Super Derivative Sisters Returns!?

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I've always had an unaccountable liking of The Great Giana Sisters ever since I discovered C64 emulation. While it was obviously meant to fill a void that SMB acclaim created in the one of few places where the NES wasn't ubiquitous, it actually kinda did its own thing. Sorta! And the fan game Giana Returns was OK for a "lol aren't we hardcore" freeware game. Giana Sisters DS was a pretty short-but-sweet, if a bit banal, game sporting some really charming artstyle.

The new game, though, looks really promising! It's sorta like (recent) Rocket Knight or DKC Returns, but it's clearly its own thing. Changing the layout of a level on the fly looks intuitive and fun, kinda like Sonic CD's time travelling (but much more fluid).

The artstyle is a step down from the simpler DS/Apple version, if feel, but whatever.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

please delete this one!

[Wombatwarlord777]

Oh, they reached their Kick-Starter goal. That's awesome. I love the art direction of this game and hoped it would reach release.

[Tsuyoshi-kun]

I was not aware of this Kickstarter at all until today.

Sketches and early designs look quite nice.

[G.Silver]

Sorry, I deleted the wrong one (this one had all the replies in it).

Isn't this out already? Has anyone picked it up?

Maybe it stems from my (wrong, I guess) disbelief that anyone actually likes the Giana Sisters in the first place, like with all these ridiculous movies that are being made to "cash in" on the "popularity" of some "known franchise," I'm shocked that Giana Sisters has the clout to attract anyone, or even that the developers think that it's a brand they need to stick with. How important is it to them that this be a "Giana" title? Were they making a similar game anyway and just thought "hey, let's Giana this?" I'm really curious.

I mean it would be one thing if Giana Sisters were some original, brilliant game that never got the treatment it deserved and was due for a brilliant revival, but that really isn't the case, is it?

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I think it might be on Steam, but I'm hoping that it gets a physical release. Imagineer came to the rescue for GSDS with a budget NA release (what's more, with full-colored, glossy manual, to boot!).

Were they making a similar game anyway and just thought "hey, let's Giana this?" I'm really curious.

Well, according to the video the layout-swap gimmick stemmed from her ability to transform, a la Fiery Mario (except differen't, now, of course.)

But plagiarism sometimes has that rare ability to go down differen't evolutionary routes from its source! I cannot think of many at the moment (though, surely after I've logged off. grr), but it happens. Like how Mr. Do! is a shameless Dig Dug clone that has its fans, and had morphed into its own thing.

Not that I condone plagiarism.

I was not aware of this Kickstarter at all until today.

Neither did I.

[Majestic Joey]

Sorry, I deleted the wrong one (this one had all the replies in it).

Isn't this out already? Has anyone picked it up?

Maybe it stems from my (wrong, I guess) disbelief that anyone actually likes the Giana Sisters in the first place, like with all these ridiculous movies that are being made to "cash in" on the "popularity" of some "known franchise," I'm shocked that Giana Sisters has the clout to attract anyone, or even that the developers think that it's a brand they need to stick with. How important is it to them that this be a "Giana" title? Were they making a similar game anyway and just thought "hey, let's Giana this?" I'm really curious.

I mean it would be one thing if Giana Sisters were some original, brilliant game that never got the treatment it deserved and was due for a brilliant revival, but that really isn't the case, is it?

Yeah, they should have titled it something entirely different. It looks nothing like the original game which was a mario clone. Why did they make a game named after a character no one really knows instead of just creating a new innovative property?

Whatever, it looks cool though. I'd probably get it if it comes out for Xbla.

[Wombatwarlord777]

Yeah, they should have titled it something entirely different. It looks nothing like the original game which was a mario clone. Why did they make a game named after a character no one really knows instead of just creating a new innovative property?

It's entirely possible that without the what little name recognition the series has, the Kickstarter may not have been as successful as it had been (the original Giana Sisters and its DS sequel had a fairly widespread release in some European countries). If the game were another Mario clone, I wouldn't be enthused about that. But I really, really like this new game based upon what I've gathered from the Internet. If I get a new computer than can handle it, I'd be glad to buy it.

The Kickstarter page mentions some features, levels, and bosses that were pledged in exchange for reaching amounts in excess of the minimal monetary target. I hope these get added in later if the game has enough online sales!

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I've read/watched that the original was only available on store shevels for, like, two weeks before Nintendo's lawyers strong-armed them to remove it from store shelves. So it's one of the rarest and most pirated C64 games out there. This is what made it all the more surreal when Nintendo licensed GSDS. But yeah, brand-recognition no doubt plays a hand.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Remember when you were scratching your head that they'd revisit such a brand? Well, the same developer is behind this.

Doesn't seem so off the wall anymore, huh?

[Wombatwarlord777]

OH FUCK!

Also, glad to see that a Bubsy sequel seems appropriately stiff and floaty.

[Jingles]

Aren't these game designers wonderful?