If things could not get any better for Game Boy fans with the news of Infinity, The Shapeshifter and Goodboy Galaxy, we have yet another Game Boy title! Thanks to developer Andreas Winhard I played through the five levels and spoke to the developer about Gunship and whether or not we can expect a physical release. I love that even with the rise of Kickstarter campaigns for bigger games we still have room for smaller projects that are just as good to play.
The game itself is an overhead on-rails shooter. You are looking down from your Gunship moving your target around to wipe out your enemies. There is a standard fire and bombs to use in a tight spot. Like other games of this type you lose health if an enemy is given the time to shoot at your ship. The five levels all play the same, in a jungle environment with various different troop types to destroy. The game is easy to learn but hard to master. The scoring system leaves this open for great re-playability.
Tell us a little about yourself and how Gunship came to be?
I am located in Germany and owned a Game Boy in the early 90s which I really loved. I dreamed of making my own game one day and as a kid I taught myself programming. In 2019/20, I discovered the GBDK (Gameboy Development Kit) and programmed my first small demos. After completing my first two games “Genesis” and “Black Castle”, I searched for something new and discovered “Operation Yabuka” which is available on itch.io. Unfortunately there is only a beta version of the game.
Are there plans to add more levels and maybe release a physical cart?
Actually the game is finished and I wait only for the cover art to be completed. Maybe later on I will try to find a publisher to make a physical release.
Why make a GB title in 2021?
The community for Gameboy homebrews is growing and because of the Gameboy Studio anyone can make a game.
What are the challenges faced with creating a brand new GB game?
For a railway shooter, like Gunship, it is very important to control sprite priority. The Gameboy however has very limited sprite priority support. I think that’s also the reason why there are hardly any rail shooters on the Gameboy. With a programming trick I managed to keep the crosshairs always above the enemies.
A huge thank you to Andreas for a copy of this great game. The game will be available soon on itch.io.
