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Prerelease:Kero Blaster

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This page details prerelease information and/or media for Kero Blaster.

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The manual included with the physical Switch release comes with previously unseen concept art, get those on the page.

Development Timeline

2012

  • July 26 - Pixel updates his development diary to state that he has cancelled Rockfish, and is working on a new game. Pixel would later state after the game came out that it was originally called "Star Frog".[1]
  • October 16 - Pixel writes in his development diary that he has finished Stages 1-4, although Stage 4 took quite a bit longer than the previous stages to complete.
  • November 28 - Pixel is working on Stage 6. The game flow has been completely decided, but he hasn't had time to work on the background music.
  • December 27 - Pixel posts a screenshot of Stage 7 with an incomplete background onto his development diary.

2013

  • January 22 - Pixel posts a screenshot of Stage 8 mid-development.
  • February 7 - Pixel states in his development diary that he is aiming to finish the game in Spring.
  • February 13 - Pixel announces on his Twitter account that he is close enough to completing the game that he is willing to share more details about it, starting by posting artwork of a spring cat enemy from the game.
  • March 9 - Pixel officially announces Gero Blaster with a trailer at BitSummit 2013.
  • May 28 - Pixel releases a statement saying that the game's release date was postponed. Around this time, he also provided an update in a GameSpark interview, sharing new screenshots.
  • July 9 - Pixel posts a picture of the game flow chart for Gero Blaster being cleaned up. Notably, the doodles on the sticky notes are the last the public saw of Gero Blaster before it drastically changed the direction it took in development.
  • September 27 - Pixel creates another Twitter account, @StudioPixelJP, for the express purpose of providing information on Gero Blaster. He would no longer post about the game on his personal account.

2014

  • March 22[note 1] - Pixel announces that Gero Blaster would now be named Kero Blaster. In later interviews he explained that that this change was due to his son not liking the original name, as "gero" sounds similar to an onomatopoeia for throwing up in Japanese.[2][3]
  • April 1 - The second trailer for Kero Blaster is released, with a planned release date of May 11.
  • April 11 - A demo, Pink Hour, is released.
  • April 11-13 - Kero Blaster is shown off at PAX East.
  • May 11 - The game is released.

2015

  • September 11 - Pink Heaven is released.
  • September 18 - Pixel announces Zangyou Mode, with a release date of October 11.[4]
  • October 11 - v1.4.0.0 is released, which adds Zangyou mode.

Pre-Development Reset

If Kero Blaster is known for anything, it's for its tumultuous development cycle which eerily mirrors that of Cave Story; it was developed with a completely different plot and gameplay before the release date was delayed. Given time, the game eventually took on a new form, thanks in no small part to the introduction of Kiyoko Kawanaka to the development team.

General Differences

  • The game is a lot less linear than the final game, with some stages requiring the player to explore to find keys to open gates and progress. Even the level order is non-linear, as the player unlocks levels in groups, starting with levels 1, 2, and 3.
  • The player's weapons have an ammo meter when upgraded. This likely meant that upgrades were more like temporary power-ups at this point in development.
    • By the time the release date was delayed, the ammo meter was phased out in favor of an "overheating" percentage mechanic, which seemingly would affect even the base level weapons. It's unknown how this would've worked, as the only evidence of it can be found in the 2013 GameSpark article.
  • The player was able to stomp on some enemies to deal 1 damage to them. While some enemies still let the player bounce off of them unharmed in the final game, they are unaffected by the stomp.
  • The player had access to an umbrella as well as the jetpack. This umbrella would have allowed the player to fall slower by holding the jump button. Item graphics for the umbrella still exist in the final game unused, and the idea for the umbrella would eventually be reused for Pink Heaven.
  • Instead of coins, the currency that enemies drop are bolts.
    • There are 2 additional power-ups related to the bolts: one that doubled the bolts drops by enemies, and another unknown power-up that resembled a black and yellow heart with a lightning bolt on it. Graphics for these power-ups still exist unused in the spritesheet for the stage select.
  • The graphical style is somewhat less refined compared to the final version. In particular, some enemy sprites are scaled-up versions of smaller sprites, most notably the bosses.
  • The plot is entirely different; it follows Kaeru attempting to rescue his girlfriend Ame the Cat, who is kidnapped by aliens and taken to another planet. To do this, he travels to the planet in a spaceship with his sister, where along the way he receives distress calls from other cat princesses in captivity, so he must rescue them as well.
    • Ame the Cat, Kaeru, and Kaeru's sister are all characters from Pixel's Ame manga. The only Ame characters that are in the final game are Kaeru and Sasuke.
  • The levels have different themes compared to the final game:
    • Stage 1 takes place in a fortress at a mesa, similar to Hinterland Fort in the final game.
    • Stage 2 is located inside of a desert tower, with lots of vertical platforming.
    • Stage 3 is a sewer area, vaguely similar to the caverns of OXOX Hotel in the final game.
    • Stage 4 sees the player through a forest, leading up to a mossy cave.
    • Stage 5 takes place in the desert, and the enemies are military-themed (e.g. tanks, aliens with machine guns...)
    • Stage 6 is situated in a purple alien base, at some point transitioning into a red cave that looks nearly identical to the final game's Trayne Station.
    • Stage 7 is a snowy mountain, very similar to Hekichi Plateau from the final game.
    • It's unknown exactly what Stage 8 was like, but if unused tileset mpt08.png is to be believed, it looked a lot like a green version of the Trayne Station.
    • Stage 9 would have taken place on the red planet, according to the position of point 9 in the world map leftovers found in the final game. It also probably would have used mpt09.png, a cavernous-looking tileset with pipes and lava that remains, unused, in the files of the final game.

