Hello, I’m Achromi the solo dev of Master Key, a 1bit Zelda-like, and it is out now for Switch! AMA!
Hello, I’m Achromi the solo dev of Master Key, a 1bit Zelda-like, and it is out now for Switch! AMA!
by Achromi
37 Comments
Achromi
Hello,
I am Achromi, the developer of Master Key. Master Key is a cute 1-bit old school Zelda-like focused on exploration and liberty. It has tons of secrets, it is not linear and I’m sure it will surprise you.
Back in 2018 I played Minit and fell in love with the 1bit style. But the game was 2 hours long and I wanted more, and more Zelda-likes too. Since I was a kid, watching my grandma complete SNES games back to back, I dreamed of making my own Zelda-like. So I decided to try game development.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022, I spent most of my free time developing Master Key. This is a project fueled entirely by pure passion, love, and Kickstarter money.
But I am not completely a solo dev, none of that would have been possible without Noé Guiton and his incredible musical talent! Listen to the full OST here (1 hour of slapping 8bit music): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25FT0gtg2fU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25FT0gtg2fU)
Beware, the game is “Nintendo hard” and lets you figure out most things! Don’t hesitate to lower the difficulty.
On the Steam version, the easy mode is on a slider in the main menu.
On the Switch version, the easy mode is in the palette menu, it is the blue palette on the right. It will be made like on the Steam version in a later patch.
Have fun and AMA!
Zandre2016
Hello. I’m also loving the art style. This looks really fun. How long is the game playing casually and looking for every secret?
finalbarline
Hi! Will you be utilizing Kickstarter for your next game?
DevouredSource
Fun question: why does your game have a picross section?
Dev question: what schedule did you use to develop the game? Did you have large bursts of coding or did you spread the work out in shorter sessions?
mido0o0o
This looks like a load of fun.
RabbitFanboy
Congrats on the release! Looks like a great game.
If you could develop any Nintendo IP, which one would you choose? What kind of game would you make?
finalbarline
Making a game with no text dialogue was a very creative and interesting decision. Since you didn’t have to worry about a traditional “script” to convey the story, what was the most time-consuming part in the development process?
mlvisby
Great looking little gem here! I’m curious, have you ever heard of the Playdate handheld system? It’s a little niche device that plays monochrome 1-bit games.
Loernn
Love the game !
How challenging was it to try to convey ideas and gameplay hints through pictograms only ?
roboccs
This is the first I’ve seen of this. It looks really intriguing!
My question is about the black and white art style. Was it for ease of development since it was a one-person development? Or is this what you always envisioned your game being?
Congratulations on this accomplishment!
mvanvrancken
I’m looking forward to playing this – thank you for your effort and time developing it!
adeepkick
First off, this looks amazing! Wishlisted and will definitely pick it up soon!
As for questions:
What’s one game mechanic you wanted to add but didn’t work out?
One idea you didn’t plan on adding initially but worked perfectly?
And one you would have added if you had more time?
Don’t worry if you don’t have answers for any or all of these. Congrats!!
Betorange
Looks awesome! Will definitely give it a try!
chelefr
Really neat 👌
RumHam88
I’ll definitely be trying this out. Kudos to keeping it affordable! Congrats on the launch!
chef-nom-nom
What a beautiful looking game and style! This is really sweet and I want to try it! No questions – just wanted to say nice work 🙂
The-Est
What programming language or tools did you use to make this game?
Ubergazz
What engine did you end up using to make this?
tango_telephone
Thank you for making this game! I loved Minit and Link’s Awakening. Your game seems to take inspiration from both yet still has a fresh style all its own. I’m very early in the game but very pleased with what I’ve seen so far. I grew up with the original Gameboy, and last night while I was playing, I was getting so deep into the game that several times I forgot what year it was and was surprised several times to realize that I was holding a Nintendo Switch in my hands! You didn’t just create a game, you invented a time machine and a fountain of youth. You made me feel like an 8 year old boy again! What was your experience like getting the game to Steam and the Nintendo Shop? What did you find challenging and how did that moment feel like when it was finally posted?
staticvoorhees
I have no questions. Just admiring your work. As an elder gamer, I love to see indie developers continue the love of pixel art. Pixel games today are still bigger than ever. Having pixel games on modern hardware breathes a new life into the games we once played. This looks amazing! Great work!
