PachiPals, a new monster-catching pinball-based Game Boy Color homebrew, is out now from Rebusmind. Why is it important to retro gamers? Because it’s a new homebrew that brings a new way of fighting.
Monster-collecting pinball game PachiPals launches for Game Boy Color
No more turn-based. Instead, players are dropped into an active pinball mini-game for combat. It’s a whole new way to play that should appeal to gamers looking for more active action for legacy handheld gaming.
With PachiPals, players can catch 100 different monsters, called PachiPals. Players solve environmental problems to find the monsters. Once found, they’ll have to fight them in pinball combat. It all comes down to solving different environmental puzzles to open up new places and new monsters to find.
Character building elements allow players to personalize their avatar. There’s also fast travel options to help cut down on backtracking on the map. Elemental buffs give players an advantage in the pinball-based fighting.
PachiPals is being distributed by Incube8 Games for digital and physical. The game’s digital download is 13.99 USD (roughly $13.99). The physical copy is 49.99 USD (roughly $49.99). Physical copies will begin shipping this month.
This is another example of modern homebrew for legacy hardware. It’s another game that’s part of the modern homebrew games for legacy hardware trend. With PachiPals, we can see what can be done in terms of deep game mechanics on the Game Boy Color.
It’s out now. You can grab it immediately via the digital store.
Source: RetroHandhelds
A pinball mechanic on GBC hardware is wild. I need to see how the physics hold up on real silicon.
Does the digital version support save states or is it just a flat ROM file like the physical cart?
It is a standard ROM. Save states depend entirely on your emulator. The cart has no battery for save memory listed.
tbh forty nine dollars for a physical cart is steep for homebrew. I will wait for a price drop.
The price is for the manufacturing cost. You pay for the box and the label. It is what it is.
I wonder if the pinball flippers are mapped to the shoulder buttons or the face buttons. The input lag would be fatal if it is on the face buttons.
Can you play the monster catching part without engaging in any pinball combat at all?