Completed Karpe Diem: A Pokemon Slice of Life for the Gameboy

WHERE TO PLAY
Play in your browser: itch.io
Download the ROM for your GB: Google Drive

PLOT SUMMARY
It's that time of year again... Karpe Diem!

The famous festival of the Joisey region, which brings travelers from far and wide to compete in a fishing competition overseen by the widely adored Mayor Slowpoke. Set out on adventure to become the next Karpe Diem champion, face off against a worthy rival, meet helpful strangers, and solve thematic puzzles.

WHY PLAY THIS ONE?
Karpe Diem is a Pokemon slice of life game which strips out longtime series mechanics such as battling, badges, and evolutions to instead focus on things like kicking back, relaxing, and reeling in a whopper. With a total run time of ~20 minutes you can enjoy all the Joisey region has to offer as breather between your other Pokemon adventures.

ASSET & RESOURCES CREDITS
GB Studio (Engine used for building the game)
GB Studio Fishing Template
Pokemon Crystal Base Tileset
Pokemon Crystal Character Pack
Pokemon GBC Overworld Sprites
Gameboy Adventure Music
Gameboy Ambient Soundscapes
Gameboy SFX Pack
Gameboy Island Map
Official Pokemon Trading Card Game Sprites
Official Pokemon Gold/Silver Sprite

 

[Ekat]

Hey, I checked out your game! It's super cute! Here are some quick notes I jotted down:

• Fishing game. Need I say more?
  • I love fangames that focus on aspects of Pokémon outside of the standard gym challenge. I want to see new stories, people try new things within the setting/world... This meets that perfectly.
• The visuals were great
  • I love the color pallets you chose
  • I want to go in the Pokémon house, I know I can fit
    • Let me IIIIIN
  • The maps were all nice and compact, and full of detail
    • Having done a project in GB Studio before, I know how tricky it can be to work within that limitation
• There were plenty of little details I liked, too
  • Pokémon and people interacting in the background of the world (particularly ones like Growlithe guarding the house, and the girl trying to catch Dodrio)
  • Being able to turn off the radio
• Slowpoke as the major is both cute and funny. It reminds me of those towns you hear about where they elect a cat or dog as mayor, heh
• I enjoyed the segment where you got to take over as Nidorino! It was a fun surprise
• The NPCs of the world are full of charm!
• The password reset puzzle was fun, too
• Didn't run into any major bugs.
  • You may want to tidy up the pixel density of the end game/game complete screen, though. (ie: Slowpoke's nostrils)
• The fishing was nice, if a little shallow. Pun somewhat intended. The game was short enough that it's not that big a deal, but I do wish there were ways to vary it up, towards the end.

Cheers!

 

[mksf_birdup]

I appreciate all the feedback! Definitely see what you mean about the end game screen likely needing a touchup, as it was built mostly out of assets I already had lying around (pixel art from scratch is not my strong point.)

I'm glad you enjoyed all the little additional touches like the radio and the other Pokemon denizens just vibing. The captcha puzzle was actually one of my personal favorite touches while developing it.

As for entering the Poke house, not sure Mayor Slowpoke would like you rummaging around her things while she's out at work Electing a cat/dog as mayor was definitely the feeling I was going for, and it just so happened to work out as a mean of covering up that my fishing mechanic required you interact with a specific actor to trigger.

 

[Aki]

Oh I played this on Itch! I love this little game, it's the perfect length for a browser based pick up and play. Even though it's short and the actual catching mechanics are super simple, it's clear there was love put in the design; I really like the little details in the characters like the girl trying over and over to catch a pokemon in the grass, or just the way the rival interacts with the player character. I never knew I wanted an older rivalry untill seeing this one, it feels so authentic to a couple of older guys lol.

 

[mksf_birdup]

Thanks for playing and leaving such a lovely review!

The rival was one of my favorite characters to write for when building the game. Trying to strike a good balance between letting him talk some smack while still making clear the two of them are longtime friends took a few passes to get right, but I'm really satisfied with the end result.

 

[-FL-]

I completed! Very very simple game, but very beautiful, with nice (also small) puzzles.

The world is populated with a lot of details for a small game. I found some dialogs, specially the news, very funny! The bookshelf pages needing to return into house were a bit annoying. I solved the rock puzzles a way, but the rocks became fixed in another way. I think that I found a tile bug:

 

[TheMentalOrder]

This is a very cozy game. It's incredible how alive the world feels, the little details makes the whole experience very memorable despite such little gameplay time. Great short game.

 

[KennyCatches]

Really short and sweet game! Loved the graphics and writing, and I particularly liked the password reset puzzle.