NathanialJD
Do you have palette swap options?
And if so, was the sprites and ground programed in such a way that would allow for customizable colours? By using hex codes for example, like #A8C64E & #3C412C
Kalad1nBrood
Looks great. Buying the game now. Can you tell me some of the tools you used to create the game?
normanlee
Have black and white games always been referred to as 1-bit? I thought 8-bit, 16-bit, etc. referred to the console architecture, not the color palette
J05H_98
Ooh this looks great. As a Pokémon fan the music reminds me of some of the Gen 1 music too. I’ll have to pick it up I think
DrKrFfXx
Next time make it a bit and a half. I love me some gray tossed in for a wow factor.
HenryZusa
Congratulations on your game!
From the trailer it looks really cool 🙂
Zerosdeath
Wen physical copy? Need dis, please gib.
Frosty-Square-5133
How much does it cost?
Flabbergasted98
As new programmer, this is exactly the type of project I fantasize about developing one day,
Clearly this is a labor of love that’s taken up a significant amount of time. How did you get started? What did you program this in? what advice would you share new programers who want to follow in your footsteps, but are just taking their first steps?
pyromidscheme
Game looks awesome, excited to pick it up soon. Any plans to bring it to additional platforms?
somethingclassy
I love the aesthetic – the music especially. Fantastic work. I will probably pick this up.
AnalogMan
Is there any FPS or other performance differences between Switch and Steam? Is the FPS capped at all?
Dexiox
This the type of shit I was expecting to be on the play date. Amazing job!
dan_iksse3
I picked this up over the weekend and I’m loving the game so far. It’s really charming and fun.
I’m currently stuck on the damned ghost fight. So my one question is why do you hate me?
vpierrev
Congrats on releasing this huge project!! This is already quite the accomplishment.
Do you already have something in mind for your next project?
MrGUYWITHFACE
I’ve been loving the rise of 1bit games like yours, Ratyrinth and Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo. Why do you think we’ve seen a wave of 1bit games coming out recently? Were you influenced by other recent games? Thanks 🙂
37 Comments
Hello,
I am Achromi, the developer of Master Key. Master Key is a cute 1-bit old school Zelda-like focused on exploration and liberty. It has tons of secrets, it is not linear and I’m sure it will surprise you.
Back in 2018 I played Minit and fell in love with the 1bit style. But the game was 2 hours long and I wanted more, and more Zelda-likes too. Since I was a kid, watching my grandma complete SNES games back to back, I dreamed of making my own Zelda-like. So I decided to try game development.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022, I spent most of my free time developing Master Key. This is a project fueled entirely by pure passion, love, and Kickstarter money.
But I am not completely a solo dev, none of that would have been possible without Noé Guiton and his incredible musical talent! Listen to the full OST here (1 hour of slapping 8bit music): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25FT0gtg2fU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25FT0gtg2fU)
The game is out on steam: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1763030/Master_Key/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1763030/Master_Key/)
And Switch of course! [https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/master-key-switch/](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/master-key-switch/)
Beware, the game is “Nintendo hard” and lets you figure out most things! Don’t hesitate to lower the difficulty.
On the Steam version, the easy mode is on a slider in the main menu.
On the Switch version, the easy mode is in the palette menu, it is the blue palette on the right. It will be made like on the Steam version in a later patch.
Have fun and AMA!
Hello. I’m also loving the art style. This looks really fun. How long is the game playing casually and looking for every secret?
Hi! Will you be utilizing Kickstarter for your next game?
Fun question: why does your game have a picross section?
Dev question: what schedule did you use to develop the game? Did you have large bursts of coding or did you spread the work out in shorter sessions?
This looks like a load of fun.
Congrats on the release! Looks like a great game.
