Notes on With the Last Moonbeam

“One thing I struggled with at first in this project was how to approach the art for the game. I had a preconception in my head about what GBA game art “should” look like”

“Instead I ended up embracing the large library of 8x8 sprites and tiles I’d created over the years for my Bitsy games. Reusing this art not only saved a ton of time, but it also influenced the way I approached the design of the game.”

“Placing the little Bitsy sprites in the comparatively large canvas of the GBA screen gave the game space an open, slightly lonely feeling that I liked.”

“And it reminded me of one of my favorite games: Knytt (and its sequel Knytt Stories). I decided I would make a Knytt-like, borrowing that game’s climbing mechanics and its quilt-like world map of fixed-size screens, while putting my own spin on it with Bitsy-like dialogue and graphics.”

“I daydreamed about a universe where planets are born from seeds, then take the form of giant animals and wander the cosmos until they eventually settle into orbit around a star, after which they slowly accumulate landmasses, seas, etc. until they become an ordinary planet.”

“It plays only a background role in the story I ended up telling in the game, and it’s not necessarily the most original idea, but somehow this was the spark that unstuck me.”

“Knytt / Knytt Stories, Nifflas. I already mentioned above how much of an influence these games had on MOONBEAM. They’re freeware, so go play them right now! >:P”

“Night in the Woods, Infinite Fall. I was definitely thinking about NITW when making the dialogue system for MOONBEAM. It’s also one of my go-to reference points for games with a protagonist who feels like a real person (as opposed to just being an avatar for the player).”

“On a Sunbeam, Tillie Walden. Beautiful, surreal, melancholy space opera - one of my all-time favorite comics.”