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Paul "Playsoft" Lay continues to advance in his platform game project for Atari 8-bits and 5200 that uses the GTIA 10 graphic mode, in the style of «Super Mario Bros.», adding new mechanics and functionalities.
In the latest update, the developer has incorporated a power-up that transforms the protagonist into a ninja, capable of launching lethal projectiles in the form of squares.
In statements to Atariteca, Lay detailed that he has managed to implement two ninja suits -one blue and one red- without the need to use additional graphics; which allows keeping the game size within the 32K of ROM planned for the Atari 5200 version. According to the author, these suits will represent future power-ups with specific abilities. One of them will probably offer temporary invulnerability, while the other could grant the character a melee weapon, such as a sword.
The game's development is being carried out simultaneously for Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bits, using conditional code to handle hardware differences. On the 5200, the ninja's shots are activated with the second button of the controller, while on Atari 8-bits, for now, the shot is performed with the Shift key. Lay has indicated that this solution is temporary and will serve only for testing.
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For the final version, his preference is to implement support for the Joy2B+ controller, although he is aware that he will have to offer compatibility with standard joysticks. For this, he could opt to use the space bar to shoot or assign the function to the "up" direction, although this last option has never fully convinced him.
Let's remember that the platform project emerged as a proof of concept after working on the port of «Block'Em Sock'Em», a puzzle game by John Hancock originally developed for Sega Genesis. Lay brought this title to Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bits, taking advantage of the GTIA 10 mode to represent the blocks and backgrounds with sufficient chromatic richness!