If you could develop any Nintendo IP, which one would you choose? What kind of game would you make?
Making a game with no text dialogue was a very creative and interesting decision. Since you didn’t have to worry about a traditional “script” to convey the story, what was the most time-consuming part in the development process?
Great looking little gem here! I’m curious, have you ever heard of the Playdate handheld system? It’s a little niche device that plays monochrome 1-bit games.
Love the game !
How challenging was it to try to convey ideas and gameplay hints through pictograms only ?
This is the first I’ve seen of this. It looks really intriguing!
My question is about the black and white art style. Was it for ease of development since it was a one-person development? Or is this what you always envisioned your game being?
Congratulations on this accomplishment!
I’m looking forward to playing this – thank you for your effort and time developing it!
First off, this looks amazing! Wishlisted and will definitely pick it up soon!
As for questions:
What’s one game mechanic you wanted to add but didn’t work out?
One idea you didn’t plan on adding initially but worked perfectly?
And one you would have added if you had more time?
Don’t worry if you don’t have answers for any or all of these. Congrats!!
Looks awesome! Will definitely give it a try!
Really neat 👌
I’ll definitely be trying this out. Kudos to keeping it affordable! Congrats on the launch!
What a beautiful looking game and style! This is really sweet and I want to try it! No questions – just wanted to say nice work 🙂
What programming language or tools did you use to make this game?
What engine did you end up using to make this?
Thank you for making this game! I loved Minit and Link’s Awakening. Your game seems to take inspiration from both yet still has a fresh style all its own. I’m very early in the game but very pleased with what I’ve seen so far. I grew up with the original Gameboy, and last night while I was playing, I was getting so deep into the game that several times I forgot what year it was and was surprised several times to realize that I was holding a Nintendo Switch in my hands! You didn’t just create a game, you invented a time machine and a fountain of youth. You made me feel like an 8 year old boy again! What was your experience like getting the game to Steam and the Nintendo Shop? What did you find challenging and how did that moment feel like when it was finally posted?
I have no questions. Just admiring your work. As an elder gamer, I love to see indie developers continue the love of pixel art. Pixel games today are still bigger than ever. Having pixel games on modern hardware breathes a new life into the games we once played. This looks amazing! Great work!
Do you have palette swap options?
And if so, was the sprites and ground programed in such a way that would allow for customizable colours? By using hex codes for example, like #A8C64E & #3C412C
Looks great. Buying the game now. Can you tell me some of the tools you used to create the game?
Have black and white games always been referred to as 1-bit? I thought 8-bit, 16-bit, etc. referred to the console architecture, not the color palette
Ooh this looks great. As a Pokémon fan the music reminds me of some of the Gen 1 music too. I’ll have to pick it up I think
Next time make it a bit and a half. I love me some gray tossed in for a wow factor.
Congratulations on your game!
From the trailer it looks really cool 🙂
Wen physical copy? Need dis, please gib.
How much does it cost?
As new programmer, this is exactly the type of project I fantasize about developing one day,
Clearly this is a labor of love that’s taken up a significant amount of time. How did you get started? What did you program this in? what advice would you share new programers who want to follow in your footsteps, but are just taking their first steps?
Game looks awesome, excited to pick it up soon. Any plans to bring it to additional platforms?
I love the aesthetic – the music especially. Fantastic work. I will probably pick this up.
Is there any FPS or other performance differences between Switch and Steam? Is the FPS capped at all?
This the type of shit I was expecting to be on the play date. Amazing job!
I picked this up over the weekend and I’m loving the game so far. It’s really charming and fun.
I’m currently stuck on the damned ghost fight. So my one question is why do you hate me?
Congrats on releasing this huge project!! This is already quite the accomplishment.
Do you already have something in mind for your next project?
I’ve been loving the rise of 1bit games like yours, Ratyrinth and Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo. Why do you think we’ve seen a wave of 1bit games coming out recently? Were you influenced by other recent games? Thanks 🙂
I’m a kickstarter backer and it’s pretty fun