Demakes are an art form. To capture the likeness and style of a game and make it look like it came from a console decades before the storyline was even created is a great skill, and discovering the creations that the retro gaming community have made is one of the best parts of my job. Heck, just check out the Super Mario Wonder demake I covered recently - I'm surprised I've done any work since!
To make a demake is one thing, but to create a game in 7 days is something else entirely! Bit Souls Demastered can be played in your browser and has an intricate control system that allows you to access items, use light and heavy attacks, climb up to different levels, parry, and other exciting features. The colour palette is mostly black and grey, but it definitely gives off that gothic, spooky feel you'd find in the original games.
The game, created by Retrobytes Productions and WeirdBitGames, was created for the very first Brainless Mini-Game Jam, a 7-day jam that required entrants to create a 'small yet polished game'. Bit Souls Demastered sees players collecting Souls and navigating their way towards the boss in true Dark Souls fashion. The only difference is it looks like you're playing a Windows 95 game instead of firing up a PS3, and I'm all here for it.
Bit Souls Demastered also pays homage to other influential games through its sound effects too. Every noise from explosion sounds to players being hit or even just selections being confirmed has been taken from other influential games like Street Fighter, Final Fantasy 7, Wonderboy, etc. It's clear that RetroBytes has a love of the Sega Master System, as they've taken sound inspiration from nine of its games for this demake!
As I said in the title, you can play this game in your browser, using 'Delete' and 'End' for your heavy attacks, WASD for moving, and your arrow keys for selecting items, climbing ladders, and more. Head to the project's page on Itch.io to find out more and to give it a go yourself!