Development Diary

Pixel updated his development diary sporadically during this time, releasing screenshots and other images relating to Gero Blaster.

Cacti speak Japanese.
...But what does it mean?
This game has text or audio that needs to be translated. If you are fluent with this language, please read our translation guidelines and then submit a translation!
Notes: Pixel's tweets and development diary need to be translated, and Japanese text needs to be transcribed from images (especially the game progression chart).
Date Image Diary Entry Translation Notes
Jul. 26, 2012
GeroBlaster 120726 restart.jpeg
Rockfishを作り始めてから1年と半年(?)かな..

今年の1月に作り直しを決めた Rockfish は、 物足りなさを払拭するために、あれこれ追加することで わりと肉厚にはなったけど、 それでも総プレイ時間としてはまだ20分ぐらい。今もステージ1作ってるところ。 これでは、あと1年とか2年かかってしまいそうだ..

それで今年残るところあと5か月で完成できる方向で考えてみることにした。 現状のゲームの中で手掛けるのに度々悩んでる部分をゴッソリ外して、 よりサクサク作っていけるようなやり方を目指す。

Oct. 9, 2012
GeroBlaster 121009 imok.jpeg
再出発からもう2ケ月。

幸い完成目標は年内のまま開発すすめてます。 元気です。そろそろ花粉症(秋の部)のシーズンです..

Oct. 16, 2012
GeroBlaster 121016 4boss.jpeg
ひと月に3ステージぐらいのペースで作りたいけど

第4ステージに半月かかってしまった.. 単調にならないように変わった展開を考えると、 チープながらもつい演出に力が入ってしまう。 明日から第5ステージに入る..

Nov. 5, 2012
GeroBlaster 121105 botsu.gif
この2体ボツ..
Nov. 28, 2012
GeroBlaster 121128 stage6.jpeg
ステージ6。流れは決まったものの、作り出すと作業量がなかなか。

ここしばらくゲーム制作ばっかりの充実した毎日を過ごしてるつもりでも、 振り返ってみると細々とした仕事らしいことに追われてて、このステージの11月中完成は無理っぽい。 とりあえず今この瞬間はゲーム的な悩みは少なくてわりと幸せ。 インターフェースの問題とかBGMどうすんだとか今は頭にない。 つまりまだまだこれから..


はぁ..

The picture contains the entire unit type list image from this point in development. Unfortunately, the image is just too blurry to make out most of the NPCs. The last NPC on the list at this point is Spin.
Dec. 16, 2012
GeroBlaster 121216 testplay.jpeg
お出かけの電車での移動中に子供(8)にプレイさせて、

横で見ながら修正個所をリストアップ。 これをやった次の日から数日、ステージをつくり進めるのが止まってしまうけど、 解決策が思いつくものは幸い。どんどん修正。

The red things on the ground in the boss room can barely be made out to be unconscious red aliens. This was made more obvious when Pixel released a clearer image of the intro to the boss fight over a decade later.
Dec. 27, 2012
GeroBlaster 121227 bg.png
今年が終わってしまいますね.. This is the same room from Stage 7 that briefly shows up in the Gero Blaster trailer at 0:16.
Jan. 22, 2013
GeroBlaster 130122 lv8.png
ステージ8 を淡々と作成中。 The tileset for this level looks a lot more drab than the final version's mpt08.png.
Feb. 7, 2013
GeroBlaster 130207 img.png
この春の完成を目指してるから、そろそろゲーム本体の情報を出していきたいけど、

見せ方を考案するのもなかなか時間喰いなんで、音沙汰なければ、のたれ死んでるか、 集中して頑張ってると思っていただけたら幸いだな..

