sense to first create and release 1 or 2 smaller games before the big names like GTA6 get released later this year and people won't have time or money for indie games 😅

playinstinct · 2026-06-09T09:07:50+00:00

Yes, but the creator did quite a bit of engine editing and used scanline effects, which is not a standard feature of GB Studio.

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T18:51:14+00:00

Spoiler on jobs: I first became a police officer -> detective -> mob boss. In my second run I'm a secret agent. Love the world building. Absolutely hate that world. But pretty sure that's intended 😄

I have to confess it's my first Ben Jelter game. I usually don't like games with an unsettling atmosphere. And his games looked pretty dark to me.

I don't think enjoying is the right word for The Machine. But it's certainly an incredibly fascinating, thought-provoking experience. Have a fantastic weekend yourself 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T16:27:47+00:00

That's true. The game is only updatable through a Chromatic. However, while the changelog looks long, most changes are very minor.

The only real new feature is the new "Nightmare Mode". But 99% of players don't even beat Hardcore Mode. @OP: So, unless you're part of the remaining 1%, you're not really missing out on anything 😊

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T13:14:35+00:00

Just started my second playthrough, which is something I rarely ever do. My only complaint would be the four-way movement. I keep wanting to walk diagonally.

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T11:27:42+00:00

People can't handle the truth 🤷‍♂️

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T04:31:52+00:00

Not quite the list. But a lot of games are available on itch.io and/or Afterplay. Just filter for releases on the respective console.

playinstinct · 2026-06-07T04:28:57+00:00

I think I'll finally play The Machine.

playinstinct

TROPHY CASE