Welcome to 8 Bit Horse

8 Bit Horse is a website dedicated exclusively to 2D video games for all systems, old and new.

Lessons in 2D Game Design

We delve into the design lessons learned from classic 2D video games.

Picks of the Decade

Our picks of the most memorable games from the previous decade.

A Celebration of 2D

Our list of notable 2D video games.

Showing posts with label Eric Merz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eric Merz. Show all posts

GB Rober

A game by Mokkograd for PC, originally released in 2021.
GB Rober is an action platformer based around the gameplay and archetypes of the Mega Man series, and it features many similarities to the developer’s previous work, Splinter Zone. You take on the role of a cute little anti-capitalist robot who gets fed up with a life of constant toil spent in the benefit of the upper class. And so he decides to rise up to fight against the evil landlords and end the suffering of the people.
Despite an excruciatingly slow opening story setup, things escalate quickly. One day, while working away in your boring job, you decide that you’re just not going to do it any more. Someone runs into the room – apparently a cop – and aims a gun at you, and you blast him to smithereens and run out of the room.


Splinter Zone

A game by Mokkograd for PC, originally released in 2017.
In Splinter Zone, there’s no plot to get between you and the action. You play as a woman who runs through a series of levels blasting enemies into meaty explosions, jumping over pits, avoiding obstacles, facing off against some tough bosses, and occasionally stopping to shake the water out of her hair. Armed with only a blaster and your reflexes, you destroy enemies to build up your score, avoid taking damage to build your combo, and collect experience points to increase your firepower.


The game is heavily influenced by the Mega Man series, from the movement of the player character, to many of the level designs, and even the series’ trademark scrolling screen transitions. But, where Mega Man allows players to select between a number of levels, slowly making progress toward some end goal, Splinter Zone sees players faced with a random selection of themed levels, and getting killed earns a quick trip back to the title screen.