去年の8月から作り直しての現状は、音関係を除いたら完成度は8割ぐらい。

An illustration of Kaeru battling many enemies from this point of development. Interestingly, Kaeru's gun here is a more literal interpretation than how it appeared in PLAYISM's official cover artwork for the game. Whereas that picture depicted the gun as a machine strapped to his back, with a muzzle attached by a tube, in this drawing it looks more like a large upside-down pistol.
Apr. 30, 2013
GeroBlaster 130430 green.png
久々の記事(?)更新。

完成に向けてコツコツやってますが、 ここ数日は自分が見飽きたグラフィックなんかを 描きかえたりしてモチベーション維持を図ってます、

The vine platforms pictured can be found in OXOX Hotel in the final game, as well as unused in a few other of the game's tilesets.

Game Progression

Hmmm...
To do:
Find out what the Japanese text actually says, in order to make the text below more faithful to the actual image.
GeroBlaster GameProgressionChart.jpeg

In an interview with Mogura Games, Pixel shared an image of the chart plotting out the flow of the game, revealing many interesting details.

OP

The opening cutscene. The sticky notes depict a generic rocket ship, a UFO abducting someone, and the spaceship chasing after the UFO. (or a beach scene with an umbrella? It's really hard to tell.)

Stage 0

It's not clear what the sticky notes mean. They might just be placeholders.

Stage 1

  • Weapons:
    • Pea Shooter
    • What appears to be a tutorial
  • Prisoner:
    • "HELP!" bubble (probably a cat princess)
  • Boss
    • A larger variant of the standard alien enemy, which fires miniature versions of itself.

Stage 2

  • Weapon:
    • Bubble
  • Item:
    • Umbrella
  • Bosses:
    • The dragon boss
    • A giant bat that flies around with smaller bats

Stage 3

  • Weapons:
    • Fire
    • An upgrade to the bubble
  • Item:
    • Jetpack
  • Prisoner:
    • "HELP!" bubble (probably a cat princess)
  • Bosses:
    • A giant variation of the eel enemy
    • An umbrella ghost
    • A dragon boss (again?)
    • A larger ceiling frog enemy

Stage 4

  • Weapon:
    • An upgrade to the Pea Shooter
  • Prisoner:
    • "HELP!" bubble
    • Fairies which need to be freed from cages
  • Bosses:
    • Giant fairy
    • Giant Mole

Stage 5

  • Weapons:
    • Laser
    • Rocket
    • An upgrade to Fire
  • Prisoner:
    • "HELP!" bubble
    • In between Stage 5 and 6, a lamb character.
  • Bosses:
    • Tank
    • Appears to be a large snail

Stage 6

  • Prisoner:
    • Impossible to make out
  • Bosses:
    • A tall red alien, possibly the main antagonist
    • A flying saucer, with text underneath saying "Boss"

Stage 7

  • Weapons:
    • Another upgrade for the Bubble(?)
    • A weapon that fires 5 ways. It has a number on the right like some weapon icons in-game do, so it may have been a third upgrade to the Pea Shooter
    • Another upgrade for Fire
  • Bosses:
    • A crocodile-like monster
    • Two dragons at the same time

Stage 8

  • Prisoner:
    • A train
  • Bosses
    • Big Roof Worm
    • A whale-like creature
    • Pudding

Stage 9

Strangely, there is nothing listed under stage 9. The game's direction likely changed before the sticky notes could be added.

END

Kaeru and Ame escape in a rocket ship as the planet they are on explodes. When they land, they look at each other with a heart above them.


Tweets

Blank.png
Pre-Development Reset Tweets
Remember TwitPic? Well, you're about to.
Blank.png
#gamedev Tweets
Pixel picks up the slack.

Screenshots

Promotional Screenshots

When Gero Blaster was announced at BitSummit, several promotional screenshots were handed out to gaming publications to drum up hype for the game. It's worth noting that the Polygon article's image filenames actually state information on the subject matter of the screenshots, sometimes information that isn't immediately obvious. In fact, given the naming scheme of the screenshots (the first number is the stage, and the second number is which screenshot from that stage it is), the images shown are very likely curated from a much larger selection of screenshots.

Image Polygon Filename Notes
GeroBlasterPress Stage5.jpg
05_02_lv5 The filename states that this screenshot was taken in Stage 5. The machine gun-wielding alien enemies are still used as the icon for Stage 5 in the final game's level select.
GeroBlasterPress Stage3.jpg
03_04_lv3 This is the only screenshot that depicts a heart drop from an enemy, so it's possible the heart bolt power-up is required for that to happen. This image was taken in Stage 3, which is confirmed in the final game by that stage's world map icon having an eel enemy as seen here.
GeroBlasterPress Umbrella.jpg
02_08_umbrella From Stage 2. The umbrella at this point in development was blue, whereas the unused graphics found in the final game show it as being yellow.
GeroBlasterPress Stage2Boss.jpg
02_06_boss2 Evidently the boss of Stage 2.
GeroBlasterPress NewArms.jpg
01_07_new_rms The new weapon cutscene is completely different than in the final game. Whereas the final version flashes into a screen where the weapon is explained to the player, here a window showing the weapon with its name above it appears, and confetti rains down from the sky.
GeroBlasterPress Jail.jpg
01_06_jail One of the rooms in which a cat princess is held captive.
GeroBlasterPress Stage1Boss.jpg
01_05_boss The boss of Stage 1. Interestingly, it seems like the camera isn't locked here, as the gate is partially off-screen.
GeroBlasterPress Shop.jpg
01_03_shop One of many different shops found at this point in development.
GeroBlasterPress StageSelect.jpg
00_03_sel_stage A screenshot of the stage select, in all its original planet-y glory.
GeroBlasterPress Prologue.jpg
00_01_prologue A screenshot of the intro cutscene.
GeroBlasterPress TitleScreen.jpg
00_00_title The title screen.

GameSpark Images

Pixel shared many exclusive screenshots with GameSpark for two of their articles on Gero/Kero Blaster.

May 28, 2013
  • The buttons and text in the screenshots are in English, despite the article being in Japanese.
  • The article reveals the short-lived "overheating" mechanic, which can be seen underneath the weapons as a percentage in these screenshots.
  • For whatever reason, in these screenshots the bolt counter is placed way above its original spot, leaving a conspicuous gap in the status bar at the bottom.
Image Notes
GeroBlaster GameSpark1.jpeg
Showcases a new frog enemy, which comes in large and small variants. The skull that enemies release when they die has been changed to an X-eyed face with its tongue sticking out.
GeroBlaster GameSpark2.jpeg
The umbrella icon has been turned yellow, just like how it is in the final game.
GeroBlaster GameSpark3.jpeg
In the top left corner is a key inside of a shrine or stone structure. In the bottom right corner, there is a new dead tree enemy which, given its placement, probably acted like a barricade of some sort that could only be destroyed with a certain weapon. But in the center is a familiar face: the metal beetle enemy ("Metalbushi" in the unit type list) would go on to appear in the final game completely unchanged from his appearance here.
GeroBlaster GameSpark4.jpeg
This room is full of the moving beam NPC that would go unused in the final game. The article even states as much, saying that the scaffolding is moving.
GeroBlaster GameSpark5.jpeg
Pixel later stated in a #gamedev post that the fairies would have led the player to somewhere in the level when freed.
GeroBlaster GameSpark6.jpeg
It's unknown which stage this was meant for. The closest guess is Stage 6, as the ground and the moving scaffolding in the screenshot above share the same tone of purple.
May 24, 2014
Image Notes
GeroBlaster GameSparkConceptArt.jpeg
Seems to be really early concept pixel art for the game's premise of Ame the Cat being kidnapped. Kaeru doesn't even have defined cheek spots yet!
GeroBlaster GameSparkStage5.jpeg
An early Stage 5 screenshot, taken at a time when the Shoot lever wasn't added yet; instead, the player moved their finger above the arrow button to aim up, and shot by pressing the button each time, which would've been somewhat painful for mobile players.

Gameplay Footage

Original Trailer

  • At 0:16, there is a snowman in the bottom left corner. More intriguingly, the currently selected weapon is not known to have appeared in any other pre-release material.
  • During 0:23-0:26, floating platforms with propellers similar to those found in OXOX Hotel in the final game can be seen. These platforms do not appear to be semi-solid, which may be why their graphics were changed.
  • The infamous dragon boss appears between 0:26-0:30. It seems both its head and legs are its weak points.
  • From 0:30 to 0:33, a mine area in Stage 4 can be seen.
  • 0:37 contains an interesting scene: Kaeru peering through a jail cell with lambs in it. This may have something to do with the NewStage6 world map script.
  • 0:38 shows off another cutscene: red aliens carrying Ame to another flying saucer. Judging by the purple pipes in the background, this scene is probably from Stage 6.

GameSpot Gameplay

The only gameplay footage of Gero Blaster at this point in development outside of the trailer is a video on the GameSpot Gameplay Youtube channel, of all places. It showcases a few gameplay elements not seen elsewhere:

  • The player apparently would have been forced to backtrack through Stage 1 after defeating the boss and rescuing the cat.
  • An enemy not seen in any other screenshots is shown: a blue crocodile that looks suspiciously similar to the Sandcroc from Cave Story.
  • There are invisible chests hidden throughout the stage, which the player would have uncovered by shooting. The hidden chest still exists in the final game unused, but does not form a normal chest when the player shoots it.

Notes

  1. Pixel actually posted the exact same link on two different dates: once on January 14, and once on March 22. However, an Internet Archive backup of the target link dated January 17 suggests that the page was originally used to list the minimum specs to run Gero Blaster, which likely means the game was renamed to Kero Blaster around the time the latter tweet was posted.

References